‘Shuttlecock Empress’ Ahn Se-young (21-Samsung Life) has been named the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Women’s Player of the Year 2023 in her first senior appearance.
The BWF presented the awards at the 2023 World Tour Finals Gala Dinner in Hangzhou, China, on Nov. 11. Ahn, who was nominated alongside fellow female players Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) and Chen Yufei (CHN) on March 22, beat off competition to take home the honor. After being nominated last year, Ahn was recognized as the best player of the year for the first time.
She was the favorite to win the award when the nominations were announced. Ahn dominated the competition this season. In 14 BWF Tour events, she reached 13 finals and lifted the trophy 10 times. Only once did she fail to reach the podium. She also won the most prestigious tournaments, including the Korea Open, the World Championships and the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG).
In December 2019, Ahn became the first Korean athlete to win the Rookie of the Year award at the ceremony. She was touted as the heir apparent to shuttlecock prodigy Hwang Soo-yeon.
She had her slumps. Her defense, which utilized her quick feet and agility, was top-notch, but her offense was not. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she lost to Chen Yufei in the quarterfinals, confirming her limitations.
Ahn’s ability to get back up after falling several times and having her knees slam into the court left a lasting impression on sports fans. So did her fighting spirit, as she said with tears in her eyes, “I’ve been working nonstop, but (this result) means I have to work harder.”
Ahn took a break from her racket last winter to focus on weight training. At the professional training center of her team, Samsung Life Insurance, she did the same strength and conditioning exercises that athletes in other sports do. This gave her not only the stamina to play, but also a strong smash. She won the Indian Open in her second appearance of the season and has been on a winning streak ever since. She repeatedly won dominant victories over Yamaguchi and Chen Yufei, two players she was heavily favored against until last season.
It was a win that was practically booked. Ahn celebrated with her trademark roar when her name was called. Wearing an all-black dress, she stood proudly on the podium and accepted the trophy.
Korean badminton had a double celebration. Seo Seung-jae was also honored with the Male Player of the Year award. Seo made history by becoming the first male player to win two titles (men’s doubles and mixed doubles) at the World Championships. While it was expected that men’s singles No. 1 Viktor Axelsen (DEN) would win the award, Seo was recognized for his all-round performance in doubles.
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