South Korea's An wins Olympic badminton women's singles

Paris: South Korea s An Se young consolidated her status as the top player in women s badminton by winning the Olympic title on Monday, beating China...

Paris: South Korea's An Se-young consolidated her status as the top player in women's badminton by winning the Olympic title on Monday, beating China's He Bingjiao in the final in Paris.

Reigning world champion An, who has held the number one ranking for the past year, beat her sixth-seeded opponent 21-13, 21-16 at a lively La Chapelle Arena.

The 22-year-old An is the dominant force in women's badminton and won eight titles on badminton's world tour last year.

She became South Korea's first Olympic women's singles champion since 1996.

He, who lost the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, progressed to the final when her opponent Carolina Marin retired from their semi-final after collapsing with a knee injury.