Lee Hyun-ji, a rising star in South Korean women's judo, has claimed her first title at the World Judo Championships.
Ranked fourth in the world, Lee defeated Roman Diko of France, the world’s third-ranked judoka, in the final of the women’s +78 kg category at the 2026 International Judo Federation (IJF) World Championships held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, on October 10.
This marks Lee's first time standing atop the podium at the World Championships.
With this victory, South Korea has produced a world champion in this weight class for the second consecutive year, following last year's gold medalist Kim Ha-yoon, who is currently ranked 14th.
Lee's gold medal also helps her move past the disappointment of the Asian Games, where she lost in the final to China’s Niu Xinran, ranked ninth in the world, on October 2 at the Aichi-Nagoya International Arena in Japan.
Considered a strong contender for the title, Lee was visibly emotional after her defeat at the Asian Games.
Instead of taking a break after the Asian Games, Lee opted to compete in the World Championships, where she achieved her goal of becoming a world champion just eight days later.
Throughout the tournament, Lee won all five of her matches by ippon. In the first round, she defeated Moira Morillo of the Dominican Republic, ranked 36th, in just five seconds with a left foot sweep. In the second round, she overcame Karen Leon of Venezuela, ranked 17th, in nine seconds with a right hip throw. In the quarterfinals, she secured a victory against Asia Tabano of Italy, ranked sixth, with a right side hold immediately after the match began.
In the semifinals, she faced the current world number one, Raz Hershko of Israel, and won with a left foot sweep less than a minute into the match, earning her place in the final.
In the final against Diko, a veteran who won bronze medals at both the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lee took control early by attempting a right leg trip. With just over two minutes remaining, she received a shido for blocking her opponent's attack. However, Lee did not back down and increased her offensive intensity. With 1 minute and 44 seconds left, she executed a right leg throw to score a waza-ari and quickly transitioned to a hold for ippon.
Born in 2007, Lee is the daughter of Lee Chi-hoon, the executive director of the Jeju Island Wrestling Association. She was selected as the youngest national representative while in her first year at Jeju Namnyeong High School. She gained recognition by winning the 2024 World Youth Championships and made her senior debut last year, achieving success in various international competitions. Before the Asian Games, she secured her spot in the individual event by defeating Kim Ha-yoon, the gold medalist from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, in the national team selection trials.
Lee's gold medal is the only individual medal for South Korean judo at this tournament. In the men's +100 kg category, 2024 Paris Olympic silver medalist Kim Min-jong, ranked 15th, was eliminated in his first match after losing to Kanta Nakano of Japan, ranked 10th, by ippon.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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