China’s Tang disqualified for biting

SURPRISE ATTACK: Coach Maki Tsukada said that bite marks were visible despite Rin Maeda wearing protective tape on that part of her arm, causing concerns of bleeding

Japanese judo officials said they had never seen anything like it after eventual champion Rin Maeda appeared to be bitten by her Chinese opponent at the Asian Games.

Maeda was awarded victory in the quarter-final bout in Nagoya when Tang Jing was disqualified just over a minute into the contest.

Tang appeared to bite Maeda just above the wrist while the pair were clinched on the ground, with Maeda showing the referee visible teeth marks after getting up from the mat.

China’s Tang Jing reacts during her match against Japan’s Rin Maeda at the Aichi International Arena, Nagoya, Japan on Thursday.

Photo: Reuters

Judges reviewed the footage and Tang was disqualified.

Tang appeared to contest the decision before eventually shaking hands with Maeda and leaving the competition area.

Japan women’s judo coach Maki Tsukada told sports Web site The Digest that it was a first for her in her 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 following Thursday’s incident in their under 70kg class bout.

“I regret that we hadn’t anticipated that something like this might happen.”

Tsukada said the bite marks were visible despite Maeda wearing protective tape 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,” Tsukada said.

“Still, the teeth marks were clearly and firmly there.”

Maeda said she was unsure what would happen when she told the referee what happened.

“It’s not something that happens very often, so it was a first for me,” she told reporters.

“I wasn’t really sure what would happen myself, but I did tell the referee,” she said.

“I was in a little pain, but once I got on the mat, the adrenaline kicked in and I didn’t really notice it, so it was fine,” she added.

Maeda went on to win gold, beating Kazakhstan’s Azhar Askhat in the final.

“I entered this tournament with a strong determination to win gold,” she said.

“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.”