Lee Hyun-ji and Kim Min-joo, the gold medal-winning judo team, ranked second overall in the Barish Grand Slam
May 12, 2025
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Korean women's judo hopefuls Lee Hyun-ji (Namnyeong High School) and Kim Min-joo (Yongin University) beat world-class athletes to win their first Grand Slam gold medal.
Lee Hyun-ji won the women's 78kg or more grand slam in the International Judo Federation (IJF) Barisi Grand Slam finals in Astana, Kazakhstan on the 12th (local time) by beating Julia Torofua of France with an effective field-crossing victory.
Lee Hyun-ji, who beat Japan's Ruri Takahashi in the semifinals with a foul win in the second round of the tournament, also overpowered her powerful opponent in the final. Lee Hyun-ji, who exchanged one map each in the beginning, succeeded in tripping the opponent's right foot with his right foot with about 1 minute and 30 seconds left before the end of the game. The referee declared it effective, and he was able to win by keeping the lead until the end of the game.
Lee Hyun-ji, the most promising female judo player, won the World Youth Judo Championship in October last year and also advanced to the final at the Paris Grand Slam in February this year, but unfortunately missed the championship because she gave up the game due to pelvic pain. She won her first career championship at the Barish Grand Slam.
In the women's 78kg final, Kim Min-ju won the gold medal by beating Japan's Izumi Mao with an effective victory. Kim Min-joo, who won the validity by attempting a right-handed piggyback with about 2 minutes and 10 seconds left before the end of the game, confirmed the championship without losing the lead until the end.
Meanwhile, the Korean judo team ranked first overall by winning three gold medals at this Grand Slam, with Lee Joon-hwan (Pohang City Hall) winning the men's 81kg class the previous day (11th).
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
