South Korea's Judo New Hope Kim Jong-hoon Staunchly Beat World Champion, Gold Medal Unexpected
Feb 03, 2025
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Kim Jong-hoon (Yangpyeong County Office) of the men's 90kg class won a brilliant gold medal after beating the world champion at the Paris Grand Slam. Kim Jong-hoon beat Luca Maisuradze (Georgia), a former world champions in 2023, in the men's 90kg final of the International Judo Federation (IJF) Paris Grand Slam held in Paris, France on the 3rd (Korea time).
The two, who could not compete within the regular time, competed in overtime, and Kim Jong-hoon succeeded in winning a round of piggybacking against his lower body without missing the last chance. Kim Jong-hoon decorated his first international medal with a Paris Grand Slam gold medal.
The IJF described Kim Jong-hoon's final match as 'unexpected'. IJF said, "After 43 seconds in the final golden score, Kim Jong-hoon rushed in, threw his opponent down, and won the point. It was a close game. Kim Jong-hoon was ranked 111th in the world before the Paris Games and had never won a Grand Slam medal. It changed the game."
South Korea, which failed to win a medal in the men's and women's lightweight division on the first day of the competition, also won two silver medals, including Kim Jong-hoon's gold medal on the second day.
Lee Seung-yeop (Yangpyeong County Office) of the men's 100kg or more won the semifinal and lost the final, recording a silver medal.
In the women's 78kg or higher class, Lee Hyun-ji (Namnyeong High School) won the silver medal. Lee Hyun-ji, who beat Japan's Arai Mao in the semifinals with a one-up victory and continued her three-game winning streak from the second round, suffered pelvic pain in the final and was unfortunately withdrawn. Still, it was a Paris competition that showed the hope of the world's top.
The Korean judo team, which won one gold medal and two silver medals on the second day, ranked third overall after France (gold 3, silver 3, bronze 9) and Japan (gold 3, silver 3, bronze 5).
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
