Japan Snags Gold in Men’s Judo 81kg Division; Brings Nation’s Total So Far for Paris Games to 7

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:02 JST, July 31, 2024

PARIS — Japan added a new gold medal to its count on Tuesday, the fifth day of the Paris Olympic Games, bringing its total so far for this year to seven and keeping it at the top of the rankings for all countries and regions.

That seventh medal was earned by Takanori Nagase, his second Olympic gold, with a victory in the 81-kilogram division for men’s judo. As he took the same prize in the 2021 Games in Tokyo, Nagase became the first male judoka medalist in his class to win back-to-back golds.

The 30-year-old Nagase also won bronze at the 2016 Rio Games.

Also on Tuesday, Japan beat Israel 1-0 in the men’s Olympic soccer tournament, winning all three Group D matches. Japan will face Spain in the quarterfinals.

Japan fell to France, the silver medalists at the Tokyo Olympics, 90-94 in overtime in the men’s basketball Group B tournament Tuesday. This was the second loss in a row for the Japanese team.

Japan’s women’s artistic gymnastics team finished eighth in its competition on Tuesday. With the withdrawal of its captain before the start of the Olympics, the team went into the contest with just four members instead of the standard five.