Lee Joon-hwan Clinches Gold at Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam
Lee Joon-hwan, representing Pohang City, has earned a gold medal in the men’s 81kg division at the 2026 International Judo Federation (IJF) Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam. His dominant performance throughout the tournament saw him secure five victories by ippon (full point) on his path to the final. Notably, Lee defeated top-ranked judokas en route to the championship title.
Dominant Performance Against Top Competitors
In the final match, Lee Joon-hwan (world ranking 15th) faced off against Japan’s Yuhei Oino (world ranking 2nd). Lee secured the victory in the fourth minute of the bout with an arresting throw, earning an ippon. Oino is a formidable opponent, having won gold at the Tokyo Grand Slam in December and the Paris Grand Slam in February. He is also slated to represent Japan at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, in October.
In the quarterfinals, Lee had previously defeated the world number one, Timur Arbusov (22, Russia), the reigning World Championships winner from Budapest. Lee demonstrated a consistent and solid performance, securing one point each in the semi-final and maintaining a steady grip throughout the matches.
A Historic Achievement and Future Ambitions
This victory marks Lee Joon-hwan’s second Grand Slam title in the Ulaanbaatar competition, having previously won in 2022. This is his fifth Grand Slam victory overall. A bronze medalist at the Paris Olympics and the World Championships last year, Lee expressed his perspective on the win via the IJF website: “Winning today doesn’t mean I am the best in the world. Beating top-ranked athletes doesn’t guarantee success in future competitions.”
Looking ahead, Lee articulated his ambitious goal: “My aim is to win gold medals at the LA Olympics in 2028 and the subsequent Olympics in Brisbane, Australia, in 2032, becoming the first Korean judoka to achieve consecutive Olympic gold medals.”
