Judoka Kim Min-jong Claims Bronze in Men's Over-100kg, Securing Medals in 2 Consecutive Games

Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong County Office) has claimed the bronze medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Kim secured an ippon victory by inner thigh sweep (utok-dari-geol-gi) against Magomedomart Magomedomarov of the United Arab Emirates in the men's over-100kg judo bronze medal match at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on October 2.

Following his bronze medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, Kim successfully captured a medal in two consecutive tournaments.

Earlier in the day, Kim dropped to the repechage after suffering an ippon defeat by inner reap (an-dwichuk-geol-gi) against Muzaffarbek Turoboev of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals of the men's over-100kg division.

He then advanced to the bronze medal match by defeating Yerasyl Kazhybayev of Kazakhstan with an ippon via inner thigh sweep.

In the bronze medal match, Kim and Magomedomarov exchanged two shido (penalties) each during the regulated four minutes, failing to break the tie and proceeding to golden score overtime.

About 40 seconds into overtime, Kim executed a surprise left-footed throw to take down his opponent and secure the ippon.

Kim is a leading figure in South Korean men's judo, having won the gold medal at the 2024 International Judo Federation (IJF) World Championships and the bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he advanced to the final before falling to the division's legend, Teddy Riner of France, and taking home the silver medal.

At the Hangzhou Asian Games, he narrowly missed the final after losing an exhausting overtime match to Temur Rakhimov of Tajikistan in the semifinals, settling for a bronze medal.

Kim aimed for his first-ever gold medal at a major international multi-sport event in this competition, but deferred the milestone to the next opportunity.

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