South Korean Badminton Player Wins Gold, Immediately Dumps On Her Home Country For Ignoring Her Injury

Most athletes use the moments after winning an Olympic gold medal to thank everyone who helped them get to where they are and to say how happy they are to be representing their country.

This was not the case for South Korean badminton player and Olympic gold medalist An Se-young.

The 22-year-old world No. 1 swept the gold medal match over China’s He Bingjiao with a 21-13, 21-16 victory.

But afterward, the shuttlecock had barely settled before she started to air some grievances like Frank Costanza on December 23.

"I think it may be difficult to continue with the national team after this moment," An said according to news.com.au.

Let's pause right here. No matter what comes after that sentence, it isn't going to be pretty. That's the last thing any country wants to hear a gold medal-winning athlete say moments after receiving their medal.

South Korean gold medalist An Se-young torched her nation's badminton association, claiming they mistreated her injury. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

It turns out that An's gripe is a serious one, and it relates to how she claims South Korea's badminton association handled an injury she was dealing with.

"I was so disappointed with (the association) during my injury. I really can’t get over those moments," An said, accusing them of "neglecting" her injury. 

According to The New York Post, An previously revealed on Instagram that she had dealt with a partial tear of her patellar tendon.

This sort of thing has to happen all the time around the world. Sure, everyone wants to win medals, but that shouldn't come at the expense of an athlete's physical health. 

Credit to An for speaking out about it and voicing her frustrations, which, fortunately, have not fallen on deaf ears.

The nation's sports ministry says that once the Paris Games wrap up it will "ascertain the exact facts as soon as the Olympics conclude" and "review the need for appropriate improvement measures based on the findings."

However, An did another interview with a South Korean news agency in which she said that the badminton association had told her — without explanation — that she would not compete in select future events.