Cousins lost by ippon to home favourite Luciano Correa, who took the gold for Brazil in the -100kg category on the opening day.

 

Any Britons finishing in the top six in Rio de Janeiro guarantees an Olympic berth for their country but will not definitely fill that spot themselves.

 

Cousins was suspended for three months in January 2006 after three out-of-competition doping tests and suspended for life by the British Olympic Association (BOA) from ever representing Britain in the Games.

 

But he appealed to an independent panel and they lifted the ban last November.

 

The appeals panel said at the time of the missed tests there were "technological teething problems and some understandable confusion'' involving UK Sport's online system where athletes are required to register their whereabouts.

 

Correa won bronze in Egypt two years ago, and said: "This is a very good year for me because I also finished third in the Pan American Games, also staged in Rio.

 

"I have won two medals this year in front of the people I love."