"A fight of Tong Han, but well done!Kim Min-jong"First silver medal in judo at the highest weight class

Aug 03, 2024

Unfortunate silver

It was a painful defeat. It was even more regrettable defeat because the process was good.

Kim Min-jong (23, Yangpyeong County Office) clinched his first Olympic silver medal in the final of the Paris Olympics after losing to Teddy Liner 16 seconds before the end of regular time.

Kim Min-jong playing in the final

Kim Min-jong clashed with French Teddy Liner in the men's 100-kilogram judo final at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at Chandemars Stadium in Paris on the 2nd (Korea time). Linere is the highest-ever heavyweight active legend and France's best sports star, winning 11 World Championships, the most ever. Kim Min-jong was dead until the final. After passing the round of 32 with a bye, he won one round against Ibrahim Tataroglu of Turkiye in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Wu Shang-ki (Azerbaijan) won half of the game. The gold medalist at the World Championships held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in May, made it to the final with a performance that was as good as the world's No. 1'Olympic No. 1' At the moment when he was entering the extended golden score by continuing a tight game of exchanging maps side by side, 'Big Teddy' 16 seconds before the end was knocked down by Kim Min-jong with a lightning move. One round of waist down, Kim Min-jong

Kim Min-jong defeated

Unfortunately, he clinched a silver medal, which shines more than any other medal.

Liner, born in 1989, the 2012 London, 2016 Rio Games champion, 2008 Beijing, and 2021 Tokyo bronze medalist, showed three fingers meaning three gold medals in front of French judo fans who filled the stadium. He showed respect for the great loser by lifting the arms of Kim Min-jong, the world No. 1 player at 23.

Although he lost, Kim Min-jong's silver medal is one of the most brilliant achievements of this competition. It is the first medal for Korean judo since it was adopted as an official Olympic event in 1964. There were three heavyweight medals in the Olympics: two consecutive bronze medals for Los Angeles in 1984, Cho Yong-chul at the 1988 Seoul Games, and Kim Sun-young at the 2000 Sydney Games. The golden story of Kim Min-jong, a 23-year-old judo youth who stood at the podium with a cheerful win and half-win in the top weight class against physically strong world-class players, is just beginning.

sky4us@sportschosun.com

"A fight of Tong Han, but well done!Kim Min-jong"First silver medal in judo at the highest weight class

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