▲ South Korea's Han Ju-yeop celebrates after winning his match against China's Huang Fuchun in the men's -100kg judo quarterfinals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 2nd.
South Korean national judo team member Han Ju-yeop (High1 Resort) has won a bronze medal in the individual event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Han defeated Marat Baikamurov of Kazakhstan in the men's 100kg bronze medal match held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on October 2, claiming his first-ever Asian Games medal.
He engaged in a fierce battle with his opponent, with both fighters picking up two shido (penalties) as the match went deep.
With about a minute remaining in regulation, Han secured a waza-ari equivalent score with a surprise drop seoi-nage (shoulder throw) and successfully defended his lead to secure the bronze medal.
Earlier in the day, Han had moved down to the bronze medal match after a narrow loss to Jahongir Madzhidov of Tajikistan in the men's 100kg semifinals, where he conceded a yuko via a sweeping ankle throw (sasae-tsurikomi-ashi / an-ogeum-tt-igi).
This tournament marks Han's second appearance at the Asian Games.
At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023, he earned a chance to capture a bronze medal through the repechage but fell short of his goal after suffering an ippon defeat to Aram Gregorian of the United Arab Emirates.
The 2024 Paris Olympics were also filled with regret.
At the time, Han advanced to the quarterfinals by successfully executing a dramatic shoulder throw just two seconds before the end of the round of 16, but he could advance no further and failed to medal.
Although he claimed a bronze medal in the team event thanks to the strong performances of his teammates, it was a tournament that left lingering disappointment.
Han did not let his renewed opportunity for an Asian Games medal slip away, three years later.
Though he narrowly missed out on reaching the final, he triumphed in the bronze medal match to stand on the podium of his dreams.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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