Japan-born Korean judoka Kim Ji-su knocked out in women's -63kg

Olympic Sports

Japan-born Korean judoka Kim Ji-su knocked out in women's -63kg

Published: 30 Jul. 2024, 20:24 Updated: 30 Jul. 2024, 20:28

Korea's Kim Ji-su and Croatia's Katarina Kristo, left, compete during their women -63-kilogram quarterfinal match at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris. [AP/YONHAP]

Korean judoka Kim Ji-su was knocked out of the women’s -63-kilogram contest by Croatia’s Katarina Kristo at the Paris Olympics Tuesday, ending her bid for an individual medal in the quarterfinals.

Kristo won by ippon — the highest score a judoka can achieve — in sudden-death overtime.

Kim, 23, failed to medal for a second straight Olympics. She also competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — but in a lighter weight category, placing ninth in the women’s 57-kilogram contest and ninth in the mixed team contest.

Kim’s journey in Paris isn’t over yet, as she could still win a medal in a mixed team contest.

She failed to replicate the success of fellow judoka Huh Mi-mi from the day before. Huh won silver in the women’s -57-kilogram competition to become the first Korean judoka to medal at the Olympics since 2016.

Huh, the reigning world champion in her weight class, achieved the feat for Korea after renouncing her Japanese citizenship in December.

Kim, like Huh, was also born in Japan but competes for Korea.

Korea’s Lee Joon-hwan was also in action at the South Paris Arena in Paris with Kim on Tuesday and was set to compete in the men’s -81-kilogram quarterfinals later the same day as of press time.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]