| | Event type

Lightweight (≤71 kilograms), Men

Date	24 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.

Kenzo Nakamura was the youngest of three brothers competing for Japan in judo at the Atlanta Olympics. His oldest brother, Yoshio, was a former World Champion who placed =7th in the half-heavyweight class, while his other brother, Yukimasa, won a silver medal in the extra-lightweight class, and had been World Champion in 1993. Kenzo had not yet made the podium at a World Championships and only made the Japanese team by defeating the 1995 World Champion, Daisuke Hideshima, at the Japanese trials. But Kenzo made the final in Atlanta, facing Korea’s Gwak Dae-Seong, who had lost the World final in 1995 to Hideshima. The match was a dull one, with Gwak gaining a points lead after a warning was issued to Nakamura for passivity. But with only three seconds left, Gwak was penalized for an illegal move, tying the score. Kenzo Nakamura won the gold medal by yusei-gachi, via split decision. In 1997, Kenzo would equal his brothers’ accomplishments by winning a World Championship.

Pos	Competitor	NOC
1	Kenzo Nakamura	JPN	Gold
2	Gwak Dae-Seong	KOR	Silver
=3	Jimmy Pedro	USA	Bronze
=3	Christophe Gagliano	FRA	Bronze
=5	Khaliuny Boldbaatar	MGL
=5	Sebastian Pereira	BRA
=7	Martin Schmidt	GER
=7	Andrey Shturbabin	UZB
=9	Vladimer Dgebuadze	GEO
=9	Thomas Schleicher	AUT
=9	Steve Corkin	NZL
=9	Amir Ghomi	IRI
=13	Sebastián Alquati	ARG
=13	Abdel Hakim Harkat	ALG
=13	Salim Abanoz	TUR
=13	David Kouassi	CIV
=17	Guilherme Bentes	POR
=17	Bertalan Hajtós	HUN
=17	Andrei Golban	MDA
=17	Saleh Al-Sharrah	KUW
=21	Andrew Payne	BAR
=21	Loris Mularoni	SMR
=21	Danny Kingston	GBR
=21	Krzysztof Wojdan	POL
=21	Diego Brambilla	ITA
=21	Francisco Rodríguez	PUR
=21	Akhat Ashirov	KAZ
=21	Huang Chien-Lung	TPE
=21	Jorge Pacce	PAR
=21	Hassen Moussa	TUN
=21	Juan Vargas	ESA
=21	Henry Núñez	CRC
=33	Sergey Kolesnikov	RUS
=33	Davor Vlaškovac	BIH
=33	Juan González	GUA

Pool A

Date	24 July 1996

Round One

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Danny Kingston	GBR	Waza-ari-wasete ippon	Sergey Kolesnikov	RUS
Match #2	24 Jul	Hall H	Bertalan Hajtós	HUN	Ippon	Juan González	GUA

Round Two

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Vladimer Dgebuadze	GEO	Ippon	Andrew Payne	BAR
Match #2	24 Jul	Hall H	Guilherme Bentes	POR	Ippon	Loris Mularoni	SMR
Match #3	24 Jul	Hall H	Jimmy Pedro	USA	Ippon	Danny Kingston	GBR
Match #4	24 Jul	Hall H	Khaliuny Boldbaatar	MGL	Ippon	Sebastián Alquati	ARG
Match #5	24 Jul	Hall H	Martin Schmidt	GER	Ippon	Krzysztof Wojdan	POL
Match #6	24 Jul	Hall H	Bertalan Hajtós	HUN	Koka	Diego Brambilla	ITA
Match #7	24 Jul	Hall H	Abdel Hakim Harkat	ALG	Sogo-gachi	Francisco Rodríguez	PUR
Match #8	24 Jul	Hall H	Kenzo Nakamura	JPN	Ippon	Thomas Schleicher	AUT

Quarter-Finals

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Vladimer Dgebuadze	GEO	Yusei-gachi	Guilherme Bentes	POR
Match #2	24 Jul	Hall H	Khaliuny Boldbaatar	MGL	Ippon	Jimmy Pedro	USA
Match #3	24 Jul	Hall H	Martin Schmidt	GER	Ippon	Bertalan Hajtós	HUN
Match #4	24 Jul	Hall H	Kenzo Nakamura	JPN	Ippon	Abdel Hakim Harkat	ALG

Semi-Finals

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Khaliuny Boldbaatar	MGL	Shido	Vladimer Dgebuadze	GEO
Match #2	24 Jul	Hall H	Kenzo Nakamura	JPN	Ippon	Martin Schmidt	GER

Final Round

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Kenzo Nakamura	JPN	Keikoku	Khaliuny Boldbaatar	MGL

Repêchage

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Jimmy Pedro	USA	Ippon	Sebastián Alquati	ARG
Match #2	24 Jul	Hall H	Jimmy Pedro	USA	Yuko	Vladimer Dgebuadze	GEO
Match #3	24 Jul	Hall H	Thomas Schleicher	AUT	Yusei-gachi	Abdel Hakim Harkat	ALG
Match #4	24 Jul	Hall H	Martin Schmidt	GER	Waza-ari	Thomas Schleicher	AUT
Match #5	24 Jul	Hall H	Jimmy Pedro	USA	Ippon	Martin Schmidt	GER
Match 3/5	24 Jul	Hall H	Sebastian Pereira	BRA	Ippon	Jimmy Pedro	USA

Pool B

Date	24 July 1996

Round One

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Andrei Golban	MDA	Ippon	Davor Vlaškovac	BIH

Round Two

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Andrei Golban	MDA	Ippon	Akhat Ashirov	KAZ
Match #2	24 Jul	Hall H	Steve Corkin	NZL	Waza-ari	Huang Chien-Lung	TPE
Match #3	24 Jul	Hall H	Sebastian Pereira	BRA	Yusei-gachi	Christophe Gagliano	FRA
Match #4	24 Jul	Hall H	Salim Abanoz	TUR	Ippon	Jorge Pacce	PAR
Match #5	24 Jul	Hall H	Andrey Shturbabin	UZB	Ippon	Hassen Moussa	TUN
Match #6	24 Jul	Hall H	Saleh Al-Sharrah	KUW	Waza-ari	Juan Vargas	ESA
Match #7	24 Jul	Hall H	Gwak Dae-Seong	KOR	Ippon	David Kouassi	CIV
Match #8	24 Jul	Hall H	Amir Ghomi	IRI	Hansuko-make	Henry Núñez	CRC

Quarter-Finals

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Steve Corkin	NZL	Ippon	Andrei Golban	MDA
Match #2	24 Jul	Hall H	Sebastian Pereira	BRA	Yuko	Salim Abanoz	TUR
Match #3	24 Jul	Hall H	Andrey Shturbabin	UZB	Waza-ari	Saleh Al-Sharrah	KUW
Match #4	24 Jul	Hall H	Gwak Dae-Seong	KOR	Ippon	Amir Ghomi	IRI

Semi-Finals

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Sebastian Pereira	BRA	Ippon	Steve Corkin	NZL
Match #2	24 Jul	Hall H	Gwak Dae-Seong	KOR	Chui	Andrey Shturbabin	UZB

Final Round

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Gwak Dae-Seong	KOR	Ippon	Sebastian Pereira	BRA

Repêchage

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	24 Jul	Hall H	Christophe Gagliano	FRA	Keikoku	Salim Abanoz	TUR
Match #2	24 Jul	Hall H	Christophe Gagliano	FRA	Ippon	Steve Corkin	NZL
Match #3	24 Jul	Hall H	Amir Ghomi	IRI	Shido	David Kouassi	CIV
Match #4	24 Jul	Hall H	Andrey Shturbabin	UZB	Ippon	Amir Ghomi	IRI
Match #5	24 Jul	Hall H	Christophe Gagliano	FRA	Ippon	Andrey Shturbabin	UZB
Match 3/5	24 Jul	Hall H	Christophe Gagliano	FRA	Waza-ari-wasete ippon	Khaliuny Boldbaatar	MGL

Final Round

Date	24 July 1996

Match	Date/Time	Location	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match 1/2	24 Jul	Hall H	Gwak Dae-Seong	KOR	Yusei-gachi	Kenzo Nakamura	JPN