[National Sports Festival] Judo Heo Mimi, who achieved 5 consecutive wins, "It's proof of my efforts... I'm proud."

(Jeju = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Gyeong-yoon = Heo Mimi (Gyeongbuk Sports Council), a leading figure in Korean judo who achieved 5 consecutive wins at the National Sports Festival, said, "The gold medal at the National Sports Festival is proof of hard work," and added, "I want to win as many gold medals as possible in the future."

Mimi Heo won the women's 57kg final at the 107th National Sports Festival held at Namnyeong High School Gymnasium in Jeju Island on the 17th, defeating Joohee Kim in one round.

He met with reporters after the game and said, "You may think that winning a gold medal at the National Sports Festival is something you should definitely win, but it means something special to me. Winning five games in a row means that I worked hard consistently. Going forward, I will focus more on taking care of my body and run in the best condition toward my ultimate goal, a gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics."

In fact, Mimi Heo's physical condition was not that good when she participated in this competition.

After winning a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he went on the operating table due to shoulder problems, and since then, he has been unable to participate in many international competitions, which has led to a loss of practical sense.

Recently, I suffered from a knee injury.

Even at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, he was unable to properly use his specialty, piggyback throw, due to a knee problem.

However, Mimi Heo won her first Asian Games gold medal through skillful game management.

He also achieved five consecutive wins at this National Sports Festival with a play that focused on pressing instead of jumping.

I won by pressing both the quarterfinals and the final.

Mimi Heo said, "After the Asian Games, I had a checkup at the hospital and was told that the condition of my knee was not that good. As this season ended with the National Sports Festival, I will now focus on taking care of my body."

He added, “I decided not to have surgery,” and “I will overcome it through rehabilitation.”

The goal for the new season is to win the Asian Championships and the International Judo Federation (IJF) World Championships.

He was unable to participate in the 2026 World Championships due to overlapping schedules due to participating in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games team event.

Mimi Heo said, “I wanted to participate in the World Championships, but I was very disappointed,” and added, “I will wash away my regrets at the World Championships next year.”

Mimi Heo is a Korean-Japanese born to a Korean father and a Japanese mother, and chose Korean nationality according to her grandmother's will, which stated that she wanted to see her play as a Korean player in 2021.

From the following year, he collected gold medals every year at the National Sports Festival.

Mimi Heo said, "When I first played in the National Sports Festival, there were very few people cheering me on, but I was glad to hear a lot of cheering during today's game. I will work hard and repay you with results, as many people expect."

After this tournament, Heo Mimi bids farewell to the Gyeongbuk Sports Council and moves to her new team, Namyangju City Hall.

Heo Mimi said, “I will work hard in the new team.”

Meanwhile, in this competition, Heo Mimi's younger brother, Heo Mi-oh (Gyeongbuk Sports Council), won a bronze medal in the 48kg women's general division.

Mimi Heo said, “I think I need to console myself for not winning the gold medal.”