Judo Kim Won-jin couldn't solve medal 恨 and retired from active roles
Jul 28, 2024
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Kim Won-jin lost to world No. 2 Giorgi Sardalashvili of Georgia twice in the men's 60-kg consolation match at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at the Chandras Stadium in Paris, France on the 28th (Korea time). Kim Won-jin, who failed to win an Olympic medal due to his loss in the bronze medal match at the last Tokyo Games after being eliminated from the consolation match at the 2016 Rio Games, sadly suffered in the final challenge.
Kim Won-jin went down to the consolation match in the quarter-final, losing half to world No. 3 Luca Mkeze (France) by throwing. It was a disappointing result because they showed good momentum in the previous two games. Kim Won-jin won a foul on Simon Zulu (50th in the world) in the round of 32. In the following round of 16, he showed off his power to beat world No. 7 Balabai Agayev (Azerbaijan).
Kim Won-jin is scheduled to retire from active duty after the game. Kim Won-jin reportedly made up his mind to retire from active duty regardless of his performance at the Olympics. Kim Won-jin will start anew as a leader from January next year as a lightweight coach for his current team, Yangpyeong County Office.
Prior to that, he plans to have shoulder cartilage suture surgery. Since last year, Kim Won-jin has endured pain while his shoulder cartilage has been torn.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
