An Se-young marks 100 straight weeks as world No. 1: “Defending the top is easier than reaching it”

“You would not be able to beat me by being good at just one thing.” An Se-young offered that challenge on Aug. 8, the day she completed 100 consecutive weeks as badminton’s world No. 1.

Speaking at a media day for South Korea’s badminton team at the Jincheon National Training Center, An was asked how she would try to defeat herself. Her answer reflected the confidence of a player preparing to write another chapter in Korean badminton history.

At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, An will attempt to become the first South Korean singles player to win the event twice in a row. The tournament is part of a career in which two previous Asian Games became turning points on her path to becoming the world’s dominant player.

An earned a place on the national team in 2017, while still in middle school, after beating all the adult players in the national selection trials. When she made her international debut at the Asian Team Championships in February 2018, she was ranked 1,335th in the world.

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You would not be able to beat me by being good at just one thing.