Wrestler Chung Han-jae Suffers Comeback Loss in Quarterfinals, Gold Medal Hopes Dashed [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] South Korea's wrestling hopeful Chung Han-jae of Suwon City Hall suffered a comeback loss in the quarterfinals, dealing a setback to his medal bid.
Chung Han-jae lost 4-5 to Meirzhan Shermakhanbet of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals of the men's Greco-Roman 67kg event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at Inae Sports Center in Nagoya, Japan, on the 30th.
Chung Han-jae got off to a strong start. He scored one point in the first period and added three more in the second to take the lead. However, late in the bout, he allowed his opponent to execute three consecutive techniques and gave up five points in rapid succession. He ultimately lost 5-4 and failed to advance to the semifinals.
Chung Han-jae won a silver medal in the men's Greco-Roman 60kg category at the 2023 Asian Championships and a bronze medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. He later adjusted his weight class and competed in both the non-Olympic 63kg category and the Olympic 67kg category.
After winning consecutive bronze medals at the 2024 and 2025 Asian Championships, Chung Han-jae boosted expectations for his performance at this competition by taking silver in the men's Greco-Roman 63kg category at the United World Wrestling World Championships last September. Whether he will compete in the bronze-medal bout will depend on whether Shermakhanbet reaches the final.
In the round of 16, Chung Han-jae defeated North Korea's Son Man-gwang 3-3. After the bout ended in a tie, he won under the last-point priority rule.
Kim Min-seok of Suwon City Hall was eliminated in the round of 16 of the men's Greco-Roman 130kg event. Kim finished his bout against Uzbekistan's Rafael Chichuashvili tied at 1-1 but lost under the first-point priority rule. His advancement to the bronze-medal bout will likewise depend on whether Chichuashvili reaches the final.

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