Bitten in the quarter-final, Rin Maeda still storms to Asian Games judo gold

Bitten in the quarter-final, Rin Maeda still storms to Asian Games judo gold

Rin Maeda’s road to Asian Games gold took a turn nobody in judo had seen before. The 21-year-old Japanese fighter was bitten on the arm by her Chinese opponent during Thursday’s quarter-final in Nagoya, saw the offender disqualified, then regrouped to win the women’s -70kg title.

The Rin Maeda Asian Games campaign will be remembered as much for the bizarre foul as for the gold medal that followed it.

The bite that stunned the arena

Maeda was awarded victory in her quarter-final bout at the Aichi International Arena when Tang Jing was disqualified just over a minute into the contest, one minute and twelve seconds on the clock. The pair were clinched on the ground when Tang appeared to bite Maeda just above the wrist. Maeda got up and showed the referee visible teeth marks, and the judges reviewed the footage before disqualifying the Chinese fighter.

Japan women’s judo coach Maki Tsukada told sports website The Digest that it was a first for her in a long career in the sport.

“At tournaments like the Asian Games there have been incidents in the past where someone gets punched in the face or their eye swells up,” she said. “I regret that we hadn’t anticipated that something like this might happen.”

Tsukada said the bite marks were visible despite the protective tape Maeda wore on that part of her arm. “It was to the point where we thought she might actually start bleeding, but it didn’t go as far as needing disinfection or anything like that,” she said. “Still, the teeth marks were clearly and firmly there.”

Tang appeared to dispute the ruling but shook Maeda’s hand before leaving the competition area. She declined interview requests afterwards, answering “no” when approached in the mixed zone, and did not compete in the repechage despite having a route to a bronze-medal bout. Her scheduled opponent, Inungambi Takelambam, advanced by walkover.

Rin Maeda’s run from controversy to gold

Maeda put the incident behind her quickly. She defeated North Korea’s Mun Seong-hee in the semi-finals before overcoming Kazakhstan’s Azhar Askhat in the final to claim the -70kg gold.

“I entered this tournament with a strong determination to win gold,” said Maeda. “Preparing for a multi-sport event like this was a unique experience, but I was able to prepare properly each day and deliver my best performance.”

The defeat was a sharp fall for Tang, who won bronze at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and silver at Hangzhou 2022. Japan’s medal tally grew further on Thursday as Sotaro Fujiwara won the men’s 81kg title and Narumi Tanioka also took judo gold.

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the Rin Maeda vs Tang Jing bout?

About 72 seconds into their -70kg quarter-final in Nagoya, Tang Jing bit Maeda on the arm while they were grappling on the ground. The referee reviewed video footage and disqualified Tang.

Who won the women’s -70kg judo gold at the Asian Games?

Rin Maeda of Japan. She beat North Korea’s Mun Seong-hee in the semi-final and Kazakhstan’s Azhar Askhat in the final.

Has biting happened before at the Asian Games?

Japan’s women’s coach Maki Tsukada said she had never seen anything like it in her long career, calling it a first.

What happened to Tang Jing after the disqualification?

She disputed the ruling, shook Maeda’s hand, refused interviews and withdrew from the repechage, giving her scheduled opponent a walkover.