[Nagoya AG] Hyunji Lee Scores First in Women’s Judo but Falls to Xiu Xinlan for Silver After Ippon Turnaround

Hyunji Lee, the leading athlete in the women’s heavyweight judo division, remained with the silver medal after failing to surpass the formidable barrier posed by Xiu Xinlan of China, whom she had previously singled out as a challenging opponent.

On October 2, at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, Hyunji Lee lost by ippon just 1 minute and 46 seconds after the start of the match to Xiu Xinlan in the women's over 78 kg judo final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Hyunji Lee feels regretful after losing by ippon to Xinran Niu of China in the women's +78kg judo final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 2nd at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan. Photo by Yonhap News

Prior to this, Hyunji Lee had faced Xiu Xinlan three times and had lost each encounter.

Although it was a difficult final against a tough rival, Hyunji Lee showed no signs of intimidation early in the match. She engaged assertively in grip fighting, repeatedly attempting foot sweep attacks, and managed to draw a shido penalty from Xiu Xinlan just 46 seconds into the match.

Hyunji Lee continued her offensive efforts. In a subsequent attack, she executed an outer leg sweep that disrupted Xiu Xinlan's balance and earned a yuko score.

However, Xiu Xinlan immediately counterattacked and ended the match. While struggling in the grip fight, Xiu Xinlan grabbed Hyunji Lee’s left arm, broke her balance, and appeared to be transitioning to a hold-down, but quickly changed her position to continue the attack. With her left arm completely neutralized, Hyunji Lee’s back touched the mat as a result of Xiu Xinlan’s decisive move.

The referee declared an ippon, bringing the match to an end.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.