Korean judo future Kim Min-jong dreams of world domination
Confidence boosted after major international final experience
“Physical disadvantage, overcome with speed and resilience.
Training to the death for gold at the Asian Games and Olympics”
National unlimited judo champion Kim Min-jong
Stood in front of the cameras on Thursday at the Jincheon Athletic Center in Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. “After my failure at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago (I was knocked out in my first match), I have improved mentally. I will challenge for the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games,” 섯다 he said.
‘There are no shortcuts to greatness’
That’s the motto of Kim Min-jong (23), a member of the Korean men’s judo team in the unlimited class (100kg and above). “It contains the idea that if you keep working hard rather than being impatient with your achievements, you will be able to realize your dreams one day,” he explains.
Never one to take shortcuts, Kim recently took a significant step forward. In June, he reached the final of the International Judo Federation (IJF) Grand Slam in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It was the first time Kim had ever reached the final of a major international tournament. Kim lost the title to Tasoyev (25-RUS), 온라인섯다 who won the World Championships in May, but learned a valuable lesson.
“At this year’s World Championships
I got knocked out in the second round,” Kim said on Thursday at the Jincheon Athletes’ Village in Chungcheongbuk-do, “but I regained my confidence after seeing how much I improved (at the Grand Slam). “Reaching the final of an international event made me realize that it’s important to think, ‘The final is just like any other match,’ and it helped me prepare for the Hangzhou Asian Games. After winning the Universiade in Chengdu, China, last month, Kim is determined to win gold in Hangzhou, her first Asian Games.
The youngest member of the national judo team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Kim is seen as the future of Korean men’s judo. Born in Mazang-dong, Seoul, the second of three boys and one girl to parents who owned a butcher shop, Kim started judo in the fourth grade when his father encouraged him to take up the sport. At the time, he was in good shape, weighing more than 70 kilograms. “I started judo because I just liked the freedom of rolling around on the mat,” he says. By the time he was in sixth grade, he was winning tournaments and becoming a professional judoka.
Kim is strong enough to bench press 170 kilograms, 카지노사이트랭크 squat 250 kilograms, and deadlift 290 kilograms (one-rep max). At 184 centimeters tall and 130 kilograms, his physique is also “business class. However, he’s on the smaller side of the scale in the unlimited division. Teddy Ligner (34-France), an 11-time world champion in the same weight class, is 204 centimeters tall. To overcome his physical disadvantage, Kim relies heavily on his upkicks, which are rare for an unlimited fighter. This is because he is confident in using his speed and momentum to overcome his opponent’s strength.
Hwang Hee-tae
Head coach of the men’s national judo team, said, “Min Jong-i is very quick and precise in his technique for an unlimited weight class. However, it is important for him to try to shake his opponent as much as possible with his feet and execute his techniques, as he may be at a disadvantage if he fights against a (stronger) opponent.”
As he works on his final preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games in September, Kim has one goal in mind. He wants to follow in the footsteps of his role model, Kim Sung-min, 36, who won gold at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. His main competition for the title will be world number one Temur Rahimov (26-Tajikistan). Kim, ranked 11th in the world, will also compete in the mixed team event at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
“I’ve been working hard to the point of death, so I’ll start with the Asian Games gold and try to win the first Olympic gold medal for Korea in the unlimited category,” 고스톱 said Kim.
