Japan's Akari Fujinami is virtually unbeatable on the wrestling mat.
Fujinami won the gold medal in the women's freestyle wrestling 53-kilogram division at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, August 8 to extend her winning streak to a phenomenal 137 in official matches.
Making her Olympic debut, the 20-year-old Fujinami, a two-time world champion, defeated Ecuador's Lucia Guzman by technical superiority for a 10-0 victory at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.
"The Olympics are the best, wrestling is the best, and I'm glad I've made it this far," said Fujinami, according to Kyodo News.
"I have been thinking about Guzman every time I train, and she is one of the wrestlers who really motivates me, so I am grateful to her."
The gold medal capped off a dominant run for Fujinami.
She won her first two matches by technical fall and shut out China's Qianyu Pang 10-0 in her semifinal a day earlier. Only Mongolia's Khulan Batkhuyag scored points against her before Fujinami won 8-2 in the quarterfinals.
Fujinami, a native of Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture, also won gold in the 53-kg category at the 2022 Asian Games and at the 2022 and 2023 Asian Championships.
Sakurai, Higuchi Advance to Wrestling Gold-Medal Matches
In other bouts, two Japanese wrestlers moved within a win of gold. Three-time world champion Tsugumi Sakurai and Rio de Janeiro Olympics silver medalist Rei Higuchi advanced to the women's and men's freestyle 57-kg finals, respectively.
In her semifinal, Sakurai defeated American Helen Louise Maroulis 10-4. It was Maroulis who upset three-time Olympic champion Saori Yoshida in the 53-kg gold-medal match at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Maroulis also claimed bronze in Tokyo in 2021.
Sakurai turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead late in the first period against the three-time world champion before dominating the second period.
"I allowed her to score first but told myself that I would bounce back with my stamina," Sakurai said, according to Kyodo News.
Sakurai, a 22-year-old native of Kochi Prefecture, said beating Maroulis is a highlight of her career.
"She's been someone I look up to," Sakurai told Kyodo. "I tried to think of myself as the challenger. This win over an Olympic champion gives me a confidence boost."
Higuchi won his semifinal contest by technical superiority against India's Aman Sehrawat.
Wrestling Success for Japanese Athletes
Japan dominated wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, winning five gold medals, one silver and one bronze.
So far, Japan has the most gold wrestling medals at the Paris Games with three, one more than Iran and the United States.
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Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
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