Japan Win Two Golds as Judo Competition Begins at Asian Games

Japan won two of the first four judo golds on the opening day of competition at the Asian Games, with Uzbekistan and Mongolia taking the other two.

Hayato Kondo won men's -60kg gold for Japan, beating Kazakhstan's Yeldos Smetov in the final, while Mitsuki Kondo took women's -48kg gold, beating Kazakhstan's Abiba Abuzhakynova. In the women's -52kg final, Uzbekistan's Sita Kadamboeva beat South Korea's Seyun Jang for gold, while Mongolia's Yolk Kazirbyek won men's -66kg gold over Uzbekistan's Abdurakhim Nutfulloev.

Judo runs through October 3 at the Aichi International Arena, with 217 competitors from 32 nations. Japan won five judo golds at Hangzhou 2023, while South Korea, chasing a rebound after a record-low single gold last time, are targeting at least four golds this time around.