The Asian Games bronze medallist earned Kyrgyzstan's first-ever continental judo title with victory in the men's under-81 kilograms division.

Zoloev beat Saeid Mollaei, now of Mongolia and a former world champion in the division, in the semi-finals and then overcame South Korea's Lee Moon-jin in the final.

Lee's medal was one of five won by South Korea across four weight categories today.

Mollaei and Sharofiddin Boltaboev of Uzbekistan won the bronze medals.

Ex-world champion An Chang-rim won the men's under-73kg title for South Korea, overcoming Tajikistan's Somon Makhmadbekov in the final, and China's Qing Daga took a bronze medal along with Victor Scvortov of the United Arab Emirates.

Han Hee-ju, like Zoloev a bronze medallist at the 2018 Asian Games, won South Korea's other gold medal in the women's under-63kg contest.

Australia's Katharina Haecker was beaten in the final by Han, while China's Yang Junxia - an Asian Games runner-up in 2014 - and Cho Mok-hee of South Korea claimed the bronze medals.

Up at under-70kg, Incheon 2014 Asian Games champion Kim Seong-yeon could not match that result and fell to Gulnoza Matniyazova of Uzbekistan in the final.

Matniyazova has been in good form in 2021, winning career-first Grand Slam medals in Tbilisi and Tashkent in the run-up to this event.

Aoife Coughlan of Australia and Chinese judoka Sun Xiaoqian won bronze medals.

The five remaining weight categories and the team event are set to be contested over the next two days in Kyrgyzstan.

With three gold medals, four silvers and three bronzes, South Korea lead the medal standings.