South Korea collected three Asian Games medals in ju-jitsu Saturday, finishing the competition in China with four medals overall.
This Aug. 24, 2023, file photo shows South Korean ju-jitsu athlete Sung Ki-ra during a press conference at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province. (Yonhap)
Sung Ki-ra came up short in her bid for a second straight gold, after losing to Shamma Alkalbani of the United Arab Emirates 8-4 in the final of the women's -63kg event at Xiaoshan Linpu Gymnasium in Hangzhou. She had won the gold in the women's -62kg event in 2018 under different weight classification.
In the same division, Choi Hee-joo claimed bronze by beating Andrea Lois Lao of the Philippines 4-0 in the bronze medal contest.
In the last ju-jitsu match of the competition, Kim Hee-seoung lost to Fasial Alketbi of the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in advantage scores in the men's -85kg gold medal match.
Ju-jitsu, an ancient Japanese martial art, made its Asian Games debut in 2018, and South Korea won a gold and a bronze then.
This year, Koo Bon-cheol brought South Korea its first ju-jitsu title Friday in the men's -77kg class, and then three athletes followed with a medal each on Saturday.
Source: Yonhap News Agency