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At the Los Angeles Olympics, he made his name known to the world together with Yamashita Yasuhiro sensei, but after Yamashita retired, Saito sensei lost the strength of his prime due to successive injuries. Meanwhile, Masaki and Ogawa Naoya grew rapidly. Competing for the one and only seat in the heavyweight division at the Seoul Olympics, Saito sensei was in a hopeless situation. At this tournament, he no longer had the sharpness of his former standing techniques, and instead played a more modest style of judo, clinging to his opponent and dragging him to the ground, but judo fans cheered him on, saying, "Go Saito!"