| | Event type

Half-Lightweight (≤65 kilograms), Men

Date	25 July 1996
Status	Olympic
Location	Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia (Hall H)
Participants	35 from 35 countries
Format	Two single-elimination pools, with winner of each pool advanced to the final. All judoka losing to the finalists in each pool advanced to repêchage pools, with the winners of the repêchage pools earning bronze medals.

Germany’s Udo Quellmalz was expected to win, having won the 1995 World Championships and World Cup. He won all his preliminary matches by ippon, easily making it to the final, where he faced Japan’s Yukimasa Nakamura, who he had defeated in the 1995 World final in only 13 seconds. But the Olympic final was very different. Nakamura fought tentatively and the match was quite passive, with neither judoka scoring a point. Quellmalz won the gold medal on yusei-gachi, winning by split decision of the judges. Nakamura came from a top judo family, as his older brother, Yoshio, and his younger brother, Kenzo, both won World Championships, and Kenzo would won the gold medal at Atlanta in the lightweight class.

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC
1	Udo Quellmalz	GER	Gold
2	Yukimasa Nakamura	JPN	Silver
=3	Henrique Guimarães	BRA	Bronze
=3	Israel Hernández	CUB	Bronze
=5	József Csák	HUN
=5	Philip Laats	BEL
=7	Ivan Netov	BUL
=7	Giorgi Revazishvili	GEO
=9	Jarosław Lewak	POL
=9	Michel Almeida	POR
=9	Pürevdorjiin Nyamlkhagva	MGL
=9	Duncan MacKinnon	RSA
=13	Orly Fuentes	USA
=13	Francis Figuereo	DOM
=13	Islam Matsiyev	RUS
=13	Najib Aga	IND
=17	Julian Davies	GBR
=17	Taro Tan	CAN
=17	Timur Mukhamedkhanov	UZB
=17	Lee Seong-Hun	KOR
=21	Abdoul Karim Seck	SEN
=21	Sergey Akhirov	KAZ
=21	Zhang Guangjun	CHN
=21	Francesco Giorgi	ITA
=21	Darren Fagan	AUS
=21	Pasi Laurén	FIN
=21	Antoni Molné	AND
=21	Ciarán Ward	IRL
=21	Jorge Steffano	URU
=21	Larbi Benboudaoud	FRA
=21	Bektaş Demirel	TUR
=21	José Tomás Toro	ESP
=34	Francisco Morales	ARG
=34	Carlos Ramírez	ESA
=34	José Pérez	PUR

Pool A (25 July 1996)

Round One (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Giorgi Revazishvili	GEO	Waza-ari/Uchi-mata (5:00)	Francisco Morales	ARG
Match #2	Michel Almeida	POR	Ippon/Kata-garami (0:06)	José Pérez	PUR

Round Two (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Julian Davies	GBR	Ippon/Juji-gatame (2:15)	Abdoul Karim Seck	SEN
Match #2	Jarosław Lewak	POL	Ippon/Kuchiki-taoshi (1:01)	José Tomás Toro	ESP
Match #3	Orly Fuentes	USA	Shido/False-Attack (5:00)	Sergey Akhirov	KAZ
Match #4	Philip Laats	BEL	Ippon/Tomoe-nage-goshi (0:36)	Giorgi Revazishvili	GEO
Match #5	Taro Tan	CAN	Koka/Ko-uchi-gari (5:00)	Zhang Guangjun	CHN
Match #6	Michel Almeida	POR	Koka/Sumi-gaeshi (5:00)	Francesco Giorgi	ITA
Match #7	Israel Hernández	CUB	Ippon/O-uchi-gari (3:33)	Darren Fagan	AUS
Match #8	Udo Quellmalz	GER	Ippon/O-uchi-gari (0:26)	Francis Figuereo	DOM

Quarter-Finals (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Jarosław Lewak	POL	Yuko/Tani-otoshi (5:00)	Julian Davies	GBR
Match #2	Philip Laats	BEL	Ippon/Harai-goshi (1:01)	Orly Fuentes	USA
Match #3	Michel Almeida	POR	Yuko/Sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi (5:00)	Taro Tan	CAN
Match #4	Udo Quellmalz	GER	Ippon/Sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi (1:03)	Israel Hernández	CUB

Semi-Finals (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Philip Laats	BEL	Koka/Kata-garami (5:00)	Jarosław Lewak	POL
Match #2	Udo Quellmalz	GER	Ippon/Juji-gatame (2:38)	Michel Almeida	POR

Final Round (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Udo Quellmalz	GER	Ippon/Tai-otoshisae-komi-waza (1:29)	Philip Laats	BEL

Repêchage (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Giorgi Revazishvili	GEO	Ippon/Seukui-nage (2:10)	Orly Fuentes	USA
Match #2	Giorgi Revazishvili	GEO	Ippon/Kuchiki-taoshi (1:50)	Jarosław Lewak	POL
Match #3	Israel Hernández	CUB	Ippon/Uchi-mata (2:26)	Francis Figuereo	DOM
Match #4	Israel Hernández	CUB	Ippon/Seoi-nage (2:02)	Michel Almeida	POR
Match #5	Israel Hernández	CUB	Ippon/Ko-soto-gari (2:35)	Giorgi Revazishvili	GEO
Match 3/4	Israel Hernández	CUB	Yusei-gachi (5:00)	József Csák	HUN

Pool B (25 July 1996)

Round One (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Pasi Laurén	FIN	Ippon/Uchi-mata (4:37)	Carlos Ramírez	ESA

Round Two (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Pürevdorjiin Nyamlkhagva	MGL	Ippon/Sode-tsuri-komi-goshi (0:36)	Pasi Laurén	FIN
Match #2	Yukimasa Nakamura	JPN	Sogo-gachi/False-Attack (4:38)	Islam Matsiyev	RUS
Match #3	Timur Mukhamedkhanov	UZB	Ippon/Juji-gatame (0:26)	Antoni Molné	AND
Match #4	Ivan Netov	BUL	Ippon/Harai-tsuri-komi-ashi (2:53)	Ciarán Ward	IRL
Match #5	József Csák	HUN	Ippon/Tomoe-nage-goshi (2:01)	Najib Aga	IND
Match #6	Duncan MacKinnon	RSA	Ippon/Seoi-nage (1:13)	Jorge Steffano	URU
Match #7	Henrique Guimarães	BRA	Koka/Ko-soto-gari (5:00)	Larbi Benboudaoud	FRA
Match #8	Lee Seong-Hun	KOR	Keikoku/False-Attack (5:00)	Bektaş Demirel	TUR

Quarter-Finals (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Yukimasa Nakamura	JPN	Chui/False-Attack (5:00)	Pürevdorjiin Nyamlkhagva	MGL
Match #2	Ivan Netov	BUL	Shido/False-Attack (5:00)	Timur Mukhamedkhanov	UZB
Match #3	József Csák	HUN	Ippon/Juji-gatame (2:35)	Duncan MacKinnon	RSA
Match #4	Henrique Guimarães	BRA	Yusei-gachi (5:00)	Lee Seong-Hun	KOR

Semi-Finals (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Yukimasa Nakamura	JPN	Ippon/Sode-tsuri-komi-goshi (3:28)	Ivan Netov	BUL
Match #2	József Csák	HUN	Yuko/O-uchi-gari (5:00)	Henrique Guimarães	BRA

Final Round (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Yukimasa Nakamura	JPN	Yuko/Ko-uchi-gari (5:00)	József Csák	HUN

Repêchage (25 July 1996)

Match #1	Pürevdorjiin Nyamlkhagva	MGL	Ippon/O-goshi (1:07)	Islam Matsiyev	RUS
Match #2	Ivan Netov	BUL	Ippon/Ushiro-goshi (0:41)	Pürevdorjiin Nyamlkhagva	MGL
Match #3	Duncan MacKinnon	RSA	Ippon/O-uchi-gari (1:56)	Najib Aga	IND
Match #4	Henrique Guimarães	BRA	Waza-ari/O-soto-gari (5:00)	Duncan MacKinnon	RSA
Match #5	Henrique Guimarães	BRA	Ippon/Harai-goshi (4:13)	Ivan Netov	BUL
Match 3/4	Henrique Guimarães	BRA	Sogo-gachi/Non-Combativity (3:24)	Philip Laats	BEL

Final Round (25 July 1996)

Match 1/2	Udo Quellmalz	GER	Yusei-gachi (5:00)	Yukimasa Nakamura	JPN