An Se-young Clinches 2nd BWF World Championships Gold After Nearly Pulling Out

New Delhi: An Se Young clinched women’s singles gold at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Sunday (August 23), etching her name into Korean badminton history as the first singles player - male or female - to win two Worlds titles. Yet, just three weeks ago, she was contemplating pulling out of the event, troubled by a troublesome knee injury.

But Young, the World No. 1, was determined not to miss the adoring New Delhi crowd, where she loves returning and soaking in the atmosphere. In the semifinals, she even urged the crowd to raise the noise as she stormed into the final.

Following her 2023 triumph, Young brushed aside fierce rival and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi in straight games (21-17, 21-14) to clinch her second World Championships gold and seventh title of the season.

Always a crowd favourite in India, Young has made the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium her happy hunting ground. In January, she won the India Open for the third time.

On Sunday evening, egged on by the boisterous crowd, Young wrapped up a 49-minute victory. "There are a lot of people support. I want to thank all my fans for supporting me. This keeps me going and gives me energy. I am so excited and enjoying," Young said in the mixed zone.

At the start of the tournament, there were concerns about her fitness - an ice bag was strapped to her left knee, an issue she has managed throughout much of her career while establishing herself as the most dominant player in women’s singles.

It had become so serious that, at the Japan Open — merely a month before the World Championships - she lost to unfancied Hina Akechi 6-21, 9-21, soon after winning the three biggest titles of the season - the Uber Cup, Singapore Open and Indonesia Open. It raised serious doubts over her chances of competing in New Delhi.

There was also contemplation of skipping the World Championships to give Young more time to recover before the Asian Games, scheduled for September 19 to October 4, 2026.

Young’s coach Park Joo-bong revealed that the concern was genuine. "In July, actually, Se-young was worried about this World Championships whether she can play or cannot play," Park said.

"For about three weeks, she stopped training and recovery. So, actually, after World Championships is Asian Games which is very important for Korea is Asian Games. So we tried to skip the World Championships, but Se-young's recovery very fast, and she also wanted to play very strongly. So, we come back here, and then, you know, today's performance is during this tournament is best performance," he added.

Asked about her recovery, Young said, "I focused on my recovery. I did very well and kept fighting. Simple things are very important. This is the main reason," she added.

En route to the gold medal, Young won all six of her matches in straight games. The only match that crossed the hour mark was her semifinal against Wang Zhi Yi, the Chinese player who beat her in the All England Open final. The gruelling battle took a toll on Young and left coach Park worried.

"Until semifinal all the matches were very easy for Se-young. So, comparing that to yesterday's match (semifinal), it weas quite tough. So, we worried about her health," said Park.

But the best thing about Young is that her recovery is quick. "She prepared well for Yamaguchi really well. She is a fast and attacking player. We analysed her game."

In the final, Young put on a masterclass, beating Yamaguchi for the 20th time in her career to reclaim her Worlds crown.

Aayush Kataria is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Network with four years of experience, having started his career in the organisation. He is a key memb... View More