PARIS-- Since making his senior international debut in 2022, South Korean judoka Lee Joon-hwan has picked up two bronze medals at world championships and a silver medal at the Asian Games.
Falling short of a gold medal, however, is not something Lee wants to get accustomed to.
The 22-year-old captured a bronze medal in the men's -81 kilograms at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. The third-ranked Lee defeated world No. 1 from Belgium, Matthias Casse, in one of two bronze medal contests at Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris.
Beating a top-ranked foe in an Olympic debut is no mean feat, but Lee wasn't in the mood to celebrate his bronze medal afterward. Lee shed tears immediately after his win and said they were of disappointment, not of joy.
"I've been to three world championships and one Asian Games, and never won a gold. So I really wanted the gold medal this time," Lee said. "I think I am only good enough for a bronze medal. I am going to learn from this experience and work even harder, so that I can win the gold in Los Angeles in 2028."
Lee seemed well on his way to the final on Tuesday before losing to Tato Grigalashvili of Georgia in the semifinals. Grigalashvili had also beaten Lee in the semifinals of the 2023 and 2024 world championships, and Lee failed to get his revenge.
Lee conceded that he had suffered a shoulder injury two weeks ago but it did not affect his performance.
"I just wasn't good enough. That's why I lost today," Lee said. "It's not because of any injury."
Lee said he was proud of himself for regrouping in time to earn that bronze medal, after losing his chance to go for the gold.
"The semifinal match was already over, and I wasn't going to turn back time even if I beat myself up for the loss," Lee said. "I had prepared myself to stay focused in a moment like this."
Lee insisted, however, that he was "not satisfied" with the bronze medal.
"I've been working toward this day since I was a kid. I've been obsessed with judo and I've stayed disciplined all these years," he said. "I knew there was no guarantee that I would compete in another Olympics. I worked really hard but I wasn't good enough. So I will have to do this all over again for four more years and win the gold medal in LA."(Yonhap)
