PARIS—South Korean judoka Kim Ha-yun secured a bronze medal in the women's +78 kilograms judo competition at the Paris Olympics, following a victorious match in the repechage rounds on Friday. Kim, ranked fourth globally, overcame third-ranked Kayra Ozdemir of Turkiye in a closely contested bronze medal bout at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim rebounded from a quarterfinal loss to claim victory in the repechage, setting up her bronze medal triumph. She won the match by scoring two waza-aris against Ozdemir. The first score came from an uchi-mata, an inner-thigh reaping throw, followed by securing a kesa-gatame, a shoulder hold, which she maintained for ten seconds to win the match decisively.
This medal marks South Korea's second women's judo medal at the Paris Olympics, adding to Huh Mimi's silver in the 57kg division earlier this week. Inspired by her teammate, Kim visited Huh to celebrate her victory, which she believes brought her additional motivation and energy. "When I touched it, I felt like I got some positive energy from that," Kim recounted about her encounter with Huh's medal.
Looking ahead, Kim is determined to pursue gold at the next Olympic Games, aiming to bring South Korea its first women's judo gold medal since 1996. Her performance and determination highlight her potential and commitment to achieving this goal in future competitions.