There may not have been any fans in the stands, but Naohisa Takato can now say that he won Olympic gold in front of his home nation.
And it wasn't just any gold medal. It was a gold medal in judo, which was born in Japan.
Takato, 28, became the first Japanese athlete to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics Saturday morning. He defeated Chinese Taipei athlete Yang Yung-wei to win the title in the men's -60 kg weight class.
This is the second Olympic medal that Takato has earned thus far. He also won a bronze medal in men's -60 kg at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
While Takato was the first Japanese Olympian to win a gold medal in Tokyo, he wasn't the first to earn hardware in judo. Funa Tonaki, from the women's -48 kg weight class, earned a bronze medal by defeating Kosovo's Distria Krasniqi not long before Takato earned his title.
It may still be early in the Olympics, but Japan is already making the most of its opportunities in competition.
