An Se-young targets 2nd world title

[Anchor]

For An Se-young, Paris, France is both a promised land and a land of victory.

After withdrawing from the China Open due to knee pain, An Se-young is now preparing to challenge for her second consecutive world championship title in Paris.

Reporter Kim Hwa-young has the story.

[Report]

Last month, An Se-young was cruising towards achieving the so-called 'Super 1000 Slam' but struggled with knee pain in the semifinals of the China Open.

She had no choice but to withdraw.

["(Should I say it?) It's a knee injury."]

Although it wasn't a serious injury, she decided to focus on rehabilitation and rest in preparation for the world championship.

Now ready to soar again, An Se-young is preparing for her comeback with a bright expression, even tackling the so-called 'Park Joo-bong's hell training'.

[An Se-young/Badminton National Team: "(The coach's training) is not less difficult. But I can only express it as 'I've adapted'. My physical condition has improved enough to endure even the tough training."]

The memories of golden smashes are vivid in Paris, France, which is a promised place for An Se-young!

This time, she is challenging for the first consecutive women's singles title at the world championship for a Korean player.

[An Se-young/Badminton National Team: "I am very excited about what kind of performance I can show. I think France is a place with very good energy."]

Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung, who recently topped the Denmark tournament, are also defending their titles in men's doubles and mixed doubles, respectively, with new partners.

[Seo Seung-jae/Badminton National Team: "Last year, (Won-ho) you did better in Paris, so I joked, 'Let's work hard together so I can achieve good results too.'"]

The national team, which set the record for the best performance two years ago, marking the beginning of the 'golden generation of badminton', will depart for Paris on the 22nd to challenge for world supremacy.

This is KBS News, Kim Hwa-young.