Won Myong-Gyong became emotional after won the female freestyle 50 kg gold medal at the World Championship in the 2025 match in Zagreb, Croatia. The North Korean wrestler, who competed at his first World Senior Championship, ended the perfect campaign with a strong victory of 8-2 over Yu Zhang, Chinese in the finals.
The victory brought a historical value for its country. For North Korea it was only the third world title of women, which made Won’s triumph for the nation. According to her athlete’s profile, Uww had three victories in 2025 and one loss before the tournament, but in Zagreb remained undefeated in each round.
Her celebrations reached a heartfelt moment when she decided long hugs, amazed with joy and relief before she turned and thanked the secondary judges.
She won the recorded victory in different ways, including VPO1 (victory by points despite her opponent’s scoring) and VSU (victory of superiority), underlining its scope and technical order.
After her victory, Won said United World Wrestling (UWW): “This medal and the championship I won is only the first step when repaying my parents for all their victims.
More than numbers, it was her hug with the referee who excelled the most. Such a gesture is rare in wrestling, but it reflected its deep gratitude to those who maintain justice and discipline in sport, and transform her gold medal into something even more unforgettable.
Won the amazing running of Myong-Gyong at the World Championship in matches
Won Myong-Gyong enjoyed a great campaign for the World Championship. She opened with a significant victory of 10-0 over the Kazakhstan Svetlana Ankichev to move to the quarterfinals. There she maintained her dominance and defeated the Canadian Madison Parks 12-0 in another technical championship.
In the semifinals she showed her peace by overcoming Japanese Remina Yoshimoto to book a place in the title conflict. Won then ranked her way in Zagreb and in a tense final, she deleted around the Chinese Zhang Yu to capture the gold medal and provide an orientation triumph for North Korea.
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Published:
Sabyasachi Chowdhury
Published on:
September 18, 2025
