South Korean judo star Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong County Office) has secured a spot on the podium for the second consecutive Asian Games.
On October 2, at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, Kim won the bronze medal in the men's +100kg category at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, defeating Magomedomar Magomedomarov of the United Arab Emirates with a decisive throw in overtime.
This victory marks Kim's second consecutive bronze medal, following his achievement at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.
The path to the medal was not easy. In the quarterfinals, Kim faced Muzaffarbek Turoboev, the gold medalist in the men's 100kg category from the Hangzhou Games. Struggling against Turoboev's aggressive tactics, Kim lost by a throw and was relegated to the repechage round.
In the repechage, Kim bounced back, defeating Yerassyl Kazibayev of Kazakhstan with a throw to advance to the bronze medal match.
The bronze medal match was tightly contested. Both competitors received penalties within the first 35 seconds. At 1:51, Magomedomarov received his first penalty, followed by Kim at 2:18. With no winner determined in the regular four minutes, the match proceeded to golden score overtime.
Just 40 seconds into the overtime, Kim executed a surprise left-foot attack, bringing Magomedomarov to the mat for the win.
Kim is a leading figure in South Korean judo's heavyweight division. He previously claimed the title at the 2024 International Judo Federation (IJF) World Championships, followed by a silver medal at the Paris Olympics and a bronze at the 2025 World Championships. Although he was considered a strong contender for gold in this tournament, he ultimately settled for bronze.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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