An Se-young (Samsung Life), who led the Korean women's badminton team to its first-ever Asian Team Championships title, said the victory was "extra special because I achieved this result with my teammates in a team event, as I usually compete in individual tournaments."
Arriving at Incheon International Airport on the 9th, An told reporters, "With this victory, I feel confident that we can definitely deliver strong results at the upcoming Uber Cup as well."
The Korean women's team defeated host nation China 3-0 in the final held in Qingdao, China the previous day to claim the championship. This marks Korea's first women's team title since the tournament was established in 2016.
An demonstrated dominant performance as the first singles player from the second group stage match through the quarterfinals and finals, not dropping a single game. Korea advanced to the main draw as group winners, then defeated Malaysia 3-0 in the quarterfinals and Indonesia 3-1 in the semifinals before sweeping all three matches in the final.
"Watching my teammates compete was far more nerve-wracking and difficult than playing myself," An said. "I cheered them on with a nervous heart, and everyone performed so well. With this momentum, I believe we can succeed on any stage, whether it's the Asian Games or the Uber Cup."
An added, "I thought that performing well together from the preliminary rounds would help us carry that positive energy into the main draw. I even told the head coach that I wanted to play because I wanted to maintain our momentum until the very end."