AN ADDS CHINA MASTERS TO OLYMPIC CROWN

Fourth 2024 title cements her world No. 1 status; men's No. 3 Antonsen gets his fifth

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HONG KONG - South Korea's Olympic champion and world No. 1 An Se-young blew away home hope Gao Fangjie in just 38 minutes to win the China Masters on Nov 24.

The 22-year-old triumphed for the first time since her Paris Games exploits with a ruthless 21-12, 21-8 victory over the unseeded Gao in Shenzhen.

It was An's fourth win on the Badminton World Federation World Tour in 2024 and cemented her status as the top player in the women's game.

However, it has not been a smooth year for her. Following her Olympic gold in August, she said she was neglected by her national badminton federation while injured.

The world No. 1 accused the Korea Badminton Association of not providing adequate support while she went through a knee injury suffered in 2023, adding that she had to compete in pain because of the injury which had even been initially misdiagnosed regarding its severity.