Ahn Se-young’s Shocking Absence: Uncovering the Hidden Reason Behind Her Japan Masters Withdrawal

Due to a knee injury, he will not participate in the Japan Masters starting on the 12th.

However, participating in the China Masters held on the 19th… Absent national training on the 25th

“Training with your own team instead of the national team”… There is also an observation that “it is due to discord among the national team coaching staff.”

Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) will not participate in the international competition held in Japan next week due to a knee injury.

An official from the Korea Badminton Association said on the 6th, “Last week, Ahn Se-young submitted an official letter and injury diagnosis to the association through her team, Samsung Life Insurance, expressing her intention to not participate in the international competition.”

The tournament that Ahn Se-young will not participate in is the Japan Masters, which will be held in Kumamoto, Japan from the 12th. The Japan Masters is a competition designated by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) as part of the BWF World Tour Super 500, with nine events since last year. Last year, Ahn Se-young won the bronze medal after losing to Chen Yu-fei (China) in the semifinals of this competition. The winner was Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (Indonesia).

After injuring her knee in the badminton women’s singles final at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held last year, Ahn Se-young participated in various international competitions with the injury not fully healed. After the 2024 Paris Olympics last August, she did not compete for two months and focused on rest and rehabilitation.

Ahn Se-young returned last month through the National Sports Festival and the Denmark Open (BWF World Tour Super 750). He finished second at the Denmark Open, his first international competition since the Paris Olympics. However, it was reported that he had time to recharge and rehabilitate due to a chronic knee injury.

Ahn Se-young is scheduled to participate in the China Masters, which will be held starting on the 19th after the Japan Masters ends. However, from the 25th, he will not participate in the national team strengthening training held in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. Se-young Ahn sent an official letter to the association expressing her intention to not participate. It is unusual not to participate in national team strengthening training. Se-young Ahn plans to undergo rehabilitation and training with her team instead of the national team.

A badminton official said, “Ahn Se-young decided to participate in only one competition to manage her injury, but it is surprising that she decided not to participate in the Japan Masters and the national team strengthening training held a week after participating in the China Masters.” “This may be because the relationship with the coaching staff is still uncomfortable,” he analyzed.

Reporter Yang Hyeong-mo hmyang0307@donga.com