Jang Se-yoon (KH Philux) claimed a silver medal in the women's 52kg judo event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
On September 30, Jang lost to Uzbekistan's Sitora Qodamboyeva in the final held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, missing out on the gold medal.
Her journey to the final was smooth. In the round of 16, she defeated Sabira Kozomberdiyeva of Kyrgyzstan just 16 seconds into the match. In the quarterfinals, she also secured a victory against China's Shi Aoyu with a decisive win 46 seconds before the end.
The toughest challenge came in the semifinals against Japan's Fujishiro Kokoro, ranked 10th in the world and a dominant force in international competitions this year. After a tightly contested match that saw both competitors receive two penalties over four minutes, Jang won by a penalty in the golden score period after 2 minutes and 54 seconds, advancing to the final.
Jang demonstrated her potential after finishing third at last year's Asian Judo Championships and winning both rounds of the national team selection this year. By earning a silver medal in her first Asian Games, she confirmed her growth as an athlete.
Meanwhile, in the men's 66kg category, Kim Chan-nyeong (High1) failed to secure a bronze medal. He advanced to the semifinals after defeating Lin Chong-yu of Taiwan by a half-point in the quarterfinals but lost to Uzbekistan's Abdurakhim Nutfuloev. In the subsequent bronze medal match, he was unable to overcome Suhrob Bokiev of Bahrain, finishing the tournament without a medal.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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