South Korea’s An Se-young strengthened her status as the world’s top-ranked women’s badminton player Tuesday by winning her second consecutive Asian Games gold medal.

An defeated Japan’s three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-9 in the final to claim the title.

The victory adds another major achievement to An’s career. She is also an Olympic champion from the Paris Games and a two-time world champion.

Badminton is hugely popular across Asia, where the sport is known for its fast pace, long rallies, diving saves and powerful overhead shots.

An reached the final after beating China’s Chen Yufei in the semifinals, extending her winning streak against her Chinese rival to five matches.

The South Korean star has also been outspoken about conditions within her national team. After winning Olympic gold in Paris two years ago, she said national training officials had made her compete despite a knee injury and criticized what she described as outdated training methods.

An later threatened to compete independently but ultimately decided against leaving the national team system.

Shuttlecock shortage
While it has not affected competition at the highest level, the rising price and limited supply of traditional shuttlecocks have become a concern in badminton.

China is the world’s leading producer of shuttlecocks, but a decline in poultry production in recent years, partly linked to bird flu, has reduced the supply of goose and duck feathers used to make them.

The shortage has pushed prices higher and encouraged officials to consider synthetic alternatives.

Earlier this year, the Badminton World Federation approved synthetic shuttlecocks for use in lower-level competitions. Players have noted that synthetic models have different speed and flight characteristics from traditional feather shuttlecocks.

The BWF said the initiative is part of its long-term effort to assess synthetic shuttlecocks for possible use in elite-level competitions.