Joonhwan Lee saves his best for last in Ulaanbaatar’s -81 kg final

Joonhwan Lee was the standout name in the -81 kg category in Ulaanbaatar, finishing the day with a gold medal after a sharp and confident run through the field. The Korean judoka capped his campaign with an emphatic final win over Japan’s Yuhei Oino, closing the tournament with one of the most eye-catching scores of the final block.

Much of the early attention in the category was on Timur Arbuzov. Still only 22, the Russian arrived as the number one seed, already sitting at the top of the World Ranking List after his world title in Budapest last year and his continental crown in Georgia earlier this season. His opening contests backed up that status, with the same dynamic and attacking judo that has quickly made him one of the division’s defining athletes.

That momentum carried Arbuzov into a semi-final against Lee, a world and Olympic medallist who matched him in both precision and power. It turned into one of the key moments of the day. Lee found the answers when it mattered most, scoring twice in a high-level contest and handing the reigning world champion a decisive defeat to move into the gold medal match.

Lee’s semi-final win changed the whole direction of the category.

In the other half of the draw, the path to the final was more direct. François Gauthier Drapeau and Yuhei Oino, the two favourites there, met in the semi-final, but Oino wasted no time. From the very first gripping exchange, he produced a beautiful de-ashi-harai for Ippon, sealing his place in the final in spectacular style.

That result set up a meeting between two athletes who had looked stronger with every contest. Lee entered the final with visible confidence, and he delivered his biggest moment right at the end. Against Oino, he launched a superb ko-uchi-gari with a powerful change of direction, scoring Ippon and giving his opponent no route back. It was the kind of finish that instantly defines a day.

After the victory, Lee spoke about how much the win meant after time away from the tournament in Ulaanbaatar. He said he had spent the last year eager to compete again and studying opponents closely, and he also made clear that this result does not change his long-term mindset. Even with the gold medal secured, his focus remained on improving and looking ahead to the Olympic cycle.

The bronze medals went to Arbuzov and Serbia’s Mihajlo Simin. Arbuzov proved too strong for François Gauthier Drapeau in their medal contest, while Simin impressed in a tense battle with Belgium’s Matthias Casse. The 21-year-old Serbian absorbed pressure in golden score before slipping in with a seoi-otoshi for yuko, earning the second Grand Slam medal of his young career.

For European athletes, Simin’s result stood out. Beating an experienced opponent like Casse in a medal match was a significant step, and it added another strong moment to his growing record on the Grand Slam stage.

Mihajlo Simin gave Europe a memorable bronze-medal breakthrough.

Final standings in the -81 kg category saw Lee take gold, Oino silver, and Arbuzov and Simin share bronze. In a division packed with proven names, Lee’s finish was the lasting image: composed, explosive and impossible to ignore.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation