All-Japan Judo Championships
Nakamura was born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He entered Tokai University in 1992, and was successful in several judo competitions, winning a gold medal at the 1995 Summer Universiade in his hometown of Fukuoka, and a gold medal at the 1995 Asian Judo Championships in New Delhi, India. He entered Asahi Kasei after graduating, and won the All-Japan Judo Championships in 1996 to gain a spot on the Japanese Olympic judo team for the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he won a close decision victory over Kwak Dae-Sung of South Korea to receive a gold medal. Both Nakamura and Kwak were unaggressive throughout the match, and Kwak gained a lead in points after a warning was issued to Nakamura for inactivity. However, Kwak was penalized in turn for an illegal move with only three seconds remaining in the match, and Nakamura won the gold medal with a 2-1 decision in his favor.