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Paris: South Korea’s An Se Young won the badminton Olympic women’s singles gold medal by defeating China’s He Bingjiao 21-13 21-16, while Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen successfully retained his men’s singles title by defeating Thailand’s Kunlavut Wititsaan 11-21 11-21.
After winning, Axelsen wrapped a Danish flag around himself, walked around the court to celebrate, and then gave his badminton racket to a child in the audience. The silver medal won by world No. 8 Wititsan was the first Olympic medal in badminton history for Thailand and the first medal in any sport in Paris.
Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia won the bronze medal by defeating India’s Laksia Sen 13-21 21-16 21-11 at the Stade de la Porte La Chapelle in Paris on Monday.
Indonesia’s Gregoria Thongjong automatically won the women’s singles bronze medal after her opponent, Carolina Marin of Spain, retired midway through her women’s singles semifinal against China’s He Sai on Sunday with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.
“We met at the medical center after the match,” Tujon said, adding that Marin congratulated her. “Carolina said she was in very bad condition.”
“I hope she can continue playing badminton.”
An is already the world’s top-ranked player and world champion in women’s singles. Her performances on the court are comparable to those of China’s Lin Dan, widely regarded as the best men’s singles badminton player of his generation, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion.
On Monday, An was wearing a large bandage on her right leg, which she injured at the Asian Games 2023. She had to withdraw from the 2024 Indian Open in January due to more damage.
“My injury was hard to overcome. It was a bit misdiagnosed at first,” An said, adding that by the time they rediagnosed it, it was already close to the Olympics. “My coach helped me through it.”
“I always try to dream big and believe that I can achieve it,” Ann said. “My best years are yet to come because I’m still young – I’ll be able to show you a better game.”
However, the 22-year-old An fought hard in Paris, controlling the tempo to beat He Sai, with the two engaging in a duel that lasted nearly a minute at one point.
South Korean fans flocked to the stadium, shouting the name of their last hope for the Paris badminton gold medal – the South Korean team.
The country is the third-most successful in Olympic badminton after China and Indonesia, having won at least one medal at every Olympics since badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992. — Reuters
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