(Olympics) Japan-born judoka seeks 1st Olympic medal as S. Korean athlete

Japan-born judo world champion Huh Mi-mi will try to raise the flag of South Korea, the country she now represents, to honor a dying wish of her grandmother, at the Paris Olympics on Monday. Born in Tokyo to a Korean father and a Japanese mother, Huh competed for Japan earlier in her career but switched her allegiance to South Korea in 2021 because her grandmother wanted her to do so. Huh, a descendant of an independence fighter from the Japanese colonial period, has said she understands the significance of wearing the South Korean flag. Huh won the 2024 world title in the women's -57 kilograms in May after defeating world No. 1 from Canada, Christa Deguchi, in the final. Huh and Deguchi, who was also born in Japan, could clash again in the final at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in the French capital. South Korea ranks third on the all-time judo medal table with 11 gold medals and 46 medals overall. However, the country failed to win any gold at each of the past two Olympics. Also on Monday, the men's archery team will look to deliver a third straight gold medal for South Korea at Les Invalides in Paris. The trio of Kim Woo-jin, Kim Je-deok and Lee Woo-seok combined for 2,049 points to lead all countries in the ranking round Thursday, giving South Korea a bye to the quarterfinals. Kim Woo-jin was the top individual archer with 686 points. He has been a part of the past two Olympic championship teams, with Kim Je-deok being his teammate for the second of those gold medals in 2021. Source: Yonhap News Agency