 A gold medallist in judo at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Kim Mi-jeong, 33, will stand as a judge for next year¡¯s Olympics in Athens.
Now a professor at Yongin University, Kim ¡°ruled¡± over many international competitions, including the World Championships in 1991, the Barcelona games in 1992 and the Hiroshima Asian Games in 1994. After she retired, she married Kim Byoun-ju, also a judo athlete and winner of the men¡¯s World Championships, in the 78 kilogram class, in 1989.
Kim, who got her Olympic gold in the 72 kilogram class, is the first Korean woman to acquire a B-level international judge certificate. After she earned A-level qualifications last December, she went on to be one of the 44 judges for this year¡¯s World Championships.
In the World Championships that took place in Osaka Sept. 11-15, Kim was the lead judge of the women¡¯s 63 kilogram finals and smoothly led about 30 bouts with stern judgment. Her relentless decisions and good looks drew the attention of the spectators, and she was honored on a list of the top 16 judges.
(Kang Ho-cheol, jdean@chosun.com )
|
