Ahn Se-young has been selected as one of the leading candidates to win the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She won the Hangzhou Asian Games and the World Championships last year, displaying her full capacity and performance, as well as overcoming rivals from her natural enemies.
World No. 1 Ahn easily secured two wins from the qualifying round for women’s badminton singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Her opponent in the quarterfinals was Akane Yamaguchi of Japan. Ahn got off to a shaky start by conceding the first set, but later secured a come-from-behind victory by downplaying the second set by banking on her physical strength.
She defeated Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia in the semifinals with a come-from-behind victory just like Akane. And as Chen Yufei, who was likely to face off in the final, failed to advance to the semifinals, Ahn’s chances of winning the gold medal are even higher.
Ahn faced off against China’s He Bing Zhao in the final. Prior to the match, Ahn had an opponent’s record of eight wins and five losses, but in eight matches since the Hangzhou Asian Games gold medal, he displayed overwhelming performance by posting seven wins and one loss. The situation was the same in the final. Ahn easily cooked He Bing Zhao by banking on her defense and physical strength, and eventually grabbed her dream Olympic gold medal. It is the first time in 28 years that Ahn has won a gold medal since Su Soo-hyun at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
However, Ahn’s interview afterwards became a hot topic of conversation more than the gold medal. “I can no longer be with the national team. The association is neglecting many things in the name of freedom,” Ahn said after the match, openly criticizing the association’s unreasonable treatment. He also expressed discontent about the expiration of the contract of Han Soo-jung, who helped her recover from her knee injury.
The aftermath of the incident was considerable. The Badminton Korea Association refuted Ahn’s claim one by one in a 10-page press release shortly afterwards. Soo Soo-hyun, who won the gold medal in women’s badminton singles before Ahn, also joined the criticism.
Still, Ahn did not budge. Rather, Ahn began to raise issues in the badminton community, such as personal sponsorship of national team players and a cap on down payment for unemployed badminton players.
Politicians are also responding to Ahn’s call. Rep. Jin Jong-oh, People’s Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, and Culture and Sports Minister Yoo In-chon said they would not easily overlook Ahn’s remarks.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a press release on Wednesday morning that it has launched an investigation into Ahn’s remarks by the Korea Badminton Association. Ahn has received more attention at the Paris Olympics due to his “decisive remarks” than his gold medal in 28 years.
BY: 메이저사이트
