Rei Higuchi came inches from glory but had to settle for the silver medal after losing to reigning world champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia in the men's freestyle 57-kg final in his Olympic debut at the Rio Games on Friday.
The 20-year-old Higuchi put on a superb performance worthy of Japan's 2015 national champion, but Khinchegashvili, the London Olympics silver medalist at 55 kg, would have the last word in a slim 4-3 victory.
"I think I was pretty evenly matched in the final and I could have won, so it's disappointing that I wasn't able to get the gold medal," said Higuchi. "Unless I am first there's really no meaning, but for getting second, I have to thank my coaches for helping me with my techniques so I could make a podium finish."