Men's Judo 60kg Kim Wonjin Loses in Quarterfinals... Competes for Bronze in Repechage

On the morning of the 24th, at the Nippon Budokan in Japan, during the men's judo 60kg preliminary quarterfinal match between South Korea's Kim Won-jin and Kazakhstan's Yeldos Smetov, Kim Won-jin is shown expressing regret after his defeat. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] Kim Won-jin (29, Ansan City Hall), the leading male lightweight judoka, failed to advance past the quarterfinals at the Olympics and was relegated to the repechage round.

On the 24th, at the Nippon Budokan in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, during the men's 60kg judo quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics, Kim lost to Yeldos Smetov (Kazakhstan) after conceding two consecutive waza-ari scores.

At 1 minute 53 seconds, Kim conceded a waza-ari from a morote gari by Smetov. Then, at 2 minutes 30 seconds, he gave up another waza-ari from an ude-hishigi-gatame, ending the match with disappointment.

Kim had expended significant energy winning in the round of 16 with a golden score. He fought a grueling 7 minutes and 40 seconds match, including overtime, against Eric Takabatake (Brazil).

He still has a chance to win a bronze medal. Competitors who lose in the quarterfinals enter the repechage. Winning twice there will earn him a bronze medal.

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