South Korean judo representatives Jang Se-yoon (KH Philux) and Kim Chan-nyeong (High1) both advanced to the semifinals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, bringing them closer to medal contention.
Jang Se-yoon defeated China's Xie Aoyu in the women's 52kg quarterfinals at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya on September 30. The match was tightly contested until the final moments, with both athletes receiving two penalties. Jang secured victory with a decisive throw just 46 seconds before the end of the match.
In the earlier round of 16, Jang showcased her dominance by winning against Sabira Kozomberdiyeva of Kyrgyzstan with a quick victory just 16 seconds into the match, using a thigh throw to secure the win with 3 minutes and 44 seconds remaining in regulation.
Kim Chan-nyeong also made it to the semifinals in the men's 66kg category. He won his quarterfinal match against Lin Chong-yu of Taiwan by a half-point, taking the lead with a thigh throw just 1 minute and 16 seconds into the match and maintaining it to secure his spot in the semifinals.
In contrast, Lee Ha-rim, a key competitor in the men's 60kg category, faced disappointment as he was eliminated in his first match. Lee engaged in a fierce battle against Kazakhstan's Yeldos Smetov in the round of 16 but lost by submission with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the match after both received two penalties.
Lee, who won a bronze medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games and a silver medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, aimed for a medal in this tournament to continue his streak but was unable to advance past the round of 16.
Jung Soo-jin, who was set to compete in the women's 48kg category, did not participate after failing to pass the random weigh-in on the day of the competition. The weight limit for her category allows a 5% margin, but she reportedly exceeded the limit by 100 grams. Jung is a promising athlete who won bronze medals at the Junior Asian Championships in 2024 and 2025.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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