Nathan competed at this event and drew Tagawa (JPN) the Kodokan Cup silver medalist. The first 45 seconds was positive from both players in terms of gripping and movement. At this point JPN had a grip advantage and took Nathan to turtle using his feet. An Akimoto roll saw Nathan held down for a second but he defended well for an immediate escape. Because JPN persisted, the referee left them in Ne-Waza (ground) for another 15 seconds where JPN was able to secure the hold down. Nathan was very disappointed that he couldn’t get more into the match. Tagawa lost his next match to eventual bronze medalist Baul An (KOR) in a well-stacked division.