“I am a full 10 out of 10 happy to be back on court,” exclaimed An Se Young after making a welcome return to competition at VICTOR Denmark Open 2024, her first event since winning Olympic gold in Paris in the summer.

The Korean had taken a break from badminton after her victorious moment defeating He Bing Jiao in the final in the French capital two months ago.

“I was nervous but I’m happy to be back after winning the Olympics,” added the 22-year-old, all smiles after the 21-16 21-8 result against Pornpicha Choeikeewong.

“I was trying to adjust to the conditions in the first game, read the drift, and get that on-court feeling back. I loved stepping out onto the badminton court, it’s my happy place. I had a lot of time off after Paris. I needed it to recover from my injury, which isn’t 100 percent yet, but I’m getting there.”

An is delighted to be competing in Odense after skipping the tournament in 2023.

“Denmark is lovely and clean. I’m glad I could return and play in front of the fans. It’s also great to be back on tour with my teammates. I missed it but I got to spend time with family and friends and do the things I enjoy like eating Korean BBQ.”

A will take on the winner of the Ratchanok Intanon-Yvonne Li match in the second round.