Badminton star An Se-young determined to enjoy herself in Asian Games title defense
An Se-young of Korean national badminton team practices during an open training session at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, Tuesday. Yonhap
JINCHEON — Fresh off two consecutive international titles, An Se-young, the world's top-ranked female badminton player, said Tuesday she wants to enjoy herself at her second career Asian Games appearance in Japan this month.
An will try to defend two gold medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after leading Korea to the women's team title and then capturing the women's singles gold medal three years ago in Hangzhou, China.
"I know fans expect a lot from me, and I am feeling confident as well," An said at a national team press conference at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 85 kilometers south of Seoul. "Obviously, as an athlete, it is always great to win a gold medal. But I will try not to put any extra pressure on myself and will try to just play my game and enjoy the experience as much as I can."
No Korean badminton singles player, female or male, has won back-to-back Asian Games gold medals. With yet another record in sight in a career full of many, An said she is driven more by a chance to put on a show for her fans.
"It is a huge honor to keep having opportunities to set records, but I just want to play well in each and every match," she said. "I always think about how I can best entertain fans watching me play. That is a bigger source of motivation for me."
An is riding a wave of strong momentum entering the Asian Games. After missing about a month with a foot injury, An returned with a bang by winning her second career world title in August in India. Then last week, she captured the China Masters title in Shenzhen.
An did not lose a game in 11 matches combined at these past two tournaments.
The Asian Games will have much the same look as the world championships, where the top five seeds were all Asian players. Four of the six opponents that An defeated en route to her title were Asians.
And at the China Masters, all eight seeded players hailed from Asia, with An beating an Asian foe in all five of her matches there.
"I have played in so many international tournaments that the Asian Games will feel just like any other event," she said. "But one thing that makes it special is that if I reach the top of the podium, I will get to hear our national anthem. So I want to make sure our anthem will be played."
Though she won two gold medals three years ago in Hangzhou, An surprisingly admitted Tuesday she lacked confidence in her play then. That also meant she was not able to fully enjoy the occasion.
"Now that I am more experienced, I have a better understanding of what I should do to make sure I can enjoy myself," An said. "I feel more relaxed now on the court than before."
Being world No. 1 apparently helps with that peace of mind. She has now been at the top for 100 weeks in a row.
"As I was trying to get to the top, I remember feeling really frustrated. My patience was tested quite a bit," An said. "I think it is a bit easier to stay on top than to chase that No. 1 ranking. I have more faith in myself and in my abilities to manage matches the way I want to."
Many of her top Asian rivals, such as Akane Yamaguchi of Japan and Chen Yufei of China, have not beaten An for quite some time, leading many to believe the Asian Games gold will be the Korean's to lose.
Asked how she would handle herself as an opponent, An smiled and said, "I don't think people can beat me by doing just one thing well, because I will make adjustments on the fly."