Huh Mimi captured the women’s 57kg judo gold medal at the 20th Asian Games, fulfilling a wish from her late grandmother by returning from Japan to represent South Korea.
Fulfilling a grandmother’s final wish in Chiba and Seoul
Born in Japan in 2002 to a Korean father and a Japanese mother, Huh competed under the Japanese flag during her early athletic development. That trajectory shifted when her grandmother expressed a final wish for her to represent South Korea, her ancestral homeland. Following that guidance, Huh made the decision in 2021 to switch national representation, stepping away from her domestic career in Japan to compete with the South Korean flag on her chest.
Climbing international podiums from Paris to the Asian Games
The transition yielded immediate competitive dividends on the international stage. In 2024, Huh claimed the world championship title in the 57kg weight class, becoming the first South Korean female judoka to win a world gold medal in 29 years. She followed that performance with a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the 20th Asian Games, her gold medal served as South Korea’s first judo title after the opening two days of competition, a stretch where Japan claimed five gold medals across nine weight classes.
Memorizing the national anthem for the medal ceremony
Reflecting on her victory over Mongolia’s Terbish Ariunzaya, Huh pointed directly to the personal motivation that drove her performance. She added that she had memorized the lyrics of the South Korean national anthem word for word in order to sing along during the medal ceremony, having missed the opportunity to do so despite winning silver in Paris.
Targeting the mixed-team tournament and Los Angeles 2028
With the individual tournament concluded, Huh’s competitive schedule continues immediately. She turned her focus toward the upcoming mixed-team competition running from October 2 to October 10, alongside long-term preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. “But the competition at the Asian Games continues. I will train even harder to win the gold medal in the team event.”
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