Olympic champion An Se-young ready to play through pain at BWF World Championships

By Yoo Jee-hor

SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- Badminton Olympic champion An Se-young said Friday she is willing to play through lingering pain in her left foot as she chases her second career women's singles world title this month.

An left for New Delhi on Friday to prepare for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships, which will run from Monday to Aug. 23.

It will be An's first competition since she withdrew from the second round of the Japan Open on July 15 due to a left foot injury.

She had told South Korean media in late July that she was nearly back to full health and she would be ready for the world championships. Then offering her update Friday, An, the 2023 world champion, said she has been a full participant in all training sessions lately.

"My focus will be on getting back my feel for matches," the world No. 1 told reporters at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul. "I have had plenty of training, but playing in matches is a different animal. I tend to get settled into a tournament as it progresses, and I think shaking off my rust will be a key element at this competition."

An acknowledged she is not entirely pain-free but added, "I will have to live with at least a little bit of pain, but it is bearable."

"I often deal with some trauma after getting hurt, and there will be moments when I will not use my body the way I normally would and I will end up feeling awkward," An continued. "I am a bit worried about that. But as the tournament goes on, I think I should be able to make my adjustments along the way."

An won her first and so far only world title in 2023, becoming the first South Korean singles player to win the BWF's signature tournament. She went on to capture the Olympic gold medal in 2024, before falling in the semifinals of the 2025 world championships and settling for bronze.

That semifinal loss to Chen Yufei of China was the only blemish for An in an otherwise historic 2025 campaign, in which she posted the highest winning percentage and won the most money by a singles player in a season, while also tying for the most international titles at 11.

This year, An picked up where she left off, winning five titles and adding a runner-up finish in her first six BWF World Tour events.

Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, world No. 2, is the defending champion who also won the 2021 and 2022 titles. She once enjoyed a major edge in head-to-head records against An, but the South Korean has won her past five meetings against the Japanese veteran.

An also has a four-match winning streak against Chen, the 2025 worlds runner-up. Wang Zhiyi, world No. 3 from China, has lost to An in 12 of their past 13 meetings since January 2025.

After the world championships, An will try to defend her Asian Games gold medal in September in Japan. And with virtually all of her top rivals being Asian stars, An predicted winning a second straight Asian Games gold medal will be "extremely difficult."

"I would love to have the same outcome as the last time," An said. "I believe I can accomplish that if I do my best."