Park Hee-jun shows off form for karate kara bronze

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Published: 05 Oct. 2023, 19:27

Park Hee-jun shows off form for karate kara bronze

Gold medallist Japan's Kazumasa Moto, center, poses with silver medallist Macau's Kuok Kin Hang, left, and bronze medallists Korea's Park Hee-jun, second from right, and Kuwait's Sayed Salman Al Mosawi during the medal ceremony for the men's karate kata contest at the Hangzhou Asian Games in Hangzhou China on Thursday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Park Hee-jun won Korea’s first karate medal of the Hangzhou Asian Games, beating Cheng Tsz Man Chris of Hong Kong to take bronze at LSC Gymnasium KTE Tatami in Hangzhou, China.

Park scored a combined 42.60, narrowly edging out Cheng on 41.60 to take the podium spot.

Kata — literally “forms” in Japanese — is, according to Olympics.com, “the full repository of innumerable karate moves and techniques in their truest form, meant to be practised as they are.” As a medal event, kata sees athletes go through a series of different moves with scores determined based on both how technical, athletic and precise they are performed.

Kata was a new category at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 but has been part of the Asian Games since 2002.
Park is the only Korean ever to have medaled in kata at the Asian Games and has now done so twice, also taking bronze at the 2018 Asiad.

Korea has won seven other Asian Games medals in karate — all in kumite bouts.

Karate events continue through Sunday with a series of kumite bouts. Korea’s Hwang Soo-hyun is through to the quarterfinals in the women’s -55 kilograms and Jung Hye-young in the women’s +68 kilograms.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]