Team falls to Uzbekistan in mixed team bronze-medal match

Kim Min-jong of South Korea celebrates with head coach Hwang Hee-tae after defeating Magomedomar Magomedomarov of the UAE in the men's +100kg judo bronze-medal match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Friday. [Yonhap]
Kim Min-jong of South Korea celebrates with head coach Hwang Hee-tae after defeating Magomedomar Magomedomarov of the UAE in the men's +100kg judo bronze-medal match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Friday. [Yonhap]

South Korea's judo team failed to win a medal in the mixed team event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

The team lost 2-4 to Uzbekistan in the mixed team bronze-medal match Saturday at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the final day of judo competition.

South Korea beat China 4-1 in the quarterfinals that day but fell 3-4 to Kazakhstan in the semifinals, dropping to the bronze-medal match — where they lost again.

South Korea finished the tournament with one gold medal, three silver medals and four bronze medals.

The result marks the second straight Asian Games in which the team has won one gold or fewer in the sport, following the 2022 Hangzhou Games, where they claimed one gold, two silver and six bronze.

The team had set a target of four gold medals heading into the competition.


keg@heraldcorp.com