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

NAGOYA, Japan — Two judo Olympic medalists will target their inaugural Asian Games golds on Thursday. Lee Joon-hwan, aiming for his maiden title in the men's 81kg category, and Huh Mimi, chasing her first win in the women's 57kg division, will battle it out at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena. Lee secured a bronze at the 2024 Olympics, while Huh, a Korean-born descendant of a Korean independence fighter, earned silver in the same event during the same Games.

Lee previously claimed silver at the 2023 Asian Games. Huh is making her debut at the Asian Games. Meanwhile, taekwondo action kicks off Thursday with poomsae, a non-contact demonstration of traditional Korean martial arts patterns. Yun Kyu-sung is tipped as a strong contender in the men's individual poomsae event at Toyohashi Gymnasium, located 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya.

Other events on Thursday include South Korea's men's field hockey team facing Malaysia in the semifinals at 7 p.m. at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, situated north of Nagoya. South Korea has not been victorious in the Asian Games yet.