Korean badminton star An Se Young expressed her excitement about returning to competition at the VICTOR Denmark Open 2024, her first event since winning Olympic gold in Paris earlier this year.
“I am a full 10 out of 10 happy to be back on court,” An said, following her win against Thailand’s Pornpicha Choeikeewong with a 21-16, 21-8 scoreline. The 22-year-old had taken a break from the sport after her gold-medal victory over He Bing Jiao in the summer.
“I was nervous, but I’m happy to be back after winning the Olympics,” she added with a smile. “In the first game, I was adjusting to the conditions, trying to read the drift and get my on-court feeling back. I love being on the badminton court—it’s my happy place.”
An also shared that the break after Paris was essential for her recovery, as she is still healing from an injury. “I needed time off to recover. My injury isn’t 100 percent yet, but I’m getting there.”
This marks An’s return to the Denmark Open after skipping the tournament in 2023. “Denmark is lovely and clean. I’m glad I could come back and play in front of the fans. It’s also great to be back on tour with my teammates. I missed it, but I enjoyed spending time with family and friends and doing things I love, like eating Korean BBQ.”
An will face the winner of the Ratchanok Intanon and Yvonne Li match in the second round.
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