South Korea Loses Judo Mixed Team Semifinal to Kazakhstan

South Korea’s bid for its first Asian Games title in judo’s mixed team event ended in a 4-3 semifinal defeat to Kazakhstan on Saturday, after a closely contested tie was decided in a golden-score rematch.

The Korean team had reached the last four by beating China 4-1 earlier in the day at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan. Its semifinal then swung repeatedly, with neither side able to establish lasting control across the six scheduled weight-class contests.

Heo Mi-mi gave South Korea the opening point in the women’s 57-kilogram match. The individual gold medalist defeated Dana Abdirova by ippon with a hold-down, putting the Koreans in front. Kazakhstan responded in the men’s 73kg contest, where Lee Eun-gyeol lost to Gusman Kyrgyzbayev by yuko despite having applied pressure that resulted in two penalties for his opponent.

Kim Hye-mi restored South Korea’s lead in the women’s 70kg division. She prevailed over Azhar Askhat by yuko after the match went into golden score. The overall contest was level again when Kim Jong-hoon lost the men’s 90kg bout to Aidar Arapov by waza-ari.

South Korea moved within one victory of the final through Kim Ha-yun in the women’s over-78kg match. Kim recorded an ippon against Aida Toyisbekova after combining a shoulder throw and a hold-down for two waza-ari scores. The advantage did not hold, however, as Kim Min-jong was beaten by Marat Baikamurov in the men’s heavyweight contest after another golden-score period. That result left the semifinal tied at 3-3 and triggered a randomly selected extra bout.

The draw produced a repeat of the women’s heavyweight matchup between Kim Ha-yun and Toyisbekova. This time, Kim received two penalties during golden score before a third penalty ended the contest in Kazakhstan’s favor.

The loss denied South Korea a place in the championship match but did not end its medal campaign. The team was scheduled to face Uzbekistan later Saturday for bronze.

The mixed team event brings together men and women across multiple weight divisions, making depth and lineup balance central to the result. It became an Asian Games medal event in 2018, when South Korea earned bronze. The country finished fifth at the Hangzhou Games and entered the Nagoya competition seeking its first mixed team gold.