Seong Ki-ra (26, Seoul Jiu-Jitsu Club), the first Asian Games Jiu-Jitsu champion, is shedding a lot of sweat as she aims for her second consecutive victory in the competition. She, who is competing in the women’s 63 kg jiu-jitsu class at the Hangzhou Asian Games, said, “Of course, my goal is to win like I did five years ago,” and pledged, “I will perform an overwhelming performance and come back with a gold medal around my neck.”
Jiu-Jitsu was first adopted as an official sport at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. Seonggi-ra rose to the top of the podium, showing off her unrivaled skills in the women’s 62kg class. From the round of 32 to the final, she scored a whopping 58 points. The only goals she conceded were two in the final.
Ki-ra Seong, whom we met ahead of the Korean team selection ceremony on the 12th, said, “There are more women’s players around the world whose skills have grown rapidly. “Even in the Asian Games, it won’t be easy for her to win by a big score like she used to,” she said, but expressed her determination, saying, “She will try to play without conceding as many goals as possible.”
She didn’t just earn her title as the first Jiu-Jitsu champion in Asian Games history. He suffered a torn lateral collateral ligament in her knee during her first competition appearance five years ago. It was a serious injury that required surgery after the competition. Although she was in so much pain that it was difficult to even walk, she persevered until the finals, and she won and became the champion. It was the result of her mental strength holding on to her responsibility as a national representative in her first official event.
Seong Ki-ra said, “I am training at the Jincheon Training Center for the first time since becoming a national Jiu-Jitsu representative. “Now, injury management and rehabilitation are carried out systematically, so I have less worries,” he said with a smile, adding, “Fortunately, the injured area has fully recovered, so there are no problems at all.”먹튀검증
He originally studied boxing and entered jiu-jitsu in 2013. At that time, jiu-jitsu was considered a more unfamiliar martial art than it is now. If he wanted to make a living as a jiu-jitsu athlete, he had to receive personal training at his own expense. Now, jiu-jitsu, along with karate and krash, has been designated as a new sport supported by the Korea Sports Council to improve national team performance, allowing athletes to train without worry at the athletes’ village, which is equipped with a variety of exercise programs.
Ki-ra Seong said, “I’m in really good shape because I’m training in a good environment,” and “I always used to train alone when I was outside the athletes’ village, but now that I have more colleagues to practice with, I’m receiving a lot of help.”
He frequently utters words such as ‘overwhelming’ and ‘unrivaled.’ This is a style that pursues a perfect game. Even though they won the Asian Games five years ago by conceding only two points, they left a comment saying, “The goal was to play without conceding a score, but it’s so disappointing.”
Ki-ra Seong took second place at the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation (JJIF) World Championships held in Mongolia last July. He lost to Shamma Al-Kabbani of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the final and missed out on the championship. Ki-ra Seong said, “I am training with a focus on making up for what I lacked in the World Championships,” and added, “I will definitely show my ability to reach the top once again at the Asian Games.