Kim Min-jong, a member of the men's judo team for the Paris Olympics, is being interviewed at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on the morning of the 18th before departure. 

 

Judo national team member Kim Min-jong (24), who will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, left for the country about a week before the opening of the competition and expressed his determination to win. He is determined to achieve good results by thinking only about the game without worrying about anything else.

 

Kim Min-jong met with reporters at Incheon Airport before heading to Paris, the final destination, on the 18th and said, “I feel more confident than burdened by the Olympics. I am excited because I have a clear goal of winning a gold medal. I want to enjoy myself as much as possible.”

 

Kim Min-jong, who first wore the Taegeuk mark in December 2018 while in his third year at Boseong High School, caused an upset by winning a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships.

 

Kim Min-jong, who entered the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at a young age, lost to Hisayoshi Harasawa (Japan), who was ranked second

 

in the world at the time, in the round of 16 and shed tears. Since that failure, he has steadily grown. After winning a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, he quickly emerged as a candidate for an Olympic gold medal by winning the World Championships held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in May.

 

Kim Min-jong said, “I don’t care about the opponent I face. I prepare only to play the way I can. The most important thing is to raise my condition on the day of the match and prepare for mistakes,” and added, “There is no special preparation for the Olympics compared to other competitions. I will prepare as I always have.”

 

Kim Min-jong, who is 184cm and 135kg, is shy despite his somewhat fierce appearance. He even revealed his soft heart when he talked about his parents who supported him while running a butcher shop. However, when asked about his determination for the match, his expression changed again. Kim Min-jong emphasized, “When I step onto the mat, I will always fight my opponent with a tiger-like expression. The heavens will be moved by my efforts and give me a gift,” and “There is a saying that the best in the heavyweight division is the best in all of judo, so I will take responsibility and definitely achieve good results.”

 

Meanwhile, Lee Jun-hwan (22), another gold medal candidate in the men's 81kg class, is preparing for the competition with the determination that this will be his last.

 

Lee Jun-hwan has also grown into an athlete who can be expected to win a gold medal in Paris, having won bronze medals at the World Championships for two consecutive years.

 

Lee Jun-hwan, who is competing in his first Olympics, said, "Unlike other competitions, the Olympics are held once every four years, so the emotions are different. There is no guarantee that I will compete again, so I will give it my all with the determination that this is my last without regrets." Lee Jun-hwan did not hide his desire to win a medal, saying, "I honestly envied my colleagues who won gold medals at the UAE World Championships. This time, I want to do well and receive the spotlight." 토토사이트