Judoka Huh Mimi eyes Asian Games gold in native Japan

By Yoo Jee-ho

JINCHEON, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- Tokyo-born South Korean judoka Huh Mimi said Thursday she will lean on support from her loved ones in her pursuit of an Asian Games gold medal in her native Japan next month.

Born to a Korean father and a Japanese mother, Huh used to compete for Japan earlier in her career. She began representing South Korea in 2021 to honor a dying wish of her grandmother. Huh, 23, is also a descendant of a Korean independence fighter from the Japanese colonial period.

That personal history, plus her rise as a force in international judo with the Olympic silver and the world title in 2024, made Huh an instant star in South Korean sports.

But Huh underwent shoulder surgery in March last year and struggled to regain her form for much of 2025.

"The rehab from the surgery was really difficult," Huh said during a joint press conference for the South Korean Asian Games delegation at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, some 85 kilometers south of Seoul. "I even wondered if I would ever reach a podium again."

Huh did return to an international podium in November last year by winning gold in the women's -57 kilograms at the International Judo Federation Grand Slam event in Abu Dhabi. It was her first international victory since the Olympics.

"My results have been better, and I feel pretty good physically, too," Huh said.

With the Asian Games taking place in the Japanese prefecture of Aichi, Huh said she is feeling a mixed bag of nerves and pressure at the same time.

"But I have so many people who support me and root for me," Huh said with a smile. "I will try my best to win the gold medal."

Her teammate Kim Min-jong, who also won a world title and an Olympic silver in 2024, is eyeing his first Asian Games gold. He settled for bronze in the men's +100kg at the 2023 Asian Games.

"I don't want to feel happy winning silver and bronze medals, because then I would not push myself hard enough to win gold medals," Kim said. "My mindset now is that anything less than a gold medal will be a disappointment. That has helped me stay focused."