Yeldos Smetov wins Kazakhstan’s 55th medal at the Asian Games

The bout in the under-60 kg weight category went the full distance. The Japanese judoka managed to score successfully twice to win the contest.

The final score was 2-0 in Kondo’s favor.

Smetov has previously won the Asian Games. In 2014, he claimed gold at the tournament in Incheon, South Korea.

Smetov’s medal became Kazakhstan’s 55th at the 2026 Asian Games. The national team now has 9 gold, 16 silver and 30 bronze medals.

Yeldos Smetov – Kazakhstan’s first Olympic judo champion

Smetov has won medals at three consecutive Olympic Games: silver in 2016, bronze in 2021 and gold in 2024. His victory in Paris marked Kazakhstan’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in judo.

After the Paris Olympics, the champion took a break from competition. He first went abroad to study English and later underwent several surgeries for injuries that had been troubling him for a long time.