Ryuju Nagayama says Francisco Garrigos is ‘judo family’; Japanese and Spanish judoka reconcile after match

Japanese judo bronze medalist Ryuju Nagayama said Tuesday he has made peace with Spaniard Francisco Garrigos, who defeated Nagayama in the quarterfinals of the men’s under 60 kilogram event in a controversial decision.

“Garrigos came to me. He apologized and I think it was an unfavorable outcome for him too,” Nagayama posted on X, formerly Twitter, along with a photo of himself and Garrigos.

In the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics on Saturday, Garrigos put Nagayama in a newaza floor technique and choked Nagayama to unconsciousness. However, since Nagayama only lost consciousness when the choke continued after the referee’s “mate” (break) call, Nagayama expressed his displeasure and was reluctant to leave the mat. In the same post, Nagayama seemed to declare the matter over, saying: “No matter what people say, we are a judo family!”

Immediately after the match, Nagayama refused to shake Garrigos’ hand, but in the photo shared on X, the two stand firmly shoulder to shoulder.

The reconciliation was welcomed by a number of posts in X praising the pair’s sportsmanship. “I’m glad you guys could reconcile. Congrats on winning a medal,” said one post. “This is what an Olympian and a judoka are,” said another. “This is precious,” said one post. And another said, “I hope they have a rematch in four years.”