Top Female Wrestler Kim Hyeong-ju Passes '7th Milestone' Toward Tokyo Olympics Participation

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Kim Hyeongju (36, Hampyeong County Office), the flagship of Korean women's wrestling, has crossed the 70% mark toward qualifying for the '2020 Tokyo Olympics.'

According to Hampyeong County in Jeollanam-do on the 15th, Kim Hyeongju defeated Park Eunyoung (Gwangju Nam-gu Office), the winner of the first national team selection, 4-2 in the women's freestyle 53kg final at the second national team selection held at Hampyeong Culture and Sports Center the day before, securing her spot as a national representative for the Tokyo Olympics.

With this, she is on the verge of becoming the first Korean female wrestler to participate in three consecutive Olympics, following the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics, now including the Tokyo Olympics.

The match between the two athletes, who also met at the first national team selection in November last year, was intense until the final moments.

Kim Hyeongju faced a crisis early in the match after conceding the first point but quickly turned the tide by scoring 2 points with a surprise takedown.

She then successfully executed consecutive lateral throws, earning 2 more points. Although she conceded 1 point near the end of the match, she maintained her lead and avenged her previous defeat (1-2) to Park Eunyoung in the first selection round.

Kim Hyeongju will now compete in the Olympic quota tournaments held in March and May to secure a spot in the Tokyo Olympics main event.

She is determined to confirm her Tokyo Olympics participation at the Asian quota tournament held in China this March.

Kim said, "Due to an unexpected traffic accident last November, my physical condition was not perfect for both the first and second selection rounds," adding, "I plan to focus on basic physical training and conditioning until the Asian Senior Championships next month and the quota tournament in March."

She continued, "Once my physical condition is fully recovered, I am confident not only in securing the Olympic qualification but also in winning a medal on the Olympic stage," and stated, "I will do my best to reach the peak of my athletic career at what might be my last Tokyo Olympics."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.