Judoka Chang Se-yun wins Asian Games silver in Nagoya — Korea Herald

South Korean judoka Chang Se-yun won a silver medal in the under-52 kg category at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. This was South Korea’s first judo medal at these Games, Korea Herald reports.

In the final, the 23-year-old athlete faced a representative of Uzbekistan. The bout went into extra time, but Chang Se-yun lost after receiving a third warning. The judoka said she wanted to win gold for her parents and stated her intention to win Olympic gold in 2028.

Road to the final

Chang Se-yun began the tournament with an ippon victory over Sabira Kozomberdieva of Kyrgyzstan in 16 seconds. In the quarterfinals, she also won by ippon against China’s Xu Xiaoyu, with 46 seconds remaining in the bout.

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In the semifinals, the South Korean athlete defeated Japan’s Kokoro Fujishiro, to whom she had previously lost three times. Fujishiro received a third warning after 2 minutes and 54 seconds of extra time, sending Chang Se-yun to the final. After her performance, the athlete said: “I beat Fujishiro, whom I had never beaten, and lost to Siti, whom I had never lost to. That is judo.”

Return to an attacking style

The judoka said that while studying at the Korea National Sport University, she performed successfully thanks to an attacking style. However, in the fight for Olympic qualification, she began paying more attention to the rankings and acting more cautiously, fearing defeats.

Before the Games, Chang Se-yun watched recordings of her university bouts every evening, analyzing quick movements, her opponents’ first grips, and opportunities for throws. At the tournament, she returned to this approach. Her mother, Yoo Hee-jun, competed at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, while her father, Chang Cheol-jin, helped the men’s team win gold at the 1995 World University Games.