The South Korean judo team won the fewest gold medals (one) at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games. Kim Ha-yoon (Ansan City Hall) was the lone gold medalist in the women’s 78kg+ category, while all other athletes failed to win. Favorites Lee Jun-hwan (Yongin University) in the men’s 81kg and Lee Ha-rim (Korea Horse Society) in the men’s 60kg took home silver, while Ace Ahn Paul (Namyangju City Hall) in the men’s 66kg and Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong County Hall) in the men’s 100kg+ took home bronze .Jeong Ye-lin (Incheon City Hall), Park Eun-song (Donghae City Hall), Kim Ji-jeong (Suncheon City Hall), and Yoon Hyun-ji (Ansan City Hall) also won bronze medals in the women’s 52 kg, women’s 57 kg, women’s 63 kg, and women’s 78 kg. In the mixed team event on the 27th, Korea failed to win a medal after losing 0-4 to Japan in the quarterfinals and then 1-4 to Mongolia in the bronze medal match. South Korea finished the tournament with one gold, two silver and six bronze medals. It was the lowest medal count in the history of the Games. The previous lowest was two at the 1990 Beijing Games. On the surface, it’s close to a failing grade .However, the number of gold medals won in Hangzhou does not indicate a crisis in Korean judo The Korean national team is in the midst of a generational change .The next generation of aces who will carry the program forward gained great experience at the Games. The Hangzhou Games will serve as nourishment for the 2024 Paris Olympics and eventually the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. South Korea’s national judo team underwent major changes before and after Tokyo 2020 in 2021.A number of key players who had led the team for many years retired. Men’s 100+ kg Kim Sung-min, men’s 100 kg Cho Goo-ham, and men’s 73 kg Ahn Chang-rim have all called it quits .Kim Sung-min was a heavyweight who won back-to-back Asian Games titles at Incheon 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang 2018, while Cho Goo-ham was a silver medalist at Tokyo 2020 and a key player in Korean judo. Ahn Chang-rim was another star player who won a bronze medal in Tokyo. With all the members of the so-called “Avengers” out of the picture, Korean judo was in crisis. But the void was filled with new blood. Fearsome newcomer Kim Min-jong has emerged as a top heavyweight contender, while Lee Jun-hwan and Lee Hae-rim are among the world’s best. The women’s division also produced some great talent. Kim Ha-yoon and women’s 57kg Heo Mi-mi (Kyungbuk Sports Federation) swept the medals at every international event they competed in.The Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games was the debut of the new Korean judo program. The team came into the Games looking for two or three gold medals .Given the generational change, it was assumed that there would be fewer medals than at Incheon 2014 (five) and Jakarta-Palembang 2018 (four).When the lid was lifted, the performance was even lower than expected, but Korean athletes gained a lot from the event .Most of the athletes who missed out on gold were knocked down by inexperience. Lee Jun-hwan was overpowered in the final, and Kim Min-jong was over-motivated in the semifinals and over-aggressive in the final, only to be overcome by a counterattack. “We will not repeat the same mistakes at the Olympics,” both Lee and Kim said afterward .An Paul, who was attempting to win his second consecutive Asian Games medal, had to settle for bronze, but it was due to the aftermath of his injury. He injured the muscles in the back of his thighs (hamstrings) just before the Games and was unable to train properly .Some athletes had a stronger sense of purpose. Lee Hsiao-hsien was motivated after suffering her fourth straight defeat to her “nemesis” Yang Yung-wei (Chinese Taipei) in the final .Kim Ha-yoon, who was not expected to win gold, showed improvement from her previous international competitions, while Heo Mi-mi gained experience in the team event .With their respective successes, the members of the Korean judo team will not be taking a break and will be back in action for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The Korean Judo Federation will also take some time to 카지노 reorganize and rework its Olympic strategy.