“Medal box for all AG badminton events”
“We prepared hard, and now we have to see the results.” (Ahn Se-young)
The Korean national badminton team held a media day at the Champion House at the Jincheon National Athletic Center in Chungcheongbuk-do on Saturday. Head coach Kim Hak-gyun, the coaching staff, and 10 Korean players attended, including Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), who became the first woman to be ranked No. 1 in the world in the women’s singles event in 27 years after Suh Bang-hyun (retired).
The team will compete in a series of high-profile tournaments, including the World Individual Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 21, the China Open (Super 1000) early next month, and the Hangzhou Asian Games at the end of the month. The results are expected to carry over to the Paris Olympics next July.
After being in a deep slump for a while, Korean badminton has rebounded this year with good results in most individual events. Through the Australian Open earlier this month, the team has won 23 gold, 17 silver, and 23 bronze medals in 21 international events (excluding Challenge). Ahn’s seven gold medals were led by Kim So-young (Incheon International Airport) and Gong Hee-yong (Jeonbuk Bank), the world No. 3 women’s doubles team who won the Korea Open with Ahn. Now it’s time to harvest the fruits.
Korean badminton hasn’t had a golden smash at the World Championships since Ko Sung-hyun and Shin Baek-chul won the men’s doubles gold at the 2014 edition. At the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, the team finished with a bronze medal.
“At the Asian Games, we aim to win medals in all sports,” Kim said, adding, “If we do well in the team competition, the individual results will follow. Women’s singles, women’s doubles and men’s doubles are all in the medal box,” he said. Ahn Se-young, who was eliminated in the first round of 32 at the Asian Games five years ago, said, “At Jakarta-Palembang, I wasn’t good enough to play badminton, but now I’ve filled in well and become the player everyone expects.” “I’ve prepared a lot to show a better version of myself, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results,” she said. Asked about the pressure of being world number one, Ahn laughed and said, “I’m excited to see what it’s like to play at number one.”
Coach Kim also praised Ahn, saying, “When she played against the ‘big four’ before, she was dragged around, but now she can play a game where she is in control,” adding, “I’m waiting for her to get used to that kind of play like a second skin.”메이저놀이터
Lee Kyung-won, the women’s doubles coach, echoed the sentiment, saying, “It’s a goal and a dream to have our players play in the finals of the Asian Games and Olympic Games in women’s doubles.”