SEOUL, South Korea — The head coach of South Korea's national judo team has admitted that a coaching error cost one of the country's top young prospects her chance to compete at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, after the athlete was disqualified for exceeding the weight limit by just 100 grams.

Jeong Sung-sook, the women's national team head coach, acknowledged that team staff gave Jeong Su-jin incorrect information about whether she had been selected for a random morning weigh-in. Believing she was not on the list, the 48-kilogram competitor ate and drank shortly before learning she was required to step on the scale.

"Because of our mistake, a situation that should never have happened occurred. It was our mistake," the coach said. "I apologized to the athlete."

The admission came after Jeong Su-jin publicly described what happened in a detailed social media post on Sunday, turning what had initially appeared to be a personal weight-management failure into a controversy over the coaching staff's handling of the tournament.

The Korea Judo Association said it will investigate.

Disqualified before stepping on the mat

Jeong Su-jin, who competes for Yong In University, was scheduled to face Aliya Mumunova of Tajikistan in the round of 16 of the women's 48-kilogram event on Sept. 30 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.

She never got on the mat.

In judo, athletes undergo an official weigh-in the day before competition. On the day of the event, a number of competitors are selected at random for a second weigh-in. Athletes in that check are allowed to weigh up to 5% above their category limit. For the women's 48-kilogram division, the maximum is........

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