Ahn Se-young (21-Samsung Life Insurance), the “absolute number one” in women’s singles, has been rewriting the book on Korean badminton this year.But there’s one name that’s been mentioned without fail. It’s the ‘Shuttlecock Queen’, 51-year-old Hwang Soo-hyun.Ahn Se-young’s victory at the All-England Open in March, her world No. 1 ranking in August, and her gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in October are all paths that Suh walked more than 30 years ago.The South Korean badminton legend won gold medals at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.Until Ahn won her gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, she was the only South Korean singles player to win an Olympic or Asian Games title.
She was also the last woman to win an All-England Open gold medal and be ranked No. 1 in the world.Just 30 years her junior, Ahn is following in the footsteps of her predecessor, who paved the way more than three decades ago.Ahn looked back fondly at the youngster who would one day surpass him.He lives with his family in the U.S. state of Louisiana and serves as a commentator for international competitions such as the Olympics and Asian Games.”At the Tokyo Olympics, I could see some things that I wanted to fix, but now those shortcomings have been perfectly fixed,” he told Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday, predicting that no one will be able to beat her in the near future.
“Her footwork is better and her play in front of the net is more delicate. Her backhand smashes have also become faster,” he analyzed, adding, “She may 스포츠토토 have natural athleticism, but she also seems to put in a lot of effort and training.”
He then gave advice that only a senior who has stood at the top of the world can give.”You can feel anxious if you don’t train, but being a world-class athlete doesn’t mean you train a lot. You have to take good care of your body,” she said, adding, “Especially since I play a defensive style, I play a lot of rallies, so it’s most important that I don’t get injured.”Ahn injured her right knee in the women’s singles final of the Hangzhou Asian Games against Chen Yufei (China) on July 7 and was diagnosed with a two-to-five-week rehabilitation.Suh said she also needs to let go of the pressure.
“When you become the No. 1 player in the world, there is pressure from other players, and there is pressure to win the gold medal unconditionally,” she said, encouraging her to “put down the pressure and handle the pressure well.”For Suh, who has been the only Korean singles player for more than 30 years, Ahn Se-young is a welcome junior.”I used to feel uncomfortable because I was afraid that singles players would suffer from being compared to me,” she said, adding, “I hope Ahn Se-young will go beyond me, which is good for the development of badminton.””When my daughter goes to college, I’m thinking of doing something to help Korean badminton,” said Hwang, who has a younger daughter in high school.
