Wiping Away Asian Games Tears, Lee Hyun-ji Claims First-Ever World Championships Title

Do you remember 19-year-old Lee Hyun-ji, the rising hope of women's judo who shed tears after a narrow defeat in the Asian Games final?

Today (October 11), she swept all her matches by ippon to capture her first-ever World Championships title.

Lee Hyun-ji, who had shed tears after suffering a heartbreaking come-from-behind loss to a Chinese opponent in the Asian Games final, returned even stronger at the World Championships.

She relentlessly stormed her way to the final, defeating all opponents by ippon in under a minute.

In the final as well, she threw France's Dicko with a leg wheel (dari-dachidori) and transitioned into a hold-down, securing another ippon victory to wrap it up.

Raising both hands and flashing a bright smile, Lee Hyun-ji relished the joy of winning her first World Championships title.

[Lee Hyun-ji / National Judo Team Member for Women's Heavyweight: At first, I was so shocked, and then I couldn't believe it. I felt no pressure, and I think I just approached it with the mindset of enjoying it.]

(Video editing: Ha Sung-won, Source footage: YouTube 'JUDO TV')
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.