Ahn Se-young is filled with joy after leaving her hometown: “I will show you my down-to-earth badminton” | Dong-A Ilbo

“An Se-young! An Se-young! An Se-young!”

At 5 p.m. on the 31st, the multi-purpose gymnasium at Naju Sports Park in South Jeolla Province was bustling with activity. An Se-young (22, Samsung Life), the world’s No. 1 badminton player and gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was visiting her hometown.

An Se-young, who won the gold medal in women’s singles badminton for the first time in 28 years, responded to the citizens who kept shouting “Naju’s daughter An Se-young” and said, “Thanks to the support of many people, I realized my dream without giving up.”

About 300 citizens attended the “An Shirong Homecoming Welcome Event” held that day, watched the video of An Shirong winning the Olympic gold medal, and celebrated his winning of the gold medal.

Watching the video cheering for him, Ahn Cheol-soo covered his face with flowers in embarrassment, but he expressed his gratitude to the citizens one by one with a bright smile.

Seyoung Ahn said: “Thanks to the support of many people, I was able to realize my dream and not give up. “I want to express my gratitude,” he said, “In the future, I will work harder and show real badminton that can beat Ahn Se Young.” “We ask for your attention and support,” he said.

An Se-young was born in Ichang-dong, Naju City. When she was in the first grade of Naju Central Elementary School, she started playing badminton with her father, An Zhengxian, who was the secretary general of the Naju Sports Committee. After graduation, she transferred to Gwangju Fengyan Elementary School and learned badminton from Coach Choi Young-ho, the teacher of Lee Yong-dae. She then graduated from Gwangju Sports Middle School and Gwangju Sports High School.

During the event, various blueprints for Naju City were also unveiled to commemorate Ahn Se-young’s indomitable spirit.

On this day, Naju City appointed An Shirong as the public relations ambassador of Naju City and officially launched the construction of An Shirong Gymnasium, the creation of An Shirong Street and the promotion of youth badminton courses.

Instead of talking about the controversial investigation of the Badminton Association and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ahn Se-young focused on taking commemorative photos and spending time with citizens.

On the other hand, Ahn Se-young, who was the focus of controversy in the Badminton Bathtub Association, also received support from the public and politicians.

“Ahn Jung-geun not only won the gold medal, but also won the gold medal. As you know, overcoming adversity and winning the gold medal shines even more in the unreasonable structure of the sports world,” said Yoon Byung-tae, the mayor of Naju City. “Spirit.” “Najju City will be a strong backing for Ahn Jung-geun,” he said directly.

Congressman Shin Jung-hoon also said, “I am proud of Ahn Cheol-soo, who realized his childhood dream under difficult sports living conditions,” adding, “I hope the people understand that difficult and unreasonable institutional practices caused Ahn a lot of mental difficulties. “I hope that Ahn Cheol-soo’s joy of winning a gold medal in adversity can last for 10 or 20 years,” he said.

On the other hand, An Se-young said at a press conference immediately after winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics: “My knee is not an injury that heals easily, and I am very disappointed with the complacency of the Korea Badminton Association.” He said, “I think it will be difficult for the national team to continue to exist after this moment,” and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has launched an investigation into the Badminton Association.

(Naju = News 1)