Kim Min-young Wins Gold in Women's Over-87 kg Kurash, South Korea's First Asian Games Gold in the Sport [20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya]

[Financial News] Kim Min-young, 21, of Korea National Sport University, became South Korea's first Asian Games gold medalist in kurash, a combat sport.
Kim Min-young defeated Seuryu Riring of Taiwan, 5-0, in the women's over-87 kg kurash final at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 29th to win the title at the 2026 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya. Kurash is a combat sport that developed from traditional Uzbek wrestling.
This was the first time a Korean athlete had won a gold medal in kurash at the Asian Games. Since kurash was adopted as an official sport at the 2018 Jakarta–Palembang Asian Games, South Korea had won its first medals at the 2022 Asian Games with one silver and two bronze medals, but had never claimed gold. At these Games, South Korea won one gold and one silver medal. 
A day earlier, Mo Su-min won a silver medal in the women's 78 kg category, becoming the first Korean female kurash athlete to reach the podium. Kim Min-young then went on to win the title, setting a new record for Korean women's kurash.
Kim Min-young defeated a Vietnamese athlete by 'Halal' (an ippon) in the round of 16, then beat a Kazakh athlete in the same manner in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she and Arailym Shegenova of Kazakhstan each scored one 'Chala,' the equivalent of a 'yuko' in judo. Kim Min-young won 1-0 to advance to the final.
Her opponent in the final was Seuryu Riring, whom she had faced in the women's over-87 kg final at this year's Asian Championships. Kim Min-young won that match, and the two met again at these Games with the Asian Games gold medal at stake.
Kim Min-young scored the first 'Chala' early in the final. Seuryu Riring soon earned one as well, leveling the match, but the opponent's fouls ultimately decided the outcome.
After Seuryu Riring received two 'Dakki' penalties for fouls, Kim Min-young was awarded a 'Yonbosh' (five points). She held on to her lead and secured a 5-0 victory.
Kim Min-young began practicing judo in middle school after following a friend into the sport. After entering university, she took up kurash at a professor's recommendation. She developed on the international stage by building on her experience in both judo and kurash, and at her first Asian Games, she achieved the first gold medal in Korean kurash history.
Meanwhile, the male athletes who competed that day failed to win medals. Park Jong-won, competing in the same weight class, lost 0-3 to Shegenova of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals. In the men's 66 kg category, Hyeonsu Yoon also lost in the quarterfinals, falling 0-10 to Kubanychbek Aibek uulu of Kyrgyzstan.
[email protected] Seo Ji-yoon Reporter