Judo Star Kim Min-jong Wins First Grand Slam Gold of Senior Career in Ulaanbaatar

South Korean judo heavyweight Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong County Office, world No. 14) has claimed the top spot at the International Judo Federation (IJF) 2026 Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam.
On Sunday, the final day of the tournament held at the AIC Steppe Arena in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Kim defeated Irakli Demetrashvili (Georgia, world No. 4) by hansoku-make (disqualification) in the men's +100kg final to secure the gold medal.
Kim took an early lead by scoring a waza-ari just 15 seconds into the match. He maintained his advantage as Demetrashvili received two shido (penalties).
Although Kim conceded a waza-ari with 1 minute and 23 seconds remaining in regulation time, he clinched the victory when his opponent received a third shido with 39 seconds left on the clock.
Kim is the ace of South Korean men's heavyweight judo, having won the 2024 IJF World Championships and a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He previously defeated Demetrashvili in the bronze medal match at the 2026 Paris Grand Slam held in February.
Earlier today, Kim defeated world No. 7 Kanan Nasibov (Azerbaijan) by hansoku-make in the quarterfinals, and then advanced to the final by scoring a waza-ari against world No. 2 Inal Tasoev (Russia) in the semifinals with a right-sided inner thigh throw (uchimata-sukashi).
This marks the first time Kim has won a Grand Slam title since his senior debut.
Prior to this victory, he had earned three silver and four bronze medals in Grand Slam events, but had yet to secure a gold.
In an interview with the IJF after the match, Kim said, "Because I am shorter than other athletes in my weight class, I had to train to fight like a lightweight athlete, and this process helped me become competitive." He added, "I will continue to challenge myself until I win an Olympic gold medal."
In the men's 90kg division, Kim Jong-hoon (Yangpyeong County Office, world No. 6) earned a valuable silver medal.
Kim Jong-hoon reached the final after defeating Paris Olympic bronze medalist Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou (France, world No. 11) by ippon with a hold-down in the semifinals, but he could not overcome the final hurdle.
He faced world No. 1 and Paris Olympic silver medalist Sanshiro Murao of Japan, conceding a waza-ari from a leg-grab throw 2 minutes and 28 seconds into the match, followed by an ippon via a hold-down 14 seconds later.
With Lee Joon-hwan (Pohang City Hall) winning gold in the men's 81kg division yesterday and Kim Chan-young (High1) taking bronze in the men's 66kg division on the 19th, South Korea concluded the tournament with two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.
(Photo: Screenshot from International Judo Federation website, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.