Huh Mimi (world No. 37, Gyeongbuk Sports Council), the gold medalist of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, has won a bronze medal at the 2026 International Judo Federation (IJF) Abu Dhabi Grand Slam.

On October 29 (local time), Huh claimed the podium by defeating Mina Libeer (world No. 41, Belgium) via hansoku-make (disqualification by penalties) in the women's 57kg bronze medal match on the opening day of the tournament at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Huh was facing a defeat after receiving a shido (penalty) 12 seconds into the match and another at 3 minutes and 15 seconds, but she leveled the score when her opponent received her second penalty 40 seconds into the golden score (overtime) period.

She then secured the victory when her opponent received a third penalty 2 minutes and 16 seconds into overtime.

Earlier that day, Huh easily defeated rising newcomer Charlotte von Leupoldt (world No. 157, Germany) by ippon in the first round, and then overcame Timna Nelson-Levy (world No. 6, Israel), the winner of the 2026 Tbilisi Grand Slam, by waza-ari after an exhausting overtime battle in the second round.

In the quarterfinals, she engaged in another overtime match against Natalia Elkina (world No. 27, Russia) and advanced to the semifinals via hansoku-make.

However, she fell short of reaching the finals after conceding two waza-ari in the semifinals against Celiné Nascimento (world No. 10, Brazil), a bronze medalist at last year's World Championships.

Huh was the sole South Korean athlete competing in this tournament.

As the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam is not an international competition supported by the Korea Judo Association, Huh traveled and competed at her own expense alongside her team coaches.

Having undergone shoulder surgery after the 2024 Paris Olympics, Huh saw her world ranking slip out of the top 30 due to a reduced schedule caused by rehabilitation. However, she is expected to significantly recover her world ranking with this valuable bronze medal.

Born to a South Korean father and a Japanese mother, Zainichi Korean athlete Huh chose South Korean citizenship in 2021 following her grandmother's deathbed wish to see her compete for South Korea. She has since established herself as a world-class athlete by sequentially claiming the gold medal at the 2024 World Championships, the silver medal at the Paris Olympics, and the gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
 
(Photo: Captured from the International Judo Federation website, Yonhap News)