Kim Hye-mi, the veteran member of the South Korean women's judo team, faced an early exit at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
On October 1, at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Kim was defeated in the women's 70kg round of 16 by North Korea's Moon Seong-hee, receiving three penalties that resulted in a disqualification.
In a highly anticipated match against the favored Moon, Kim struggled with her strategy early on. Just 29 seconds into the match, she received her first penalty, followed by a second penalty just 19 seconds later, putting her on the defensive.
Feeling pressured, Kim found it difficult to seize the opportunity to attack. At the two-minute mark, she was penalized again for a feigned attack, leading to her disqualification.
At 31 years old, Kim made her debut at the Asian Games, hoping to secure a medal in individual competition, but her journey ended in the first match.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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