(Asiad) Judo Olympic medalists go for 1st Asian Games titles; taekwondo competition to begin

NAGOYA, Japan - Two judo Olympic medalists from South Korea are aiming for their first gold medals at the upcoming Asian Games, set to begin on Thursday, according to Yonhap news agency. Lee Joon-hwan, the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist in the men's -81 kilograms category, and Huh Mimi, who earned silver in the women's -57kg division at the same Olympics, will compete on Day 2 of judo at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya.

Lee has previously taken silver at the 2023 Asian Games, while this is Huh's first appearance at the Asian Games. The taekwondo competition will kick off on Thursday with poomsae, a non-contact pattern demonstration discipline of the traditional Korean martial art, at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, located about 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya.

Yun Kyu-sung is considered a strong contender for gold in the men's individual poomsae event. On the same day, South Korea's men's field hockey team is scheduled to face Malaysia in the semifinals at 7 p.m. at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, which is situated north of Nagoya. South Korea has not advanced to the men's field hockey final since winning gold in 2006; they have secured two bronze medals in the subsequent four Asian Games editions.