ethernetacademy.netThird-generation Korean-American judoka Kim Ji-soo (22-Gyeongbuk Sports Federation) won a silver medal in a hard-fought match that lasted 11 minutes and 40 seconds.
Kim lost to Lucy Lenthal (Great Britain) by foul in the women’s 63-kilogram final at the International Judo Federation (IJF) Zagreb Grand Prix 2023 at the Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia, on Tuesday (June 20).
The match was intense. The two were locked in a deadlock for four minutes of regulation time.
At the beginning of the overtime period (golden score), the momentum was in Kim’s favor. She drew a second foul on her opponent at 37 seconds into overtime, pushing her to the brink.
One more foul and she would win the match.
Kim aggressively tried to attack and put pressure on Lental.
In the first minute and three seconds of overtime, she took him down and seemed to have won half the match, but it was overturned after a video review showed that the move was not perfectly executed.
Both players refused to back down and fought fiercely. The match turned into a bloodbath.
At 1:18 of overtime, Lenthal fell backwards and received a blow to the head and a nosebleed.
He left the court and received first aid, and the match was stopped for about 10 minutes.
Kim continued to play with Lenzal, who had a compression bandage covering his nose.
About three minutes after the match resumed, Lenzal had another nosebleed, and the match resumed after another three minutes of suspension.
In the chaotic atmosphere, Kim Ji-soo lost his groove, picking up a second foul at 5:36 of overtime for falling down while attempting an offensive move, and a third foul two minutes later for pulling out of a defense, ending the game.
The final game lasted 11 minutes and 40 seconds. With the stoppages, it took over 33 minutes.
Kim didn’t show her disappointment. When the third foul was called, she openly admitted her defeat and hugged her opponent.
Kim Ji-soo (left) looks to attack
Kim Ji-soo is a Korean-American athlete born in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. She never gave up her Korean nationality and moved to South Korea after high school to continue her judo career.
She became the first Korean-American female athlete to be selected to the Korean national judo team in 2020. She also competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021.스포츠토토
After rehabilitating from a wrist injury, Kim won her first senior international title in June, taking gold at the 2023 IFJ Astana Grand Slam.
Kim continued her momentum with another medal in her first international competition in two months.