Judo Lee Junhwan Advances to Semifinals with Ippon Victory [Paris Olympics]

Lee Junhwan (Yongin University) from South Korea advanced to the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics in judo.

Ranked 3rd in the world, Lee Junhwan won by ippon in the men's 81kg quarterfinals held on the 30th at the Champ de Mars arena in Paris, France, against Uzbekistan's Sharofiddin Boltaboev (ranked 12th in the world).

Lee Junhwan (left) is competing against Uzbekistan's Boltaboev in the men's 81kg judo quarterfinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics on the 30th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee Junhwan succeeded with a hand technique less than a minute into the match. He achieved an ippon victory with a shoulder throw against Boltaboev.

Lee Junhwan's semifinal opponent is his 'rival,' Georgia's Tato Grigalashvili (ranked 2nd in the world). Lee lost to Grigalashvili in the semifinals of the World Championships for two consecutive years, this year and last, settling for the bronze medal.

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