[2][3] After two quick victories in the first and second rounds of the Olympic competition, Kawaguchi faced Mongolian judoka Bakhvain Buyadaa in the third round, and broke two ribs while escaping from Buidaa's ground pin.

He won the semifinal against Kim Yong-Ik of North Korea with a yoko-shiho-gatame, only to face Buidaa in the final.

In contrast to their previous bout, Kawaguchi quickly pinned Buidaa with a kouchi gari, and won with a kami-shiho-gatame within 39 seconds.

[1] In 2007, the dojo was sued by parents of a boy, who died after hitting the back of his head during the training.

The Hiroshima District Court found that Kawaguchi did not follow required safety procedures and ordered him to pay 24 million yen in compensation.