By Jeremiah Ong
Team Singapore’ jujitsu exponents came inches away from silverware after brothers Noah and Paul Lim narrowly lost out in the men’s -69kg and men’s -77kg bronze medal B match less than a day apart from each other at the Xiaoshan Linpu Gymnasium.
On Thursday (Oct 5), three-time SEA Games gold medalist Noah Lim got off to a flying start, notching two 6-0 wins against opponents from Kuwait and Mongolia which propelled him to the quarterfinals. There, he was narrowly edged by world championships runner-up Joo Seonghyeon of South Korea but rallied back in his repechage match against Tajikistan opponent Ramshed Abdulloev to get a shot at bronze.
But it was not to be for the younger Lim who fell to a 0-2 loss at the hands of Kazakh Aldiyar Serik.
Paul, started his campaign with a 2-0 win against Palestinian Qais Maraaba, but in a stacked field, there was no avoiding top-tier opponents in his bid for a medal.
Paul beat Maraaba 2-0 in the round of 32 match. (Photo: SportSG/ Alfie Lee)
With reigning Asian Games champion Torokan Bagynbai Uulu and world championships silver medallist Faraj Alawlaqi standing in his way, Paul fought tooth and nail to earn a semifinal berth. There he was up against former world champion Ali Seena Ebrahim Abdulla Munfaredi of Bahrain, who had yet to concede a point all tournament. He was overcome 0-6 and was due to face Davaadorj Munkhtur for bronze.
Noah was proud of his brother’s resilient showing in the face of formidable opposition.
“I think today Paul fought really well. In the second round, he had to beat the last Asian Games champion. And in the third round, he defeated a super tough opponent from UAE whom I consider the favourite of this competition. So he actually fought super well.”
Paul was able to narrowly beat Bagynbai Uulu to progress to the quarterfinals. (Photo: SportSG/ Alfie Lee)
However, that was not enough for Paul to avenge his brother’s loss on Thursday as he, too, missed out on bronze after he lost to Munkhtur by submission after a minute-long bout.
After Paul’s match, Noah said: “Unfortunately, again, he missed out on the bronze medal today. But we both know there's a lot to improve on and we definitely will be back stronger.”
Despite the result, Paul was just happy to have Noah by his side and watching in the stands as he fought for bronze.
“It's very useful to have him by my side, especially because competition is very stressful. So having him by my side and having someone to share a passion is a blessing.”
“The next one I'm hoping to win (is) the SEA Games in 2025.”
Having introduced the sport to his brother when they were younger, Paul felt that the sport has only gone towards further strengthening their bond.
“Of course, it strengthens the tie (between us) because we spend a lot of time training (for) and playing (at competitions). We form a closer bond because of that.”
“(Seeing him contest for bronze) was no surprise to me because he had done it multiple times. I always feel proud of him whenever he does well,” Paul added.
Noah missed out on the podium after losing his bronze medal match B on Thursday. (Photo: SportSG/Andy Chua)
Noah returned the favour and concern by religiously studying his brother’s opponents and giving him match tips.
“I actually fought this (Mongolian) guy before... So we were both studying his matches and we knew it was tough and very strong. So I was telling Paul to be careful but I think in this kind of competition energy can happen and it was very fast what happened. So we will definitely do better next time,” Noah said.
The brothers will continue to have each other’s back as they work towards a common goal of winning at the 2025 SEA Games.
“Personally I feel very motivated to train harder and I know that there are so many things (to) work on and I'm sure Paul feels the same way. We will keep training together and we will identify each other's mistakes and work on that together. So that helps a lot for sure.
“(The) next target is (the) 2025 SEA Games,” Noah said.
Team Singapore’s other jujitsu exponents also competed manfully in their respective matches but could not avoid first-round losses as Kimberly Cordeiro (women’s -48kg) lost to Thai opponent Nutchaya Sugun by submission and Teh May Yong fell to Vietnamese opponent Phung Thi Hue in a 0-6 loss in the same category.
In the men’s - 62kg round of 32, Amirul Syafiq Shah Eran also fell to Marc Alexander Lim of the Philippines in a 2-3 loss.
On Friday (Oct 6), Putri Siti Nur Farhani Shamsuri (women’s -52kg) lost to Rafael Mariella of the Philippines by submission in the round of 32 while Oon Zi Gui (women’s -57kg) fell in the same stage to Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Minh Vuong 0-5.
SEA Games bronze medallist Fiona Toh advanced to the top eight after a 3-0 opening win but lost her quarterfinal bout to Annie Ramirez of the Philippines 0-7 and was eliminated after she narrowly lost out in her repechage match to Thai Rattanaporn Thatthong 2-20.
On Saturday, Aacus Ee claimed a first-round win in the men’s -85kg with a 13-0 win over Mongolian Ariuntsog Baasandorj but fell at the next stage to Kyrgyzstan’s Abdurahmanhaji Murtazaliev by submission.
Over in the wrestling ring at the Lin'an Sports Culture & Exhibition Centre, double SEA Games bronze medallist Timothy Loh lost 0-9 in his men’s 130kg greco-roman round of 16 bout against China’s Meng Lingzhe. He missed out on the bronze medal match after he lost 0-9 to India’s Naveen in his repechage match.
Loh faced China’s Meng Lingzhe in the round of 16 bout but lost 0-9. (Photo: SportSG/ Jeremy Lee)
SEA Games silver medallist Danielle Lim also fell to Kazakh Emma Tissina 0-8 in the women’s 57kg freestyle round of 16.
Two days later, SEA Games silver medallist in judo and wrestling Gary Chow was eliminated by Turkmenistan’s Dovletmyrat Orazgylyjov in the men’s freestyle 86kg after suffering a 0-11 loss.
The 19th Asian Games are held in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October 2023. 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.