The Champ de Mars Arena was the center of controversies early into the Paris Olympics, proving how the athletes are reluctant to cede ground without a fight. While the race to the top is on, some countries are already racking in hardware at the quadrennial event, showcasing their mettle to the rest of the world. Among these nations, Japan has opened its books with two medals in the bag already, and judoka Ryuju Nagayama is at the center of it all.

Just hours ago, Nagayama was the focal point of a controversial ruling at the French capital. After disqualification, the three-time World Masters gold medalist refused to leave the mat, resulting in the community slamming his “unsportsmanlike” behavior. And yet, despite the backlash, the 28-year-old contributed impressively to his nation’s quest for glory.

Japan gets the ball rolling!

After the defeat at the hands of Spain’s Francisco Garrigos, the two-time World Championships bronze medalist was seen staring at the referee in disbelief, according to an article by The Japan Times. However, while the fans weren’t happy with his attitude toward his opponent, Nagayama managed to gift Japan its first Olympic medal at this year’s Games. Ryuju’s bronze can now open the floodgates for his teammates to look at his success and attempt to add more to the medal tally.

Japan has sent a total of 403 athletes to the Paris Olympics, with many of them having the potential to trounce their opponents for gold. Among them, the 2022 Asian Championships gold medalist Nagayama was poised as one of the favorites to win a spot on the podium. While his place on the podium could have been better, it nonetheless instilled some much-needed confidence among his teammates.

Garrigos defeated Nagayama via ippon after a chokehold. However, the point awarded to the Spaniard would become the source of debate as he was seen not releasing the choke even after the referee called matte. The incident startled the Japanese star to the extent that he didn’t even shake his opponent’s hand and eventually left after bowing the mat. However, while Nagayama was having a hard time swallowing the hard pill, another of his colleagues was doing her own thing.

Nagayama’s older teammate gets her moment under the spotlight

On the other side of the Champ de Mars Arena, 31-year-old Natsumi Tsunoda won gold in the women’s -48kg just moments after Nagayama crashed out of the race to win his maiden Olympic gold in the City of Love. Tsunoda’s victory brought Japan its first gold medal in the tournament and bolstered the female judoka’s reputation as one of the best in the world in the sport. The three-time World Championships gold medalist defeated Mongolia’s Baasankhuu Bavuudorj and France’s very own Shirine Boukli on her way to win her crown. Natsumi won every single match by ippon.

While it does look like Nagayama’s controversy is overshadowing his teammate’s success, for the time being, he will have to set his disappointment aside to focus on the task at hand. Later today, Ryuju will lock horns with Taiwan’s Yung-wei Yang for the repechage match. But will he manage to make amends after his last fiasco? We’ll have to wait just a few more hours to see.