JINCHEON, South Korea (AFP) – Judo world champion Huh Mi-mi was born and raised in Japan, but she will represent South Korea at next month’s Paris Olympics to fulfil the wishes of her late grandmother.
Three years ago Huh, who has a Japanese mother and Korean father, gave up her Japanese citizenship and moved to South Korea to train. She barely spoke Korean at the time.
Huh, who won the world title in May at -57kg, discovered only after moving to South Korea that she was a descendant of Heo Seok, an independence activist who was imprisoned and died in 1920 fighting Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula.
“I was very surprised and it has made me want to work even harder,” the 21-year-old Huh told AFP at the Jincheon National Training Center south of Seoul.
But her biggest motivation is her “very kind” late grandmother.
She was a key figure in the community of Koreans living in Japan and told Huh that she wanted her to compete for South Korea if she ever got to the Olympics.
“I am competing for South Korea because of what my grandmother told me, and it still makes me think of her,” Huh said.
Huh divides her time between Tokyo’s Waseda University, where she studies sports science, and South Korea’s training centre for the nation’s finest athletes.
She is a rising superstar in South Korea, where judo is popular but the country hasn’t won women’s Olympic gold in the sport since 1996.
At the world championships in Abu Dhabi, Huh dethroned double world champion Christa Deguchi, who was also born in Japan but competes for Canada. She too will be at the Paris Olympics.
“Before the world championships I had lost (to Deguchi) once, so I had been feeling a bit insecure,” Huh told AFP, adding she believes she has an advantage over her rival when it comes to stamina.
“I won (in Abu Dhabi) and my self-confidence has grown significantly, so I feel like I can do well if I (compete against) her again.”
Huh’s biggest strengths as a judoka lie in her balance and control, said Kim Mi-jung, the coach of South Korea’s women’s team.
“Actually, Huh Mi-mi isn’t technically the strongest,” Kim, who won judo gold at the 1992 Olympics, said.
“But judo involves a lot of grappling and Huh’s gripping and balance skills are so exceptional.
“If you watch her matches, you’ll notice that it’s very rare to see her get thrown and lose.”
Huh has previously said her hero is An Chang-rim, another Japanese-born and raised judoka who competed for South Korea and won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
An has since candidly shared his experiences of facing discrimination both while growing up as a Korean in Japan and training as a Japanese-born athlete in South Korea.
Having relocated to South Korea at about age 20, he said it was not easy to get used to the culture and training.
An, who now works as a coach, told reporters that Huh – known for her bubbly personality and positive attitude – has managed to adapt well to life in South Korea despite hurdles such as the language barrier.
Huh is above all else mentally strong, An told AFP.
“She does what she needs to do, no matter who is watching. She concentrates on her own tasks without worrying about others,” he said.
Huh’s story in many ways mirrors An’s, albeit she does not have an Olympic medal to show for it – not yet.
For Huh, who started judo at age six, Paris has been a long time coming.
Going to the Olympics “has been my dream since I was really young, so I’m very happy”, she said.
