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THE COLLECTION / SportsARCHIVE № 091
2002 —   BADMINTON PLAYER

ANSE-YOUNG

Feb 5, 2002South Korea

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

The year she turned 15, she passed the national team selection event as its youngest entrant while still in middle school and put on the national team jersey. In 2018, she won her first senior international title at the Irish Open, and lost in the round of 32 at her first Asian Games.

In 2019, she won her first title in a senior international event at the New Zealand Open, took five titles that season and received the BWF Most Promising Player award. In 2021, she graduated from Gwangju Sports High School and joined Samsung Life Insurance. She reached the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics and won the Indonesia Open and the World Tour Finals back to back at the end of the year.

The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 21, in August, she reached world No. 1, and at the World Championships became the first Korean to win a singles title. In October, she hurt her knee in the women’s singles final at the Hangzhou Asian Games but finished the match and won gold, taking two golds with the team event.

In 2024, she won gold in women’s singles badminton at the Paris Olympics, the first Olympic women’s singles gold in 28 years, since Bang Soo-hyun. In November, she won the China Masters, her first international title since the Paris Olympics.

In 2025, she lost to Chen Yufei in the World Championships semifinal and missed a second straight title, but in December won her 11th title of the year at the World Tour Finals.

In April 2026, she won the Asia Championships, giving her titles at the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games and Asia Championships, and in August she won the World Championships again, three years after her first title. In September, she took bronze in the women’s team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

An Se-young (born Feb 5, 2002) made the national team on Dec 28, 2017, the year she turned 15, by passing the selection event as the youngest entrant while still in middle school, and became known when she won women’s singles gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Oct 7, 2023, the year she turned 21. In 2024, the year she turned 22, she won Olympic gold in Paris.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 25 records2017 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 15 · 2017
    Key moment

    Youngest to pass the national team selection event

    In the national team selection event held Dec. 22–27 at the Gunsan indoor badminton arena in North Jeolla Province, she was the only middle school student, and as a third-year student at Gwangju Sports Middle School she went 7-0 against corporate-team, university and high school players to finish first in her group. The Badminton Korea Association announced the national team roster, including An Se-young, on the 28th. It was the first time a 15-year-old middle school girl had made the national team through the selection event.

    Source 01 · Yonhap News (Korean) · 2018 national team roster announced · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Mediaus (Korean) · Middle schooler power · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · BWF Most Promising Player award · opens in a new tab Mediaus reports that she first picked up a racket in first grade of elementary school, influenced by her parents, who played badminton as a hobby.
  2. 16 · 2018
  3. 16 · 2018
  4. 17 · 2019
  5. 17 · 2019
  6. 17 · 2019
    Award

    BWF Most Promising Player award

    She won five events that season, the New Zealand Open, Canada Open, Akita Masters, French Open and Korea Masters, and rose from 99th to 9th in the world rankings. She received the Most Promising Player award at the opening ceremony and awards event of the BWF World Tour Finals in Guangzhou, China. It was the first time a Korean player won the award, which was created in 2008.

    Source 06 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · BWF Most Promising Player award · opens in a new tab
  7. 19 · 2021
  8. 19 · 2021
  9. 19 · 2021
  10. 19 · 2021
  11. 21 · 2023
    Record

    Reaches world No. 1

    In the week 31 world ranking for women’s singles announced by the BWF, she passed Akane Yamaguchi, 103,914 points to 101,917, to take No. 1 for the first time. It was the first time in 27 years that a Korean player reached No. 1 in the event, since Bang Soo-hyun, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold medalist.

    Source 12 · Kookje Shinmun (Korean) · World No. 1 · opens in a new tab
  12. 21 · 2023
    Title

    Wins women’s singles at the World Championships, first Korean singles champion

    In the women’s singles final at the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, she beat Carolina Marín of Spain 2-0 (21-12, 21-10) to win. In the tournament, which began in 1977, it was the first singles title for a Korean, men or women.

    Source 13 · Maeil Business (Korean) · World Championships final · opens in a new tab Maeil Business reports it was the first Korean final in 30 years, since Bang Soo-hyun in 1993.
  13. 22 · 2024
    Key moment

    Gold in women’s singles badminton at the Paris Olympics

    In the Olympic women’s singles final in Paris, France, she beat He Bingjiao of China 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) in 52 minutes to win gold. It was the first Olympic women’s singles gold for Korean badminton since Bang Soo-hyun at Atlanta in 1996, 28 years earlier.

    Source 16 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Paris Olympic final and remarks · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Sportsworld (Korean) · Paris Olympics special, career summary · opens in a new tab
  14. 22 · 2024
    Remarks

    Remarks about the national team after the match

    In the mixed zone after the medal ceremony, she said she was disappointed with how the national team had handled her injury and that it would be hard to keep working with the team. The next day, on her own social media, she asked that it not be taken as retirement and explained that it was about protecting players and communication.

    Source 16 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Paris Olympic final and remarks · opens in a new tabSource 18 · Hankyoreh (Korean) · Explaining her remarks · opens in a new tab
  15. 22 · 2024
  16. 22 · 2024
  17. 23 · 2025
  18. 23 · 2025
  19. 24 · 2026
  20. 24 · 2026
    Title

    Wins the Indonesia Open for a second straight year

    In the Indonesia Open final in Jakarta, Indonesia, she beat Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 2-0 (23-21, 21-12) to win for a second straight year. It was her 50th career women’s singles title. The Chinese portal Sohu reported that her titles at top-tier events had reached 30, level with Susi Susanti of Indonesia.

    Source 25 · OSEN (Korean) · 2026 Indonesia Open title · opens in a new tab
  21. 24 · 2026
  22. 24 · 2026
  23. 24 · 2026
  24. 24 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2017–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was An Se-young when she made the national team?
On Dec 28, 2017, the year she turned 15, she was the only middle school student in the national team selection event, went 7-0 against corporate-team, university and high school players, and made the national team as its youngest entrant.
How old was An Se-young when she became famous?
In 2023, the year she turned 21, she won the women’s singles gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games despite hurting her knee. Ilgan Sports calls the Games the stage that made her name. KBS says she had already burst onto the scene as a badminton prodigy in 2018, the year she turned 16.
How old was An Se-young when she reached world No. 1?
On Aug 1, 2023, the year she turned 21, she reached No. 1 in the BWF women’s singles world ranking for the first time. That month she also won the World Championships, becoming the first Korean to win a singles title there.
How old was An Se-young when she won Olympic gold?
On Aug 5, 2024, the year she turned 22, she beat He Bingjiao of China in the women’s singles final at the Paris Olympics. It was the first Olympic women’s singles gold for Korean badminton in 28 years, since Bang Soo-hyun at Atlanta in 1996.
How old is An Se-young?
Born in 2002, she turns 24 in 2026 (24 as of Sep 28, 2026).
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.

COLLECTION091An Se-young / AN SE-YOUNG

Sports · South Korea
Feb 5, 2002 —

Sources and method30 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 2002: the year of the event minus 2002, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. Yonhap News (Korean) · 2018 national team roster announced ↗Selection event Dec. 22–27; the only middle school student to take part, she went 7-0 to finish first in her group; roster announced on the 28th
  2. Mediaus (Korean) · Middle schooler power ↗Picked up a racket for the first time in first grade at Pungam Elementary School, influenced by her parents, who played badminton as a hobby, and stood out in fourth grade
  3. Sportsworld (Korean) · Paris Olympics special, career summary ↗Career recap: first senior international title at the 2018 Irish Open, BWF Most Promising Player award in 2019, and more. No exact date for the Irish Open
  4. Yonhap News (Korean) · Out in the round of 32 at the 2018 Asian Games ↗Aug. 23: women’s singles round of 32 at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, lost 0-2 (15-21, 8-21) to Chen Yufei (world No. 5); her first Asian Games
  5. Sports Chosun (Korean) · Korea Masters title ↗Nov. 24 at the Gwangju Women’s University Universiade Gymnasium in Gwangju: beat Sung Ji-hyun 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) in the Korea Masters final. First senior international title at the New Zealand Open in May; five titles that season including Canada, Akita and France
  6. Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · BWF Most Promising Player award ↗Dec. 9 in Guangzhou, China: Most Promising Player award at the opening ceremony and awards event of the BWF World Tour Finals. First Korean player since the award was created in 2008; world ranking 99th to 9th
  7. Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Cap on rookie salaries and signing bonuses ↗Graduated from Gwangju Sports High School in Jan. 2021 and joined Samsung Life Insurance that year
  8. Newsis (Korean) · Tokyo Olympics athlete profiles ↗Born Feb. 5, 2002; height 170 cm, weight 62 kg; Pungam Elementary, Gwangju Sports Middle School, Gwangju Sports High School; team Samsung Life Insurance
  9. SPOTV News (Korean) · Tokyo Olympics quarterfinal ↗July 30 at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza: lost the quarterfinal 0-2 (18-21, 19-21) to Chen Yufei; her first Olympics
  10. Edaily (Korean) · Indonesia Open title ↗Nov. 28 in Bali: beat Intanon 2-0 (21-17, 22-20) in the Indonesia Open final. Beat Yamaguchi at the Indonesia Masters on Nov. 21, for two straight weeks of titles
  11. News1 (Korean) · First World Tour Finals title ↗Dec. 5 in Bali: beat Sindhu 2-0 (21-16, 21-12) in the final; third straight week with an international title
  12. Kookje Shinmun (Korean) · World No. 1 ↗In the week 31 ranking announced Aug. 1, she passed Yamaguchi, 103,914 points to 101,917, to take No. 1 in women’s singles. First Korean in 27 years since Bang Soo-hyun
  13. Maeil Business (Korean) · World Championships final ↗Aug. 27 at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen: beat Carolina Marín 2-0 (21-12, 21-10) in the final. First Korean singles champion in the tournament, which began in 1977; first final for Korea since Bang Soo-hyun in 1993, 30 years earlier
  14. Newsis (Korean) · Hangzhou Asian Games gold ↗Oct. 7 at the Binjiang Gymnasium in Hangzhou: beat Chen Yufei 2-1 (21-18, 17-21, 21-8) in the final. Contrasted with her round of 32 exit at her first Asian Games in 2018; two golds
  15. Yonhap News (Korean) · Gold after overcoming a knee injury ↗Hurt her knee at 18-16 in the first game and received medical treatment briefly
  16. Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Paris Olympic final and remarks ↗Aug. 5 at Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris: beat He Bingjiao 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) in the final in 52 minutes; 28 years since Bang Soo-hyun. Remarks in the mixed zone after the medal ceremony
  17. Ilgan Sports (Korean) · The Asian Games that made her name ↗Article of Sept. 8, 2026: says sports fans were moved by the fighting spirit of the 21-year-old who reached the top on an injured leg, and calls the Asian Games the stage that made her name
  18. Hankyoreh (Korean) · Explaining her remarks ↗On her own social media on the 6th, asked that her remarks not be misread as retirement, and explained that they concerned protecting players and communication
  19. FT Sports (Korean) · Rehab and schedule for her return ↗Article of Sept. 4, 2024: a knee injury at the Hangzhou Asian Games was followed by an ankle injury at the Paris Olympics; in rehab. Planned to check her condition at the National Sports Festival (Oct. 7–12)
  20. KBS (Korean) · The road to Paris Olympic gold ↗Article of Aug. 5, 2024: says she made her name early as a badminton prodigy, and that she burst onto the scene as a badminton prodigy at 16 in 2018 (international age)
  21. Newsis (Korean) · China Masters title and return home ↗Returned Nov. 25; won the BWF World Tour Super 750 China Masters in China (beat Gao Fangjie 2-0, 21-12, 21-8 in the final), her first international title since the Paris Olympics
  22. Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · 2025 World Championships semifinal ↗Aug. 30 (Korea time) at Adidas Arena in Paris: lost the semifinal 0-2 (15-21, 17-21) to Chen Yufei. With no bronze medal match, the loss confirmed bronze
  23. News1 (Korean) · 2025 World Tour Finals title ↗Dec. 21 in Hangzhou, China: beat Wang Zhiyi 2-1 (21-13, 18-21, 21-10) in the final. Her 11th title of the season, tying the record for most wins in a season for men or women
  24. Chosun Ilbo (Korean) · 2026 Asia Championships title ↗Apr. 12 in Ningbo, China: beat Wang Zhiyi 2-1 (21-12, 17-21, 21-18) in the final. With the Asia Championships added to the Olympics, World Championships and Asian Games, completed a career Grand Slam
  25. OSEN (Korean) · 2026 Indonesia Open title ↗June 7 (Korea time) in Jakarta: beat Yamaguchi 2-0 (23-21, 21-12) in the final, a second straight title at the event. Her 50th career singles title. The Chinese portal Sohu reported that her 30 titles at top-tier events tied her with Susi Susanti
  26. Sportsworld (Korean) · Japan Open withdrawal and injury ↗Withdrew during the Japan Open in July with a left foot injury; skipped the China Open and focused on rehab
  27. Yonhap News (Korean) · 2026 World Championships title ↗Aug. 23 (Korea time) in New Delhi, India: beat Yamaguchi 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) in 49 minutes in the final. Back on top at the World Championships three years after her first title in 2023
  28. Xportsnews (Korean) · 2026 China Masters, three in a row ↗Sept. 6 (Korea time) in Shenzhen, China: beat Tomoka Miyazaki 2-0 (21-17, 21-6) in the final. Won the event in 2024, 2025 and 2026
  29. Chosun Ilbo (Korean) · Asian Games team event bronze ↗Sept. 23, 2026: lost 1-3 to Japan in the women’s team semifinal, taking bronze
  30. MyDaily (Korean) · First singles in the team semifinal ↗On the 23rd, played first singles in the women’s team semifinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and beat Akane Yamaguchi

Fact-checked: 2026.09.28 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.