Hong Kong judoka Lee Chun-wai reached the men’s under-81kg quarterfinals at the Aichi International Gymnasium before falling out of medal contention in the repechage on Thursday, February 1, marking his best-ever finish at the Asian Games.
Aichi International Gymnasium quarterfinal exit halts historic run
Competing at the Nagoya Asian Games, Lee advanced smoothly through the opening round by defeating Thailand’s Photchara Kanchu in the 16-round. Lee scored a waza-ari just 41 seconds into the contest before sealing an ippon victory at the 2:52 mark.
In the quarterfinals, the athlete faced South Korea’s Lee Joon-hwan, a Paris Olympic bronze medalist and 2023–2025 world championship bronze medalist. Lee Joon-hwan seized control early, scoring a waza-ari within the first 40 seconds and later adding a waza-ari to secure the win.
Dropped into the repechage, Lee met Askerbii Gerbekov, who switched allegiance from Russia to Bahrain four years prior. The Hong Kong representative battled until the 3:26 mark before conceding an ippon, which eliminated him from the bronze-medal bracket.
University exchange and training shifts in Melbourne
The move placed him just a 25-minute drive from the Australian judo team’s training base, allowing him to train alongside the national squad once or twice daily.
Training in Australia provided critical exposure to left-handed competitors—a rarity in Hong Kong—which helped him feel more comfortable facing southpaw opponents on the mat. Reflecting on his quarterfinal loss to Lee Joon-hwan, Lee noted that he attempted a counter-attacking strategy but found his opponent nearly flawless.
Having previously exited in the 32-round and 16-round during his prior Asian Games appearances, Lee viewed the quarterfinal finish as a clear performance breakthrough. He admitted to weighing a multi-year transition to full-time competition after completing his doctorate, eyeing potential training bases in South Korea, Japan, Europe, or Mongolia.
Immediate turnaround for the Azerbaijan World Championships
Lee will not have extended downtime following his campaign in Japan. He is scheduled to return to Hong Kong before immediately traveling to Azerbaijan to compete in the upcoming world championships over the weekend, where he aims to advance at least to the round of 32.
Meanwhile, the wider Hong Kong judo delegation saw its other two opening-day competitors exit in the 16-round. In the women’s under-57kg division, Yang Nuolin was suppressed by North Korea’s Kim Hyon A, who secured a decisive waza-ari score.
In the men’s under-73kg category, Mak Hong-nin faced the United Arab Emirates competitor Kazbek Naguchev in the 16-round, falling to an ippon defeat in just 1 minute and 31 seconds.
Lee Chun-wai reaches quarterfinals at Nagoya Asian Games
How far did Lee Chun-wai advance at the Nagoya Asian Games?
Lee reached the men’s under-81kg quarterfinals, which represents his personal best result after exiting in earlier rounds at his two previous Asian Games appearances.
Who eliminated Lee Chun-wai from medal contention?
South Korea’s Lee Joon-hwan defeated him in the quarterfinals, and Bahrain’s Askerbii Gerbekov eliminated him via ippon in the repechage.
What is Lee Chun-wai’s next competition?
He is scheduled to fly back to Hong Kong and immediately depart for the world championships in Azerbaijan over the weekend.
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