The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, kicking off on September 19, will showcase 43 sports with 71 events, as athletes vie for 469 gold medals. This represents an increase of three sports and ten events from the Hangzhou Games. Team Korea will compete in 41 sports, sitting out cricket and padel.
After finishing third behind powerhouses China and Japan in the last two Games, Team Korea has set its sights on bagging 45 gold medals this time around. This ambitious target slightly tops their previous haul of 43 golds and aims to close the gap with host nation Japan. To hit this mark, the team needs to deliver in their stronghold events and hope for some Cinderella stories to emerge with unexpected podium finishes.
When it comes to sure-fire gold medal prospects for Team Korea, badminton sensation An Se-young tops the list. While such expectations might weigh heavily on an athlete, An’s recent performances make it hard not to get excited about her chances.
An Se-young is unanimously regarded as the queen of women’s badminton. At just 24, she’s not only dominating the present but also carving out a legacy that could make her one of the greatest of all time.
The An Se-young era dawned with her iconic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and she’s been rewriting the record books ever since.
In 2025, An matched the all-time record for most titles in a single season with 11 victories. Her jaw-dropping stats included a 73-4 win-loss record (94.8% win rate) and over 1 million USD in prize money (1,003,175 USD to be exact). Competing in nearly 80 high-level tournaments, she lost just four times all year – talk about dominance. Just when fans thought she couldn’t get any better, 2026 An Se-young is proving them wrong.
An kicked off the year by clinching both the Malaysia Open and India Open in January. She then went on a tear, conquering the Asian Championships, Singapore Open, and Indonesia Open. Her winning ways extended to team events, with victories at the Asian Team Badminton Championships in February and the Uber Cup in May. Her lone setback came in the All England Open final against Wang Zhi in March.
An’s unstoppable run was only halted by injury. After winning her first-round match at the Japan Open in July, she was forced to withdraw and skip the subsequent China Open due to a nagging left foot issue that had troubled her before. But after some much-needed rest, the ‘Shuttlecock Queen’ came roaring back.
On August 23, An Se-young reclaimed her world title, defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the BWF World Championships final in New Delhi, India. This triumph, coming three years after her last world crown and in her comeback from injury, was especially sweet. Now, An’s laser focus is on the Asian Games.
Having clinched gold in women’s singles at the previous Hangzhou Asian Games – South Korea’s first in the event since Bang Soo-hyun in 1994 – An is gunning for back-to-back titles. She’ll be riding high on her world championship momentum, but the task ahead is far from easy.
In badminton, the Asian Games are on par with world championships in terms of prestige and competition level. The women’s singles draw is particularly stacked, featuring a who’s who of the world’s top 10: China’s Wang Zhi, Chen Yufei, and Han Yue; Japan’s Yamaguchi and Tomoka Miyazaki; Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon and Chochuwong Pornpawee; Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani; and India’s Pusarla Sindhu.
However, An Se-young remains the undisputed world No. 1. Her toughest opponent? Herself.
The Asian Games is the pinnacle for every athlete, and she’s no exception – She’s hungry for that gold, An stated. Even though we’re playing in Japan, An is approaching this with a fearless mindset. If she stays confident and aggressive, she believes she can achieve something special. She added that the key is not letting the pressure get to her. She’ll stick to her tried-and-true preparation routine.
Before the Asian Games, An Se-young will fine-tune her game at the BWF World Tour China Masters (Super 750) in Changzhou, starting September 1. As the top seed, she’s eyeing a successful title defense at this prestigious warm-up event.