An Se-young reinforced her status as one of badminton’s top players by becoming the first woman to win two Asian Games singles titles at the 2026 event in Nagoya, Japan. The South Korean Olympic and world champion defeated Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-9 in the women’s singles final on Tuesday, marking her eighth title in 2026 and her second Asian Games gold following her victory three years earlier in Hangzhou.
The 24-year-old An, who has not lost a match since March, showcased a dominant performance against Yamaguchi, currently ranked No. 3 globally and a three-time world champion. An’s victory extended her winning streak against Yamaguchi to nine consecutive matches. After a slow start, An recovered to seize control of the first game and maintained aggressive pressure throughout the second game, ultimately securing the championship when Yamaguchi’s serve return went long. The win, celebrated with an emotional response in front of her family and supporters, further cemented An’s ambition to reach the heights of badminton legend Lin Dan, the Chinese player who holds two Asian Games men’s singles titles along with two Olympic gold medals and five world championships.
“I am trying to keep up with this great athlete,” An said. “There are lots of strong athletes that have achieved great things, and they motivate me to also perform well.” An reflected on her focused mindset this year, acknowledging she does not consider herself invincible but emphasizes persistence and dedication as key factors in her success. Aside from her unbeaten streak, she finished runner-up at the All-England Open and withdrew from the Japan Open due to injury. In August, she secured her second world championship title in New Delhi.
In the men’s singles final, Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn made history by becoming the country’s first Asian Games men’s badminton singles champion with a 21-12, 21-16 victory over Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew. Kunlavut, a former world champion, reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking with the win, ending a string of near misses in 2026 and claiming his first singles title since the Malaysia Open in January. Loh, the first Singaporean to reach an Asian Games final, challenged Kunlavut but could not sustain momentum against the strong Thai player, who closed out the match with a decisive run before acknowledging the crowd.
“Before I came here, everything about my performance was not good enough to win a medal,” Kunlavut said. “Now I got the gold medal and everyone is really happy.”
The men’s singles competition saw a surprising absence of Chinese players from the medal positions, as defending champion Li Shifeng and former world No. 1 Shi Yuqi were eliminated early in the tournament.
In other events, South Korea’s Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na claimed the women’s doubles gold, while Indonesia’s Daniel Marthin and Leo Rolly Carnando won the men’s doubles title. China secured mixed doubles gold through Jiang Zhengbang and Wei Yaxin.