Japan endured a day of slim pickings on the Rio Olympic judo mat Tuesday as men's 81-kg world champion Takanori Nagase was forced to settle for bronze and Miku Tashiro missed out on a medal entirely in the women's 63-kg competition.
Nagase was considered a strong favorite for the gold medal only to crash out in the quarterfinals to Sergiu Toma of the United Arab Emirates, saving face only after grinding through the repechage round and edging out Georgia's Avtandili Tchrikishvili in the bronze-medal match.
"Of course I was aiming for the gold medal and I am frustrated, but I managed to come through the two matches after I lost and win a medal," said the 22-year-old Nagase, who was taking part in his first Olympics. "My movement started to come back after that, which was good."