Chinese judoka allegedly bites Japanese rival, who then wins Asian Games gold

It was one of the most bizarre moments of the women’s under 70kg judo competition at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.

China’s Tang Jing was disqualified from her quarterfinal against Japan’s Rin Maeda after allegedly biting her opponent on the arm.

Maeda immediately alerted the referee and showed officials her arm. The incident was reviewed on video before Tang was disqualified for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

There were visible teeth marks on Maeda’s arm.

Tang was clearly unhappy with the decision but eventually shook hands with Maeda before leaving the competition area. She did not speak to reporters afterwards.

Japan women’s coach Maki Tsukada said she had never seen anything like it during her career. She said the mark was so clear that they initially feared it could start bleeding.

Thankfully for Maeda, she did not require treatment.

The Japanese judoka later admitted she did not know what would happen when she showed the referee her arm because it was such an unusual situation.

She felt some pain, but once the fight resumed, adrenaline took over.

And what happened next made the story even more remarkable.

Maeda put the bizarre incident behind her, continued her run and reached the final.

There, the 21 year old defeated Kazakhstan’s Azhar Askhat to win the Asian Games gold medal.

So Maeda started the day dealing with an alleged bite and ended it standing on top of the podium with a gold medal around her neck.

Reuters said it contacted the Chinese Judo Association and the Chinese Olympic Committee for comment. Tang did not speak to reporters after the bout.