[Anchor]

South Korean national athletes competing at the Asian Games reaped a tournament-high six gold medals yesterday (October 1), creating a "golden day." In judo, Huh Mimi, a Zainichi Korean and descendant of an independence fighter, clinched her first gold medal.

Reporter Ha Seong-nyong reports from Nagoya.


[Reporter]

The 23-year-old Huh Mimi, a silver medalist at the Paris Olympics, started her Asian Games debut with a bang.

In the Round of 16, she scored a waza-ari with a lightning-fast seoi-nage (shoulder throw) against her Philippine opponent, followed by another waza-ari with an osaekomi-waza (hold-down) to secure an ippon victory in just 28 seconds.

In the quarterfinals against her Chinese opponent, she also secured an ippon victory via hold-down in 1 minute and 30 seconds, taking less than two minutes total for her first two matches. However, she faced a hair-raising moment in the semifinals.

Her left arm was twisted by a dangerous foul from her Uzbek opponent, causing her to complain of pain, but she fortunately avoided a major injury and won by disqualification.

[Huh Mimi / National Judo Team Member: My arm was underneath and got twisted, but I endured it enough not to get too hurt, so I think I'm okay.]

She was unstoppable in the final as well.

She scored a yuko with a soto-makikomi or inner-thigh sweep against her Mongolian opponent just 10 seconds in and claimed the gold medal after a lopsided match.

Standing at the top of the podium at her first major competition since undergoing shoulder surgery last year, Huh hugged coach Jung Sung-sook and burst into tears.

[Huh Mimi / National Judo Team Member: I didn't cry. (Because of the) surgery and having worries about whether I could climb back up (to the top), I agonized a lot, but since I was able to win the gold medal like this... I didn't cry, but I almost shed a few tears.]

Having naturalized five years ago following her late grandmother's dying wish to wear the Taegeukgi, the Zainichi Korean Huh experienced the special emotion of hearing the South Korean national anthem in Japan, the birthplace and homeland of judo where she was born and raised.

[Huh Mimi / National Judo Team Member: Because my grandmother told me that, I made this choice (to naturalize), and I am living very happily. Once the anthem started playing, I felt like I was going to cry a little, but I think I did well (singing along).]

She also kept her promise to bring back a gold medal to the grave of her great-great-grandfather and independence fighter Huh Seok, whose grave she had visited with her silver medal after the Paris Olympics.

[Huh Mimi / National Judo Team Member: Since I won the gold medal this time, I suppose I can take it (to the grave) with a happy heart.]

Huh will challenge for her second gold medal of the tournament in the mixed team event taking place tomorrow (October 3).

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In the men's 81kg division, Lee Joon-hwan secured an ippon victory over his Iranian opponent in the bronze medal match, standing on the podium for the second consecutive tournament following his silver medal in Hangzhou.

(Photo: Yonhap News / Video by Park Hyun-chul | Video Editing by Park Ki-deok | Design by Yang Gi-tae)