Kim Min-gyu wins Korea's first-ever silver medal in kurash

Korea’s Kim Min-gyu took silver in the men’s kurash -90 kilograms contest on Monday, snatching the national team’s best-ever finish in the sport at the Asian Games.

Korea's Kim Min-gyu takes silver in the men's kurash -90 kilograms contest on Monday, earning the national team's best finish in the sport in Asian Games history. [YONHAP]

Korea’s Kim Min-gyu took silver in the men’s kurash -90 kilograms contest on Monday, snatching the national team’s best-ever finish in the sport at the Asian Games.

Kim, 41, lost 10-0 to Iran’s Sadegh Azarang, 21, in the final round.

Kim’s silver-medal finish marked the end of Korea’s kurash schedule at this year’s Asiad. Korea had won a total of three medals in kurash — one silver and two bronze — by Monday, the final day of the sport in Hangzhou, China.

Kurash is a form of upright jacket wrestling native to Uzbekistan and debuted as an official medal sport at the 2018 Asian Games. It is similar to judo, but a player cannot grab the opponent’s legs or pants. Identify a kurash bout by the color of the wrestlers’ jackets: Each side wears either green or blue.

In Asiad kurash, losers in the semifinals win an automatic bronze.

Kwon Jae-dong won Korea’s first-ever Asian Games kurash medal on Saturday after a 10-0 loss to Shturbabin Artyom of Uzbekistan in the men’s -66kg semifinal. Korea’s Jeong Jun-young then also took bronze after losing 10-0 to Tejenov Tejen of Turkmenistan in the men’s +90 kilograms semifinal bout later Saturday.

Korea competed in kurash at the 2018 Asiad but failed to secure a medal, while Uzbekistan secured the most medals, with 11.

BY MARY YANG AND PAIK JI-HWAN [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]