Judo's Kim Min-jong wins world heavyweight title

South Korea's top-ranked men's judoka, Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong-guncheong, South Korea-ranked No. 6 in the world), has taken the world by storm.

Kim Min-jong defeated Georgia's Guram Tushishvili in the men's 100-plus kilogram final at the 2024 International Judo Federation World Championships at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday (June 24) to win gold.

It is the first time in six years that a South Korean man has won the World Judo Championships, following Ahn Chang-rim at 73 kg and Cho Gu-ham at 100 kg in 2018.

Kim defeated 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Lukas Krpalek (CZE) in the quarterfinals with a half-morokuchi. After four minutes of exploratory bouts in regulation time, Kim pinned the 6-foot-4 giant to the mat just eight seconds into overtime.

In the final, Kim also defeated Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Tushishvili. Kim was on the offensive from the start and pushed his opponent 토토 around, forcing Tushishvili to take two maps for disguised attacks. Keeping the momentum going, Kim blocked a shoulder strike in the final minute of the match and then roared to victory with a horizontal suplex.

Kim was knocked out in the round of 16 at the Tokyo Olympics due to inexperience, but her victory boosted her chances of qualifying for Paris. "I want to make real history in Paris in two months' time," Kim said in an interview with Korean media, "and I will make even greater efforts to overcome the tougher competition after winning the world title.

In the women's 78kg+ category, Kim Ha-yoon (7th, Ansan City Hall) defeated Asia Tabano (ITA) in the bronze medal match. Kim was the only member of the Korean judo team to win a medal at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games last year.

Earlier in the day, Korea won two gold medals, including Heo Mi-mi's gold in the women's 57-kilogram category, and finished the individual competition with three bronze medals to finish third overall.

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