“Alone during operation time” the commentators were also embarrassed… Ahn Se-young remains silent amid rumors of discord with coaches | Dong-A Ilbo

Ahn Se-young (22, Samsung Life Insurance), the gold medalist in badminton women’s singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, returned after winning a silver medal at the international competition she competed in for the first time in two months. Ahn Se-young, who had expressed dissatisfaction with the unfairness of the Korea Badminton Association, entered the country at a time lag with the national team.

After finishing the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 Denmark Open, the badminton team returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport around 5 pm on the 22nd.

Ahn Se-young returned to Korea with his national team colleagues, including coach Kim Hak-gyun, but moved separately with a time lag. Director Kim first appeared at the arrival hall around 5:35 p.m. Ahn Se-young followed around 6 p.m. The two people used different gates and even their paths were completely separated.

At the same time, Kim Taek-gyu, president of the Korea Badminton Association, who appeared as a witness at the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee’s audit of government affairs, made a remark that seemed to criticize Ahn Se-young’s attitude by not greeting her seniors and coaches, and apologized after being criticized by lawmakers.

Ahn Se-young did not answer reporters’ questions, such as ‘At the government inspection, the president of the association said that Ahn Se-young does not say hello’ or ‘There is talk of a disagreement with the coaches.’ Afterwards, when asked how he felt about finishing the competition and winning second place, he briefly replied, “I have nothing to say,” and left the airport.

Regarding the rumors of discord, Director Kim said, “We still need time. There’s a lot we need to do, so please wait a little bit. “We will solve it little by little,” he said sparingly.

During the Denmark Open women’s singles final match held on the 20th, Ahn Se-young, coach Kim, and coach Sung Ji-hyun did not appear to have a separate conversation. Usually, the coaches check the player’s condition and deliver the strategy during operation time. However, in the broadcast of this game, Coach Kim was seen keeping his distance from Ahn Se-young and not saying anything. Coach Seong also simply delivered instructions. Ahn Se-young also turned his back and drank water.

The SBS commentator who was broadcasting the game said, “There is no feedback. “Ahn Se-young is alone during most of the operation time,” he said, embarrassed. After the game, foreign media raised rumors of a discord between Ahn Se-young and the coaching staff.

Previously, after winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Ahn Se-young made a determined statement that the national team’s injury management and training methods, as well as the association’s decision-making system, are hindering the improvement of players’ performance.