Korean Judo aims for four gold medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

Korean judo aims for four gold medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

At the Asian Games Judo Media Day press conference held at the Jincheon National Team Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province on the 19th, the judo team expressed its determination to win two gold medals in the men's division and two in the women's division.

General coach Seong-sook Jeong, who leads the women's national team, said, "In the women's division, we select Heo Mi-mi (Gyeongbuk Sports Council) in the 57kg class and Lee Hyun-ji (Yongin University) in the 78kg class as gold medal candidates." He added, "In addition to these two athletes, players in each weight class have the skills to win gold medals, so we can expect more gold medals."

Men's coach Hwang Hee-tae said, "In the men's division, we look at more than two things. There are many athletes who can win gold medals, including Lee Jun-hwan (Pohang City Hall) in the 81 kg class and Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong County Office) in the 100 kg class and over."

Korean Judo will participate in 14 individual weight classes and a mixed team event at this competition.

The national team is determined to wash away the pain from three years ago at the Aichi and Nagoya Asian Games.

Korean judo led Korea's medal competition by winning five gold medals at the 2014 Incheon Games and four gold medals at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, but at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023, which was in the process of a generational change, it harvested only one gold medal, the fewest in history.

This was less than the lowest number of gold medals ever achieved by Korean Judo at the 1990 Beijing Games, which was 2.

Coach Hwang Hee-tae said, "In the last tournament, there were a lot of shortcomings because there were many players who participated in an international competition for the first time," and added, "The players who gained experience at that time have now become world-class players. They will definitely achieve good results in this tournament."

In addition, he said, "The players have improved their skills through extensive training and have thoroughly prepared with a new video analysis system supported by the Korea Institute of Sports Science. We will achieve good results as we have received a lot of help from those around us."

There is also good news.

The schedule of this competition overlaps with the 2026 International Judo Federation (IJF) World Championships. Therefore, competing countries such as Japan are planning to send second-tier players, not first-tier players, to the Asian Games.

General Manager Jeong Sung-sook said, “There is little difference in the skills of Japan’s first and second-tier players, but it is still an advantageous situation for our national team.”

The players’ determination is extraordinary.

Lee Jun-hwan, who won a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games and a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, said, "I am more mentally ill than usual," and added, "I don't think I can win without this mentality. I will definitely win a gold medal."

Kim Min-jong, who won a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games and a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, said, "I suffered from a minor injury last June, but I am managing my condition well. I trained so hard that even heaven recognized me ahead of this competition. I will achieve good results in Nagoya and definitely reach the top at the Los Angeles Olympics in two years."

Kim Hyun-ji, who is participating in an international competition for the first time, but is considered a strong candidate for the championship, said, "Ha-yoon Kim (Ansan City Hall), who competed in good faith in the same weight class, helped me a lot," and added, "I will achieve good results as I prepare well."

The mindset of Heo Mimi and Kim Ji-su (women's 63kg class, Gyeongbuk Sports Council), both Korean-Japanese, is even more special.

Mimi Heo, who has a Korean father and a Japanese mother, said, “I feel a little burdened because the competition is being held in Japan, but I will approach it with the same mindset as any other competition.”

Jisoo Kim said, “I’m looking forward to this tournament being held in Japan, where I was born,” and “I want to run quickly.”

Meanwhile, on this day, the Korean Judo Association gave encouragement money of 10 million won each to the men's and women's national teams, totaling 20 million won.