Modified on August 22, 2016
JAPAN'S MEDAL COUNT
GOLD:12 SILVER: 8 BRONZE:21
335 athletes and 135 officials are taking part. The number was suddenly increased as the men's 400 meter X 4 relay team suddenly won a berth to replace Russia which as been banned totally from track and fied. The captain of the delegation is Saori Yoshida, 3 time Olympic wrestling gold medalist. The flagbearer Keisuke Ushiro who competes in decathlon.
Closing Ceremony August 21
As the next host Tokyo performed in Rio.
The most stunning, the use of anime characters with real people.
Shinzo Abe became Super Mario.
He called to sports fans, "Let's meet in Tokyo"
August 19
It's another day filled with a historic first for Japan.
In men's 50 kilo race walk, Hirooki Arai finished 3rd. He was thought to have won the bronze, but
he was disaqualified for bumping into Canada's Evan Dunfee who was 4th.
Then the decision was reversed. It's Japan's first medal ever in the competition.
In women's synchronized women's team even. The bronze went to Japan.
In men's wrestling,57 kilo, Rei Higuchi was unable to win in the final, but still it's a silver meda.
The unthinkable happened in 4X100 meter relay. From Ryota Yamagata, the baton was passed to Shota Iizuka, then teenage prodigy Yoshihide Kiryu. The final runner Aska Cambridge ran strong, breezing past the US to secure Japan's first ever silver in the competition. The best was a bronze in Beijing. The US was in the end disqualified.
August 18
It's a medal rush day.
A historic feat in badminton. In the women's double, Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo beat
Denmark's duo to win Japan's first ever Olympic gold in the sport.
In wrestling Risako Kawaiwon the gold in women's 63 kilo class. However, Japan's queen of wrestling Saori Yoshida lost to American Helen Louis Maroulis in the final match and was in devastated tears wo earn only a silver. She was aiming for her 4th gold medal.
Also in badminton. in women's single, Nozomi Okuhara won the bronze as her opponent pulled out due to a knee injury.
August 17
3 golds for Japan in women's wrestling. In the 58th kilo, Kaori Icho clinches the gold for the 4th
straight Olympic Games.
In the 48th class, Eri Tosaka wins. In the 69 kilo class it's the first gold by Sari Dosho
The men's table tennis team for the first time advanced to the final match. It faced China. Jun Mizutani beat number 1 ranker Xu Xin for the first time ever. But in the end the team lost 3-1 to finish with a silver.
August 16
Table tennis super star Ai Fukuhara with Kasumi Ishikawa and 15 year old Mima Ito beat Singapore
to win the bronze in women's team event.
In synchronized swimming duet, Yukiko Inui and Risako Mitsui scored high and clinched the bronze.
It's the first medal in synchronized swimming since the competitors came home without one in London.
It's owed to coach Masayo Imura returning to Japan after coaching China's national team.
August 15
Teenage twisting wonder Kenzo Shirai won the bronze in the vault in gymnastics.
August 14
Japan's tennis superstar Kei Nishikori easily lost to Andy Murray in the semi-finals.
But in the game for the bronze, he fought competitively against Spain's Rafael Nadal.
And he won the bronze. It's the first medal for Japan in tennis in 96 years.
Wrestling's first Japanese medal went to Shinobu Ota in the men's 59 kilo Greco Roman style. He faced difficulty in the final match against Borrerro Molina, lost and finished with a silver.
While Japanese Aska Cambridge and Ryota Yamagata could not go beyond the 100 meter semi-finals, the final race was amazing with Usain Bolt breezing pass Justin Gatlin to win his 3rd Olympic 100 meter race at 9.80.
August 12
Judo competition wraps up with more medals with Kanae Yamabe winning the bronze in the women's 78 kilo class while
Hisayoshi Harasawa wins the silver in the men's 100 kilo.
August 11
In swimming, 27 year old Rie Kaneto was first to finish in the women's 200 meter butterfly.
In the men's Kosuke Hagino clinched his 3rd medal. It's a silver in men's 200 meter relay.
In judo's 90 kilo class Mathew Baker won and he was awarded the gold medal.
In the women's 70 kilo class, Haruka Tachiya won the gold
Japan won the first medal in men's table tennis single.
Jun Mizutani achieved the feat and bagged a bronze medal.
August 10
Kohei Uchimura wins the gold in overall men's artistic gymnastics.
August 9
A feat by Masato Sakai in swimming 200 meter butterfly. He finishes just slighly behind Michael Phelps to win the silver.
The men's 2 by 400 medley team event wins the bronze.
A medal in the event has not been won since Tokyo 1964.
Japan's first medal ever in canoe by Takuya Haneda. It's in canoe slalom.
In judo's men's 81 kilo class, Takanori Nagase takes the bronze.
August 8
Japan wakes up to the great news that the men's gymnastics team won the gold.
Koji Yamamuro fell from the pommell.But he recovered later and his teammates were
in rather good shape..
Kenzo Shirai hit a very high score in the floor competition.
The first gold in judo. It's earned by Shohei Ohno in the 73 kilo division.
London gold medalist Kaori Matsumoto finished with a bronze in the 57th class.
August 7
Judo takes 2 bronze.One by Tadashi Ebihara in 66 kilo class.
Another by Misato Nakamura in women's 52 kilo.
August 6
Japan's top swimmer Kosuke Hagino wins the goldmedal in the 400 meter medley.
He was London Olympic Games' bronze medalist.
His friend Daiya Seto won the bronze.
Japan's weighlifter Hiromi Miyaka won the bronze in the women's 48 kilo snatch. On the onset, she failed to lift 81 and 81 kilos, but recovered thereafter. She won the silver medal in London.
There little spotlight on judo despite medals. Because for Japan only the gold counts. Ami Kondo won the bronze in the women's 48 kilo class.It's Japan's first medal in Rio. Naohisa Takato in the men's 60 kilo class also managed to win the bronze in the men's.
Opening Ceremony Aug 5
The ceremony portrayed the Japanese immigrants who came to Brazil over a century ago and
helped expand its agriculture sector.
As to the Japanese athletes, they came marching into the venue dressed in red.
They include coaches, table tennis stars Ai Fukuhara.
Go to OLYMPIC INDEX