It was yet another heartbreak for Lim as an Asiad podium spot slipped past again. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua
Still aching from missing out on a debut bronze at the last Asiad, national ju-jitsu exponent Noah Lim had done everything he could to put himself in the best possible condition heading into the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
The 24-year-old took a gap year in July after completing the fourth and penultimate year of his studies at Nanyang Technological University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine to focus on his preparations.
His coach, Takeo Antonio Tani, also enlisted former 2017 IBJJF World Championship purple belt winner Victor Nithael to join the coaching setup, along with three sparring partners from Brazil who spent two months training with Lim in Singapore.
On Thursday (Oct 1), it seemed to be bearing fruit as Lim’s campaign in the men’s 69kg category got off to a positive start.
He outlasted his first two opponents in tightly contested bouts, overcoming Kuwait’s Yousef Aldousari 2-0 by advantage before edging out Saudi Arabia’s Elya Zwawi Y Banjar with a last-gasp submission in the dying seconds.
His quarter-final clash against Kyrgyzstan’s Ramazan Tianguber was another closely fought affair. Noah managed to get points on the board late in the bout to secure a 4-0 victory and book his place in the semi-finals.
There, he reunited with a familiar foe in reigning Asian Games champion Nurzhan Betyrbekov. He had lost to Betyrbekov in the Asian Beach Games semi-finals in April, but defeated the latter at the 2025 World Championships en route to silver.
It was the Kazakh who came out on top this time, defeating Lim 7-0 and consigning him to the bronze medal bout.
Having just missed out on bronze at the previous edition after a 2-0 defeat by another Kazakh, Aldiyar Serik, Lim had another familiar opponent standing in his way in the shootout for bronze: Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Ibrahim M Huraymil, who had beaten him in last November’s World Championships final.
“I think the fight went pretty well. I thought I had two points at the start, which would have won me the match, but the referee took it away. I think the level in Asia is very, very tough," said Lim after his opponent beat him 4-0 by advantage.
Takeo felt Lim had more than enough ability to beat his opponent on the day, but a split-second lapse in timing gave the Kazakh just enough of an opening to get underneath Lim and apply a scorpion lock that he could not pry himself out of.
Lim acknowledged that his opponent had executed his strategy well, keeping him pinned in the same position for much of the bout.
“I think my opponent played quite a good strategy, just holding me in the position. He just didn't let go the whole time. I was trying my best to get off the position. He was just holding there. I think that was just a mini strategy. He didn't really try anything else. I was just stuck there the whole match.”
Despite the heartbreak of yet another miss, Lim remained remarkably composed in the aftermath.
“Top five again. Just barely missing out on the medal again,” said the 24-year-old. “It's not really about the result. It's about the journey, and I think I had some good matches today.
“Definitely, I wanted to get at least a medal, and I was very close. I managed to get to the semi-final match after three tough fights. But unfortunately, I ended up losing in the bronze medal match. So it's pretty tough, but it's okay. We'll learn from this and come back stronger.”
Lim, who only returns to school next August, is already looking ahead, hoping to cheer on his teammates over the next two days of Ju-jitsu competitions at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Centre.
In the women’s 48kg event, Hong Soo Jin began her campaign on a winning note, beating Vietnam’s Vuong Tran Hoai Thuong 11-0 in the round of 16.
She was eventually submitted by the United Arab Emirates’ Alaonod Alharbi in the quarter-finals before being narrowly beaten by Thailand’s Miyu Suzuki on advantage in the repechage.
SEA Games bronze medallist Kayleigh Lim, meanwhile, was handed a tricky draw, facing reigning bronze medallist Phung Thi Hue of Vietnam in the round of 16.
Kayleigh put up a strong resistance against the Vietnamese, forcing the bout into overtime before eventually being edged on advantage.
“There wasn't as much fear as I anticipated going into this. It was nice, I was calm, I was composed,” said the debutant. “I definitely came into these Games a lot calmer and a lot more confident in my own abilities. There was far less focus on what other people were capable of and what they had achieved.”
“I've seen her compete for a long time, so I definitely knew she had grit coming in. She proved that to be true today, and I loved competing with her here.”
Though her debut was brief, Kayleigh saw tremendous progress since her first major Games last December.
“From what I experienced back at the SEA Games, which was a lot of fear and trepidation, I think I've managed to overcome most of that. I came in more composed and more ready to apply what I know,” the 26-year-old reflected.
Noah’s brother Paul and SEA Games gold medallist Jedd Tan will compete in the men’s 77kg event on Friday (Oct 2), while Asian Youth Games gold medallist Sofia Anabel Rivas will line up in the women’s 52kg event.
On the third and final day of the ju-jitsu competition, SEA Games silver medallist Aacus Ee will look to improve on his last-16 exit at the previous edition in the men’s 85kg event.
His sister Jaslyn will also be in action, alongside SJJIF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2026 double gold medallist Tiffany Low, in the women’s 63kg event.
The 20th Asian Games are held in Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.