Mo Su-min of Korea made history by becoming the first female Korean athlete to reach the podium in Kurash at the Asian Games.
On September 28, at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held in Aichi, Japan, Mo Su-min faced Uzbekistan's Pokhizakhon Kamoldinova in the women's 78kg final, losing by a score of 0-10.
In a tightly contested match, Mo Su-min attempted to maintain an offensive strategy against the experienced Kamoldinova. However, she was unable to overcome Kamoldinova's tactical prowess, resulting in a 'halal' point loss, which is equivalent to a decisive victory in judo. Mo received one warning, known as 'daki,' without scoring any points.
Although Mo Su-min fell short of securing Korea's first gold medal in Kurash at the Asian Games, her silver medal is a significant achievement. At the 2022 Hangzhou Games, Korea won one silver and two bronze medals in Kurash, marking the country's first medals in the sport, all of which were earned by male competitors.
Mo Su-min is the first female Korean athlete to compete in the final and stand on the podium in this event.
Kurash, a traditional martial art from Uzbekistan, became an official Asian Games sport at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. While it shares similarities with judo, it does not allow ground techniques such as pinning, choking, or twisting. Matches are decided solely based on standing techniques.
Lim Ga-ram, who competed in the same weight class as Mo Su-min, was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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