Winning the bronze medal 'Lightning Man'Lee Jun-hwan"I've only been looking at the Olympic gold medal...I'm confident in four years"
Jul 31, 2024
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It was the tears of Lee Joon-hwan (22, Yongin University). Lee Joon-hwan won a valuable bronze medal. Lee Joon-hwan overpowered Belgium's Mathias Kasser in the men's 81-kg bronze medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at the Chandmars Stadium in Paris, France on the 31st (Korea time). Lee Joon-hwan, who won the bronze medal, won his first men's judo medal in this competition. In Korean judo, Hur Mi-mi won a silver medal in the women's 57kg class the day before.
Lee Joon-hwan overwhelmed Kasser with an aggressive attack as if he was relieved of his disappointment in the semifinals. He continued his attacks in succession. The two players continued their game with extra time while receiving guidance one by one. Lee Joon-hwan won the bronze medal, winning half the gold medal.
Lee Joon-hwan shed tears on the mat after the game. After the game, Lee Joon-hwan said, `I trained hard for the rest of my life with the goal of a gold medal and prepared for just this day, but I think I was emotional because I remembered the training courses not only for the athletes' village but also for the high school and college days.'
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The semifinals were in crisis. 'An old enemy' met Tato Grigalashvili (Georgia). Gri-Galashvili was Lee Jun-hwan's natural enemy. Lee Joon-hwan lost to Grigalashvili in both the semifinals of this year's and last year's world championships, and only won the bronze medal for the second consecutive year. Grigalashvili won the World Championship for three consecutive years from the year before last year to this year, and was also named the strongest gold medalist candidate in this competition. Lee Joon-hwan also changed his style ahead of this tournament to catch Gri-Galashvili.
Lee Jun-hwan, a natural enemy who met in the semifinals, continued to push Gri-Galashvili. Exhausted, Grigalashvili was in a hurry to defend himself. In the end, the game continued with the Golden Score. Lee Joon-hwan's attack continued. Grigalashvili received the map twice. However, he lost his concentration at the last minute. Grigalashvili did not miss it and connected it to the attack. It was a disappointing defeat.
Lee Jun-hwan said, `I met him twice at the World Championships and lost both times, so I prepared and studied a lot. I think everything went as I thought, but I think it was lacking in strategic or something like this."
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Lee Joon-hwan, who received attention for winning the world championship and the Asian championship, predicted a bright future by winning a bronze medal in his first Olympics. "I didn't feel any more pressure just because it was the Olympics. "I thought it was the same competition as usual and believed in the training I had done so far. I didn't feel happy after winning the bronze medal," said Lee Jun-hwan. I have always lived with the goal of winning a gold medal, so I have to prepare for four years again. I felt like I only won the bronze medal because my skills were not good enough for the other players, so I thought I should work hard again"I think this Olympics has broadened my horizons. When I return to Korea, I will prepare well and have confidence that I can win the gold medal at the LA competition."
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
