Commonwealth Games judo champion Amir Daniel Abdul Majeed narrowly missed a major upset during his Asian Games debut at the Aichi International Arena. Competing in the men’s under-81kg category, the 21-year-old from Penang faced former World Championships runner-up Sotaro Fujiwara of Japan in the round of 16.

Amir appeared poised to secure a victory after successfully pinning Fujiwara for 19 seconds, just shy of the 20 seconds required for a full-point win by ippon. However, Fujiwara managed to break free at the crucial moment and swiftly countered with an ippon throw, ending Amir’s run in the tournament and sealing his own place in the quarter-finals.

Fujiwara advanced to the final after defeating Adilet Almat of Kazakhstan by ippon.

Reflecting on the match, Amir acknowledged that a last-second tactical adjustment ultimately proved costly. "I only needed one more second to secure the overall win. I managed to hold him down for 19 seconds and to win outright I had to hold on for 20 seconds," he said. He described the tactical decision as a mistake for which he takes full responsibility.

Amir also cited nerves as a factor affecting his approach during the bout. Competing for the first time on such a major stage and against a highly decorated opponent in the sport’s country of origin, he said the atmosphere was intense. "Judo at the Asian Games is like a mini Olympics because all the top athletes are here, including Olympic champions and medallists," he added.

Despite the setback, Amir views the experience as an important learning opportunity as he prepares for future competitions, including his aim to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028. He emphasized his determination to apply the lessons learned from this match toward achieving that goal.