Chinese judokas did not have a good opening day in the judo competition Saturday.
Both Wu Shugen and Liu Renwang met strong opponents, and suffered narrow defeats after extra time in their respective categories.
Debutante Wu, 21, received a bye in the first round in the 48kg category, but faced Japan's legend judoka Ryoko Tani in her next round.
Wu fought aggressively and her strategy has made it hard for the 32-year-old Tani to break through.
However, when the duel entered extra time, the two-time Olympic champion made the best of her experience, and defeated Wu.
Said Wu after her loss: "This is my first Olympics. I wasn't so relaxed. While my technical performance was stable, I couldn't get any rhythm against her.
"She's got very good technique and strategy. She is very experienced."
In the following repechages, Wu defeated her opponent in the first round, but failed to progress further.
Liu, 22, suffered a similar fate in the men's 60kg category.
He defeated Kazakhstan's Salamat Utarbayev in his first-round match, and also forced his second-round opponent, Russia's Ruslan Kishmakhov, into extra time before losing.
China's team leader Shen Zhigang told China Interactive Sports that both athletes have given at their best.
He added: "Both of them have prepared for the Olympics for a long time, so this kind of result is not what we would love to see.
"Though these two categories are not to our advantage, our athletes did their best."