Heavyweight (>95 kilograms), Men

Japan’s Naoya Ogawa had won the World Championships in 1989 in both heavyweight and open class. He had been upset at the 1991 Worlds by Russian Sergei Kosorotov in the heavyweights. In the 1991 Worlds open class, Ogawa won, defeating Georgia’s Davit Khakhaleishvili in the final. But with the former Soviet Union competing in 1992 as the Unified Team, only one athlete could represent them in this class, and Kosorotov was passed over for Khakhaleishvili. He and Ogawa were the two favorites, with the edge given to the Japanese. Ogawa did not disappoint early, winning his four pool matches, all in less than three minutes, two by ippon. Khakhaleishvili had been less impressive, winning his first match by ippon, but then needing the time limit to win his next three matches. But the final was dominated by the Georgian, as Khakhaleishvili threw Ogawa twice with tani-otoshi to win the gold medal in 1:04 by waza-ari-wasete ippon. France’s David Douillet won one bronze medal, but would soon become the dominant judoka in this division, winning the 1996 and 2000 Olympic titles, and three World Championships in 1993 and 1995, winning both the heavyweight and open classes in 1995. Ogawa continued judo through the 1996 Olympics, where he placed fifth, also winning bronze medals at the 1993 and 1995 World Championships. But he was then recruited to become a professional wrestler, and later turned to mixed martial arts, competing under the name “Captain Hustle.”