Korean player AN Se Young celebrate after beat Tai Tzu Ying of Taipei during the final game of Petronas Malaysian open championship at Axiata arena in Bukit Jalil yesterday. AN Se Young won 10-21,21-10,21-18._14/01/2024/ S.S.KANESAN/THE STAR
PETALING JAYA: South Korea's singles star An Se-young smashed her way to emerge as the big winner in the Badminton World Tour Finals gala dinner on Monday.
Se-young won the BWF women singles Player of the Year award ahead of China's Wang Zhiyu and Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska and also took the Players' Player of the Year, which was voted by the players.
The 22-year-old bagged the Olympic Games gold in Paris and four other titles this year.
Winning the players' choice was special for the sweet Se-young.
"I didn’t expect I’d receive so much support from other players. I’m delighted to get this award,” said Se-young in the BWF website.
"(New BWF Hall of Famer) Lee Yong-dae is my idol and he told me ‘you have so much to celebrate today’. I’m so happy. I have so many people standing by me supporting me and they are my biggest motivation.”
Shi Yuqi, who in June replaced Viktor Axelsen of Dennmark as world No.1 men singles player, bagged the men's singles Player of the Year award. With four titles (India, French, Singapore and Indonesia Opens), 2024 turned out to be the most successful year of Yuqi's career.
"I feel good because this is recognition for my year’s worth of hard work. I was more spirited this year and performed better, especially in team events. I was determined (to do well) and I achieved good results,” said the 28-year-old.
Axelsen was not left disappointed as he won the players' choice as the player of the year.
Frenchman Alex Lanier became the first European player in 14 years to be recognised as the best up-and-coming talent in badminton, winning the renamed Eddy Choong Rising Star Award to emulate Axelsen’s achievement from 2010.
The French youngster’s breakthrough season saw him triumph at the Japan Open in August after finishing runner-up at the Canada Open a month earlier.
He Jiting and Gayatri Gopichand were named the best dressed male and female players respectively.
Badminton icons Yong-dae and Chen Long, both Olympic champions, were later officially inducted into the BWF Hall of Fame.
AWARD WINNERS
Men’s Singles Player of the Year: Shi Yuqi (China)
Women’s Singles Player of the Year: An Se-young (Korea)
Men’s Doubles Player of the Year: Liang Weikang-Wang Chang (China)
Women’s Doubles Player of the Year: Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning (China)
Mixed Doubles Player of the Year: Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (China)
Men’s Para Badminton Player of the Year: Qu Zimo (China)
Women’s Para Badminton Player of the Year: Liu Yutong-Li Fengmei (both China)
Para Badminton Pair of the Year: Hikmat Ramdani-Leani Ratri Oktila (Indonesia)
Eddy Choong Rising Star of the Year: Alex Lanier (France)
Players’ Player of the Year (Men): Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)
Players’ Player of the Year (Women): An Se-young (Korea)
