The quarterfinal between China’s Tang Jing and Japan’s Rin Maeda was stopped on the judo mat in Nagoya, Japan, on October 1.
After teeth marks were found on Maeda’s wrist and a video review was conducted, the referees declared Tang Jing the loser by disqualification.
How was Maeda, who had suffered an unexpected foul, able to go on to win the gold medal that day?
3-line summary
1. Tang Jing was disqualified after biting Maeda.
2. Maeda went on to win the gold medal after the quarterfinal.
3. Whether it was intentional and the disqualification ruling should be distinguished.
Women’s 70㎏ Quarterfinal Stopped During a Hold-Down
The incident occurred in the women’s 70㎏ quarterfinal at the judo competition of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on October 1. China’s women’s national judo team representative Tang Jing faced Japan’s Rin Maeda.
According to reports by Kyunghyang Shinmun and Seoul Shinmun, Tang Jing bit the area near Maeda’s left wrist while Maeda was applying a hold-down to pin her opponent to the floor. Feeling pain, Maeda released the hold-down, stood up, and showed her arm to the referees. It was reported that the broadcast footage also captured teeth marks near the wrist.
Following a video review, the referees declared Tang Jing the loser by disqualification. What was confirmed by the match result was the disqualification loss. Japanese commentators, including a former national team member, and some Chinese online users offered conflicting interpretations of whether Tang Jing had bitten her intentionally, so it is difficult to state this definitively apart from the ruling itself.
Seoul Shinmun reported that Tang Jing appeared flustered, accepted the ruling, shook hands with Maeda, and then left. It was reported that Tang Jing subsequently did not respond to interview requests in the mixed zone.
Maeda Wins the Semifinal and Final After Being the Victim of a Foul
After advancing through the quarterfinal, Maeda also won the semifinal and final, earning the gold medal. After the match, she said to the effect that although she was in pain, the adrenaline rose during the subsequent matches and allowed her to forget the pain.
What deserves attention in this scene is not only the foul itself, but also the fact that Maeda still had to compete in the remaining two matches after the result was immediately overturned. The disqualification ruling settled the outcome of that quarterfinal, but it did not eliminate the affected athlete’s remaining tournament schedule or burden. After the quarterfinal, Maeda won both the semifinal and final, becoming that day’s overall winner of the women’s 70㎏ division.
What Remains in Judo Is the Ruling and the Record
Maeda overcame a quarterfinal disrupted by a foul and won the gold medal. Even when remembering this match, the result—a quarterfinal disqualification loss and Maeda’s victory—should come before a sensational nickname.
References
Tags #Judo #AsianGames #AichiNagoyaAsianGames #Women’sJudo #Women’s70kg #TangJing #RinMaeda #JudoDisqualification #JudoFoul #JudoGoldMedal #Nagoya #JapaneseJudo