Korea is one of the most successful nations in badminton but has come up short in recent years, winning just one bronze medal in the sport at each of the three previous editions of the Games.
It's been a year for the history books, with the LG Twins back at the top of the KBO while the national team stumbled at the WBC. Korea's Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in continued to shine in Europe. And the Asian Games made its return, one year late.
An, 21, was the first Korean to win the Asian Games tournament in 29 years, and the first Korean to even play in a final at the World Championships in 30 years.
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min topped the ranking on Gallup Korea’s annual poll of the biggest names in Korean sport, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in taking second and a big chunk of Son’s annual vote.
Korea secured three medals in badminton at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Saturday, with An Se-young winning gold and two duos of Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho and Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee claiming silver.
An Se-young kisses her gold medal during the medal ceremony for the women's singles after defeating China's He Bingjiao at the Japan Open in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday.
The Korean badminton team is looking to revive its former glory by winning medals at the upcoming 2022 Asian Games.
Korean badminton star An Se-young won the Badminton World Federation (BWF)'s Indonesia Masters on Sunday, taking her second world tour title in a row after triumphing at the India Open one week earlier.
An Se-young returns a shot to Michelle Li of Canada during their women's singles qualifying match at Thomas & Uber Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday. An won the match 21-19, 21-13.
An Se-young celebrates after winning the women's singles badminton final match against Pusarla V. Sindhu of India at the BWF World Tour Finals in Nusa Dua, Indonesia on Monday.
Korea JoongAng Daily Sitemap