South Korea's top female jiu-jitsu athlete Seong Gi-ra, 29, is setting her sights on a third consecutive Asian Games medal.
Seong will compete at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Aichi Budokan from Oct. 1 to 3. A podium finish would give her a historic third straight Asian Games medal.
Seong is the face of Korean jiu-jitsu, having claimed gold in the women's 62-kilogram category at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and silver in the women's 63 kg class at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. She is the only South Korean athlete to have won medals at two consecutive Asian Games in jiu-jitsu — and only four athletes across all participating nations have done the same.
Seong has cemented her status as the country's top competitor in the women's 63 kg division, winning gold at the National Sports Festival and taking first place at the 2026 national team selection trials.
Jiu-jitsu has been an official Asian Games sport since the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. South Korea's national team has accumulated two gold medals, two silver medals and four bronze medals, placing third overall behind the UAE and Kazakhstan. South Korea will send a delegation of 18 to the upcoming Games — 16 athletes and two officials.
Seong also serves as a commentator for KMMA, a domestic amateur and semi-professional competition circuit.
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