Judoka Lee Hyun-ji Wins Gold at World Championships, Wipes Away Asian Games Tears

South Korean judo's rising star Lee Hyun-ji (19, Yong In University) has bounced back from the heartbreak of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games to reach the top of the podium at the World Championships.

World No. 4 Lee defeated No. 3 Romane Dicko of France to capture the title in the women's over-78kg final at the 2026 International Judo Federation (IJF) World Championships held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, on October 10 (local time). She secured the victory with a waza-ari from a leg wheel throw (dari-daedol-rigi) followed by a hold-down ippon (gyeot-nureugi).

With this victory, South Korean judo has produced the gold medalist in the women's heavyweight division at the World Championships for two consecutive years.

At last year's World Championships, Kim Ha-yun (Ansan City Hall, ranked 14th) won the gold in the same weight class, while Lee took home a bronze medal through the repechage after losing to Kim in the quarterfinals.

On this day, Lee put on a formidable performance.

In the first round, she defeated Moira Morillo of the Dominican Republic (ranked 36th) by ippon with a left outer heel sweep (bal-dwi-chuk-hurigi) just five seconds into the match.

In the second round, she overcame Karen Leon of Venezuela (ranked 17th) by ippon with a right waist wheel throw (heori-daedol-rigi) in just nine seconds.

Asia Tavano of Italy, ranked 6th in the world and her opponent in the quarterfinals, was no match for Lee either.

Lee immediately applied pressure on Tavano with a right side hold-down (garo-nureugi) from the start to claim an ippon victory.

In the semifinals, Lee defeated current world No. 1 Raz Hershko of Israel by ippon with a left outer heel sweep just 46 seconds into the match to advance to the final.

Her final opponent, Dicko, is a veteran powerhouse in the division who won bronze medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, Lee pushed Dicko back with sheer determination and spirit.

From the very beginning of the match, Lee aggressively pressured her opponent by immediately attempting a right major outer reap (bat-dari-geol-gi).

Lee did not back down afterward, continuously forcing her opponent backward with power.

While engaging in a grip fight with about two minutes remaining in regulation, Lee received a shido (penalty) while defending against her opponent's groundwork attack.

Yet, Lee did not waver.

Instead, she ramped up her offensive intensity and pressured her opponent further.

Engaged in another grip battle with 1 minute and 44 seconds left on the clock, Lee threw her opponent to the mat with a right leg wheel throw.

Lee then mounted her opponent to transition into a ground hold, resulting in an ippon call for a side hold-down.

As her victory was confirmed, Lee raised both hands and could not hide her joy, beaming like a young girl.

Born in 2007, Lee is the daughter of Lee Chi-hoon, executive director of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Ssireum Association and a former ssireum (traditional Korean wrestling) athlete. She was selected for the national team at the record age of a first-year student at Namnyeong High School and has since continued her career as a rising powerhouse.

After making a name for herself by winning the 2024 World Junior Judo Championships, Lee swept titles at various competitions last year during her senior debut season.

Recently, she defeated national team senior Kim Ha-yun—a World Championships and 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist—at the national team trials to earn her spot as the individual representative for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

However, on October 2 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, Lee suffered a shocking ippon defeat to Xu Xinran of China (ranked 9th) after being caught off guard by a major outer reap during the women's over-78kg final, despite dominating the match. She had to settle for a silver medal.

Though she was the heavy favorite to win, Lee shed endless tears and blamed herself immediately after the match.

But Lee did not break down.

Without taking a break, she immediately pushed forward to compete at the World Championships, where top-tier global athletes gathered, and claimed the gold medal.

Lee's gold medal is the only medal South Korean judo secured in the individual events at this tournament.

On the same day, Paris Olympics silver medalist Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong County Office, ranked 15th), competing in the men's over-100kg division, failed to win a medal after losing his opening match to Kanta Nakano of Japan (ranked 10th) by ippon via a foot block (bal-mok-bat-chi-gi).

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