Prevent Consecutive 'No Gold' at Two Competitions... Judo's Female Kim Seong-yeon and Male Kwak Dong-han Compete Today

Korean Women's Judo National Team Athlete Kim Seong-yeon.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] Kim Seong-yeon (30, Gwangju Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation), captain of the Korean women's judo team, and Kwak Dong-han (29, Pohang City Hall), the men's heavyweight star, will go after gold medals on the 28th. Judo, which has so far recorded two bronze medals, has a golden opportunity to secure a gold medal and make up for the disappointment of the 'no gold' experience at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

'Daughter of Gwangju' Kim Seong-yeon will have her first match against Cameroon in the women's 70kg round of 32 at 11 a.m. that day. Kim Seong-yeon is the only player on the women's national team with Olympic experience. She participated in the Rio Olympics ranked 6th in the world. However, she was eliminated in the round of 16 due to nervousness in her first-ever Olympic appearance.

Kim Seong-yeon went through a slump for a while after the Olympics. She even hesitated to participate in international competitions. However, after much determination, she aimed for a comeback by winning silver medals at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, the 2020 Tel Aviv Grand Prix, and the 2021 Asia-Oceania Championships. She is determined to secure her first Olympic medal in her career at this tournament. Kim Seong-yeon said, "I was very disappointed to lose in 4 minutes and 30 seconds at Rio," adding, "This time in Tokyo, I am approaching it with the determination that it will be my last as a national team member, and I will burn my last flame."

Korean male judo representative athlete Gwak Dong-han.

Kwak Dong-han (29, Pohang City Hall) will also start his 90kg round of 32 match against Ghana at the same time. Kwak Dong-han is a bronze medalist from the Rio Olympics. At that time, he defeated world-ranked 4th Markus Nyman in the bronze medal match to win the bronze medal. Kwak Dong-han's strengths are his seoi nage (shoulder throw) and arm and leg techniques.

Kwak Dong-han has decided to fight representing his hometown in what may be his last Olympics. Accordingly, he voluntarily joined Pohang City Hall in January. Kwak Dong-han expressed his ambition, saying, "I will bring great pride to the citizens of my hometown Pohang and great joy to the people. I will definitely return with a gold medal."

Judo is the most successful sport in the history of the Summer Olympics, having won the most medals with 43 (11 gold, 16 silver, 16 bronze). Korea has won medals since judo became an official event at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The only times Korea did not win a gold medal were at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the recent Rio Olympics. If Korea fails to win a gold medal this time, it will leave a regrettable record of the first-ever two consecutive Olympics without gold medals.