An Se-young Makes Badminton History with the First-Ever Back-to-Back Asian Games Title [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] South Korea's women's national badminton team delivered a dazzling gold-medal finale on the Nagoya stage, once again proving the renaissance of Korean badminton. An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), the "Shuttlecock Empress," became the first women's singles player in Asian Games history to win back-to-back titles. The Lee So-hee-Baek Ha-na pair (both Incheon International Airport) also roared in triumph after ending South Korea's 24-year women's doubles gold-medal drought.
An Se-young defeated world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the women's singles final at the 2026 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya badminton competition, held on the 29th at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. An Se-young, the women's singles gold medalist at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, reached an unprecedented milestone: two consecutive Asian Games titles in women's singles. Since badminton became an official Asian Games sport at the 1962 Jakarta Games, no women's singles player had won the title twice in a row. Zhao Jianhua and Lin Dan of China achieved back-to-back men's singles titles, but An Se-young is the only women's singles player to defend her championship and establish herself as a living legend.

The match also fully demonstrated the stature of the world No. 1, who has maintained a remarkable winning percentage of over 98% with just one loss in 57 matches this year. Against Yamaguchi, she extended her winning streak to nine matches.
An Se-young was dominant throughout the match. Early in the first game, she countered Yamaguchi's fierce attack with her trademark precise strokes, steadily draining her opponent's energy. With the score locked at 16-16, she seized control with a sharp cross-court smash and took the first game 21-17. After gaining the upper hand, she displayed a level of skill above her opponent in the second game. She scored four straight points early on and briefly allowed Yamaguchi to draw level, but then poured in seven consecutive points against the tiring Japanese player to tilt the match decisively in her favor. It fully erased the disappointment of her earlier loss in the women's team semifinal.

The good news in singles was immediately followed by a doubles triumph. In the women's doubles final, the Lee So-hee-Baek Ha-na pair rallied to a 2-1 victory (26-28, 21-18, 21-18) over the world No. 1 Chinese pair of Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning after a grueling battle, taking the top spot on the podium. South Korea had not won the Asian Games women's doubles gold medal since the 2002 Busan Asian Games, when Ra Kyung-min and Lee Kyung-won claimed the title. The pair also swept away the disappointment of winning silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
As befitted a showdown with the world's No. 1 pair, every game turned into a cliffhanger marked by repeated deuce scores and comebacks. After narrowly dropping the first game 26-28, Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na regrouped in the second with solid defense and sharp net play. At 16-16, they repeatedly forced errors from their opponents and won the second game 21-18 to level the match.

In the decisive third game, a twist came at 17-17 when China's Liu Shengshu went down with an ankle injury while defending. Facing an opponent whose mobility had sharply declined, Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na remained composed. At 18-18, they relentlessly attacked the openings and swept up three straight points to bring the grueling battle to an end.
It was the reward for overcoming past struggles and proving themselves on the biggest stage. An Se-young's unrivaled status was reaffirmed, while the end of South Korea's 24-year wait for a women's doubles gold medal once again underscored that Korean badminton stands firmly at the top of the world.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter