Hangzhou: Korea’s An Se Young made waves in the Asian Games individual event as she clinched gold in the women’s singles, ending China’s stronghold at the Asian Games 2023.
While China showcased its prowess by bagging four (men’s team, men’s singles, mixed doubles, women’s doubles) out of seven available golds in badminton, An Se Young’s triumph in the singles event was a significant deviation from the script.
China’s success in the tournament was evident as they secured gold in the men’s team event and followed it up with a top podium finish in the individual events. In a captivating mixed doubles final, the duo of Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong emerged victorious against formidable opponents Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino, with scores of 21-15 and 21-14.
In a display of their internal talent pool, the men’s singles saw an all-Chinese showdown. Underdog Li Shi Feng, the sixth seed, outperformed Shi Yu Qi, registering a 23-21, 21-13 win.
Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan, in the women’s doubles category, lived up to their top seed billing, overpowering Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee with a scoreline of 21-18 and 21-17.
However, the highlight was Korea’s An Se Young, the world’s top-ranked women’s singles player, creating an upset by toppling China’s Chen Yu Fei in a gripping match that ended 21-18, 17-21, and 21-8. This wasn’t Young’s sole contribution; she was instrumental in South Korea’s earlier triumph against China in the women’s team finals.
The last time a Korean women’s singles player won the gold at the Asian Games was Bang Soo-hyun in 1994 followed by Kanako Yonekura in 1998. Then, China dominated the women’s singles category from 2002 to 2014, before Tai Tzu Ying won it in 2018.
