South Korean judokas Youn Ji Lee (Yongin University) and Min Joo Kim (Gwangju Transportation Corporation) have both advanced to the finals, vying for gold medals. Youn will face China's Niu Xinran in the women's +78kg category, while Kim will compete against Japan's Mizuki Sugimura in the women's 78kg final. The finals are scheduled for 5:15 PM today.
Youn secured her spot in the finals by defeating Japan's Miki Mukunoki in the semifinals of the women's +78kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on October 2. Youn took the lead early in the match, earning two penalties against Mukunoki and securing a valid point just 2 minutes and 56 seconds into the bout. She maintained her lead to clinch a place in the finals and guarantee a silver medal. Earlier, in the quarterfinals, she dominated Thailand's Ton Tan Satchadet, winning by ippon just seven seconds into the match.
This marks Youn's first Asian Games appearance. She won the gold medal at the 2024 World Junior Championships, earned a bronze medal at last year's World Championships, and topped the Tokyo Grand Slam, achieving success on the senior stage. In March, she secured her spot in this competition by defeating 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist Kim Ha-yoon (Ansan City Hall) in the national team selection trials.
Min Joo Kim won her semifinal match against Lebanon's Akulina Shaev, scoring two valid points.
In the men's division, Kim Jong Hoon (Yangpyeong County Office), Han Joo Yeob (High1), and Kim Min Jong (Yangpyeong County Office) are set to compete in bronze medal matches. Kim Jong Hoon lost in the semifinals to Japan's Riku Okada by ippon in the men's 90kg category, while Han Joo Yeob was defeated by Tajikistan's Zakhongir Majidov in the 100kg category, missing out on the finals. In the men's +100kg category, Kim Min Jong lost in the quarterfinals to Uzbekistan's Muzafarbek Turoboyev, the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist. However, he bounced back in the repechage round, defeating Kazakhstan's Yerasil Kazhibayev by ippon to advance to the bronze medal match.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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