SYDNEY -- Katsuhiko Nagata was the unlikely hero for Japan at the Sydney Olympics on Wednesday when he lifted a silver medal to save the nation from embarrassment in the world's oldest competitive sport.
The 26-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler who managed just 30th in last year's World Championships in Athens secured the silver by defeating dual European Champion Alexei Glouchkov of Russia 3-1 in Wednesday morning's semifinal of the 69-kg class.
Nagata, the younger brother of Japanese pro-wrestling showman Yuji Nagata, had gone to Sydney aiming for a top eight finish.