Korea’s Huh Mi-mi smiles with her gold medal during the women’s 57-kilogram medal ceremony at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Oct. 1.NEWS1
OKAZAKI, NAGOYA, Japan — Huh Mi-mi, a Japanese Korean judoka who is a descendant of a Korean independence activist, won Asian Games gold despite competing with a serious knee injury.
Huh defeated Mongolia’s Terbish Ariunzaya by yuko, a minor scoring advantage awarded for a successful throw or hold, in the women’s 57-kilogram final at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
It was Huh’s first individual gold medal at a major multisport competition since joining the Korean national team in 2023 and Korea’s first judo gold of the Games.
The victory came despite a serious injury that had complicated Huh's preparations for the Games.
Huh tore the posterior cruciate ligament in her right knee while training ahead of the Games. She was unable to practice judo at all until as recently as Korea’s training camp in Sendai, Japan, in September.
The judoka was still undergoing rehabilitation and receiving injections at the athletes’ village until shortly before the Games began. Even the national team had not been counting on a gold medal given her condition. She competed with her knee tightly wrapped in special tape, several times thicker than what she normally uses.
Huh was born and raised in Tokyo and was once regarded as one of Japan’s brightest judo prospects. But the judoka moved to Korea in 2022 after her grandmother said, “I hope to see my granddaughter represent Korea,” as her dying wish. Huh previously held dual Korean and Japanese citizenship but gave up her Japanese nationality.
Korea’s Huh Mi-mi stands during the national anthem with her gold medal after winning the women’s 57-kilogram judo final at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Oct. 1.NEWS1
She initially drew attention as a fifth-generation descendant of Korean independence activist Huh Seok (1857-1920). But she also steadily established herself as an elite judoka in her own right.
At the 2024 World Judo Championships, the judoka won gold in the women’s 57-kilogram division to become the first Korean woman to win a world title in 29 years. She followed that with a silver medal in the women’s 57-kilogram event and a bronze in the mixed team event at the Paris Olympics that same year.
Huh Mi-mi underwent surgery for a shoulder injury shortly after the Paris Olympics and focused on rehabilitation until early this year. Soon after recovering, she suffered a knee injury.
“My condition wasn’t good because of the injury, and I also felt a lot of pressure,” she said. “It was the hardest period of my life. All I could think about was that I had to get back on my feet.”
Korea’s Huh Mi-mi, right, embraces coach Jung Sung-sook after securing gold in the women’s 57-kilogram final at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Oct. 1.NEWS1
But the judoka persevered with one goal in mind: Winning a gold medal to dedicate to her late grandmother.
“I’m happy that I was able to fulfill the promise I made before these Games to win a gold medal and stand before my grandmother’s memorial,” she added.
Meanwhile, Korea’s men’s compound archer Kim Jong-ho defeated Taiwan’s Chang Cheng-wei 149-145 in the individual final at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square in Okazaki, Japan, on Thursday.
Kim had fallen short of an individual title at each of the previous three Asian Games since Incheon 2014, but finally ended his 12-year wait for gold.
Yun Kyu-sung and Jung Ha-eun each won gold in the men’s and women’s individual taekwondo poomsae events.
Song Jong-ho, Lee Gun-hyeok and Yoon Seo-yeong combined for 1,749 points to take gold in the men’s 25-meter rapid fire pistol team event.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
