Why is it the right time to announce your retirement right now?
“After the Paris Olympics, I took time to reflect deeply on my judo career and my future. Years of intensive training took a significant toll on my body and I felt I was no longer able to push myself the way this sport demands at the highest level. I wanted to step back, spend time with my family and think carefully about what comes next. With my current team contract also ending this year, it felt like the natural point to close this chapter and open a new one, both in Korea and internationally.”
What will you do in the coming months?
“For the rest of the year, I plan to spend quality time with my family while fulfilling my remaining commitments with my current team. I’ll also use this time to prepare for the next chapter and explore opportunities to begin my coaching career next year.”
What do you plan to do in the coming years?
“Moving forward, I hope to build an international coaching career. Becoming a good coach takes continuous learning, experience and humility, so I want to keep developing myself and learning from others along the way. My goal is to pass on not just technique but the values judo has given me. I would like to help guide the next generation of athletes toward the highest level of our sport and, one day, the Olympic podium.”
Who have been the major influences in your career and why?
“First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to my family for their unwavering love, devotion and support throughout my career. I’m also sincerely grateful to my teammates, coaches and everyone who supported and encouraged me along the way.
Above all though, the most influential person in both my judo career and my life has been my lifelong mentor and teacher Sun Chan-jong, who is currently the head coach of the Namyangju City Hall Judo Team. He has been my teacher and mentor since my middle school years and our relationship continues to this day. He taught me far more than judo techniques; he taught me the fundamental values of life: humility, sacrifice, dedication and respect. He has always been a steadfast source of guidance and support throughout my journey, both as an athlete and as a person. I remain deeply grateful for everything he has taught me.”
What are the biggest and best lessons you have learned through judo?
“Judo has shaped every part of my life. Through this sport, I’ve learned the value of effort, healthy competition, sacrifice, humility, empathy and respect. It has given me some of the greatest moments of joy and triumph, as well as some of the hardest moments of disappointment and sorrow. Looking back, every one of those experiences holds a place I wouldn’t trade for anything. Whenever I’m asked what I believe is the greatest sport in the world, I answer without hesitation: judo!”
An has contributed to world judo significantly, imprinting fun, technically exemplary, heartfelt performances that have inspired more than one generation of judoka. On top of it all he remains kind, sincere and humble, traits which have endeared him to all who have had the good fortune to cross his path.