Badminton supernova An Se Young on Dec. 21 uses her fingers to indicate the number 11 after winning her 11th title of the season at the BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China. (BWF)

By Kang Gahui

The national badminton team made history over the weekend.

Led by coach Park Joo-bong, the squad on Dec. 21 captured three of five titles at the BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China.

An Se Young, the world's top women's player, defeated No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi of China, 21-13, 18-21, 21-10, for the singles title.

An thus won her 11th BWF tournament of the season, matching the men's singles record set in 2019 by Kento Momota of Japan. Of the 77 matches she played this year, An won 73 for a record-high winning rate of 94.8%.

In men's doubles, the world's top-ranked duo of Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae won the title over world No. 5 Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in straight sets, (21-18 and 21-14). The Kim-Seo combination also set a single-season record in their division with 11 victories.

In women's doubles Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na swept world No. 5 Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto of Japan, 21-17 and 21-11, for their second straight title.

President Lee Jae Myung that day sent a congratulatory message saying, "Korea is writing a new chapter in badminton history."

Mentioning the milestones of An and the two winning doubles teams, he said, "It's no exaggeration to say 2025 is the year of Korean badminton. The whole world is marveling at and in awe of our players' achievements."

"The players must have had innumerable hours of sweat, tears and fierce inner battles before reaching this stage," he added. "I hope that today, they can release their burdens and enjoy the joy of victory to their heart's content.'

kgh89@korea.kr