Badminton player An Se-young and  baseball player Kim Do-young posted remarkable athletic achievements during the 2026 season while drawing attention for their personal conduct off the court, according to a report published by Newsverse.

An Se-young Breaks World Badminton Records and Claims Sportsmanship Honors

An Se-young captured the singles title at the French Open held at Arena Grand Paris, extending her career record for BWF tournament titles to 48. The victory followed her title at the Denmark Open, where she surpassed the previous record of 46 titles held by 1992 Olympic gold medalist Susi Susanti of Indonesia.

The Badminton World Federation recognized An’s performance by describing her as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history and applying the GOAT designation on its official channels. An recorded 66 wins against just one loss in official competition during the year, maintaining a 98.5% win rate. Her sole defeat occurred in March against China’s Wang Zhiyi in the final of the All England Open.

An has held the world number one ranking in women’s singles for 107 weeks. Ahead of her gold medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she declined numerous commercial endorsement and television appearance offers to concentrate on her training regimen following losses to competitors such as Chen Yufei and Akane Yamaguchi.

Following her Olympic victory, An raised administrative concerns regarding the Badminton Korea Association during a press conference. The organization subsequently underwent leadership changes and restructuring. In recognition of her conduct on the court, An received the 2025 BWF Gala Award for Female Player of the Year, voted on by fellow competitors.

Kim Do-young Leads KIA Tigers to Postseason Success and Community Outreach

In domestic professional baseball, KIA Tigers player Kim Do-young recorded an offensive season. Kim hit 45 home runs during the regular season, becoming the domestic batter to lead the league in home runs in three years. He finished the regular season with a .308 batting average, 45 home runs, 118 RBIs, and 120 runs scored.

During the final regular-season game against the LG Twins on October 12, Kim hit a tie-breaking two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure a third-place finish for the KIA Tigers while recording his 100th career home run. In the subsequent 준플레이오프 (semi-playoff) series against the LG Twins, Kim collected three home runs—including a grand slam—and eight RBIs across three games, earning the series Most Valuable Player award.

Off the field, Kim’s public appearances and community engagement drew public notice. Following comments encouraging fans to wear team colors, KIA supporters filled the stadium stands in red attire during postseason games. Kim also mentioned visiting a Peace Monument during his morning walks to reflect on historical context and express gratitude for his health.

After learning that baseball fans had organized fundraising efforts to send local children from an orphanage to a game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, Kim donated sports equipment—including baseball gloves, bats, and balls—along with autographed items to a children’s welfare facility in Jeonju. He and teammate Park Jae-hyun also provided supplies to an animal adoption shelter in Gwangju.

Public Reaction and the Limits of Sourced Records

The convergence of athletic dominance and community engagement by both athletes generated widespread discussion across sports media and social platforms.