An Se-young of Korea clinched the women’s singles Olympic gold medal with a well-deserved straight-game win over China’s He Bing Jiao in today’s thrilling final match at Arena de la Chapelle.
At the age of 22, An soared to the pinnacle of her career, winning the Olympic title and cementing her status as the world most successful women’s singles player, having won titles at every major tournament including the world championships and multiple BWF World Tour titles including a Super 1000 Grand slam feat.
In today’s final, An Se Young was simply at her best, outclassing He Bing Jiao 21-13, 21-16 in 53 minutes to end Korea’s 28-year wait of winning a women’s singles Olympic gold.
Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung took home the bronze, providing Indonesia with some consolation, following Carolina Marin’s injury which forced her to abandon the bronze-medal fight.
Taking a rather cautious approach in the early parts of the first game, An Se Young showed her on-courts brilliance, stamping her prowess after the mid-game interval of the first game to cruise to a 21-13 win over the Chinese in just 21 minutes.
The second game saw a more composed An Se Young, with the Korean taking an 11-7 lead at the interval. Bing Jiao however, played hard, displaying some winning deceptive shots in her efforts to close the gap.
An Se Young managed to keep Bing Jiao at bay, continuously maintaining her composure and avoiding errors to lead 18-13. The Korean world champion then pulled away before wrapping up the game 20-16 in 53 minutes.
With age on her side, An Se Young will certainly be hungry for more accolades. And, in four-years time in 2028, she will be eager to repeat her Paris win in her bid to become the first Korean women’s singles player to win two gold medals at the Olympic Games.
