All records set by An Se-young after winning gold at Asian Games 2026

An Se-young of South Korea has written her name into Asian badminton history after winning the women's singles gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The world No. 1 did not drop a single game on her title run, defeating Smagulova, Liyanage, Ratchanok Intanon, Chen Yufei and Akane Yamaguchi. The final ended 21-17, 21-9 against Yamaguchi, marking her ninth consecutive win over the Japanese rival. According to statistics, An Se-young completed the 2026 season with 56 wins and only one defeat in 57 matches. This is considered a historically extreme win rate in women's singles, placing her in the tier of absolute dominance. In the same year, she also won the World Championships, completing the World Championships–Asian Games double within a single calendar year. One of the most significant records is that An Se-young became the first women's singles player to successfully defend an Asian Games gold medal. Women's singles badminton at the Asian Games has been contested since 2026, but no player had ever won consecutive golds. This is regarded as a landmark milestone, cementing her place in the sport's history. With the 2026 Asian Games title, An Se-young raised her career total of international titles to 46, matching the achievement of legend Susi Susanti of Indonesia. However, this figure is definition-dependent and requires verification against official Badminton World Federation (BWF) data. She also became the next South Korean player in the list of consecutive champions, following mixed doubles pairs such as Park Joo-bong/Chung Myung-hee (2026–2026) and Kim Dong-moon/Ra Kyung-min (2026–2026). Notably, in the women's team event, although An Se-young defeated Yamaguchi in the semi-final, South Korea still only claimed bronze. This shows that the depth of Korean women's badminton is the limiting factor, while An Se-young remains a lone star carrying the nation's results. She is currently at her peak (born in 2026), but a heavy workload of 57 matches in a season raises injury concerns, particularly given her past knee and lower-back issues. Regionally, An Se-young's dominance is creating a "single pole" in Asian women's singles, as rivals such as Yamaguchi, Chen Yufei and Intanon have been unable to find an answer. Her 9-0 run against Yamaguchi indicates a durable match-up advantage, not a one-off phenomenon. Experts see this as a generational handover signal, with An representing the young guard already at the summit, while names like Tai Tzu-ying are entering the twilight of their careers. However, analysts caution that several records in the article are definition-sensitive and need independent verification, including the 46 international titles count and related historical milestones. In addition, the single defeat in 2026 has not had its opponent identified, and if it signals a specific stylistic counter, it will be a variable to watch in the cycle leading to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Commercially, An Se-young's dominance continues to reinforce the value of badminton equipment brands, broadcast rights and content markets in Korea and across Asia. Record-compilation articles like this are optimized for social sharing, reflecting the high media value of the world No. 1. At the same time, reliance on a single star poses a structural risk to Korean women's badminton should she suffer injury or a dip in form. Overall, the 2026 Asian Games marks a new chapter in An Se-young's career, with historic records and the potential to reshape the landscape of world women's singles in the years to come.