Olympics

Wrestling: Rei Higuchi and Tsugumi Sakurai Triumph on a Golden Friday

Japan increased its wrestling gold-medal haul to five with the possibility of more to come at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in the French capital.

Published

1 month ago

August 10, 2024

Jim Armstrong

Japan's Rei Higuchi (right) and Spencer Lee of the United States compete in the men's freestyle wrestling 57-kilogram final at the Champ-de-Mars Arena during the Paris Olympics on August 9 in Paris. (©Eugene Hoshiko/AP)

Rei Higuchi and Tsugumi Sakurai made it a golden double for Japan on Friday, August 9 in the men's and women's finals of the freestyle wrestling 57-kilogram category at the Paris Olympics.

Higuchi, the silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Games, rallied to defeat Spencer Lee of the United States 4-2 in the men's final at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.

"I won the gold medal thanks to many people," Higuchi said, according to Kyodo News. "There were people who thought I was the strongest in the world and cheered me on. I am very happy to be able to answer their call."

Higuchi becomes the first Japanese man to win a title in the lightest division since Takashi Kobayashi did so in the 48-kg category at the 1998 Seoul Games. (The 48-kg weight class is not included in the Olympic competition in Paris.)

It was sweet revenge for Higuchi. He failed to qualify for the Tokyo Games three years ago after failing to make weight.

"It was not an easy road," Higuchi added, according to Kyodo. "I lost a lot, was disqualified (in Tokyo) and experienced a lot of frustration and despair."

Higuchi was down 0-2 in the first period but pulled level and then used a leg tackle in the second, twisting Lee down by the waist before flipping him over onto the mat to score two points as the clock ran out.

Sakurai Routs Nichita to Grab Wrestling Gold

Three-time world champion Sakurai coasted to a 6-0 win over Anastasia Nichita of Moldova to complete the double for Japan.

The 22-year-old Sakurai led 4-0 after two take-downs in the first period and landed another in the second to seal her victory.

"I was too nervous," Sakurai was quoted as saying by Kyodo. "But I heard the cheers of the crowd and was able to relax and enjoy the match."

Japan leads the wrestling medals table at the Paris Games with five golds and two bronze.

And there are opportunities to increase that total.

Takatani, Motoki Book Spots in Gold-Medal Matches

In other action on Friday, Daichi Takatani secured a place in the men's 74-kg freestyle final with a 20-12 win over American Kyle Dake, who won the bronze at the Tokyo Games.

The 29-year-old Takatani, who is making his Olympic debut, will take on Razambek Jamalov of Uzbekistan in the final on Saturday.

Also Friday, Sakura Motoki moved into the final of the women's 62-kg class by defeating Grace Bullen of Norway. Down 7-2 in the second period, Motoki threw her opponent over her shoulder for the comeback win.

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.