Mo Su-min Wins Silver in Women's 78kg Kurash, Blocked by Birthplace Uzbekistan

South Korean national Kurash athlete Mo Su-min (Korea National Sport University) has claimed a precious silver medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Mo Su-min finished as the runner-up after a narrow 0-10 defeat to formidable opponent Pokizakhon Kamoldinova of Uzbekistan, the birthplace of the sport, in the women's 78kg final held today (September 28) at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan.

Aiming for South Korea's first-ever Asian Games gold medal in Kurash, Mo Su-min fell short of overcoming the wall of powerhouse Uzbekistan, but nonetheless reaped a valuable silver medal by displaying relentless skill.

Earlier in the quarterfinals, Mo defeated a Mongolian athlete with a decisive "halal" (Ippon), and advanced to the final by securing a "yom boshi" (Waza-ari) against India's Pinky Balhara in the semifinals.

Kurash, a traditional martial art from Uzbekistan, is similar to judo, but ground-fighting techniques such as pinning, choking, and joint-locking are entirely prohibited.

Due to the sport's characteristics of deciding matches solely through standing throwing exchanges, Mo actively pressed Kamoldinova in the final with a tight grip fight.

However, constrained by the veteran game management of the powerhouse from the sport's birthplace, she had to settle for the second step of the podium.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.