OLYMPICS/ Golds from Higuchi and Sakurai fuel Japan's dominance on mat

REUTERS

August 10,ゆき しろ 2024 at 14:29 JST

• Share
• Tweet list

• Print

Tsugumi Sakurai of Japan celebrates winning gold in the match against Anastasia Nichita of Moldova in women's freestyle 57kg final at Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris on Aug. 9. (REUTERS)

PARIS--Powerhouse Japan claimed two of Friday's three freestyle wrestling gold medals at the Paris Olympics through Rei Higuchi and Tsugumi Sakurai to maintain their dominance on the mat at the Champ de Mars Arena.

Bulgaria's Magomed Ramazanov won the men's 86kg gold against an injured Hassan Yazdani of Iran, who settled for silver.

Higuchi won the 57kg freestyle gold with a 4-2 win against American Spencer Lee to banish memories of missing the home Olympics in Tokyo three years ago after he was found to be overweight in a qualifying tournament.

The Rio Olympics silver medalist began slowly as Lee scored a couple of step-outs for a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Higuchi began the second period with a wild scramble and levelled it 2-2 before scoring two more points in the dying seconds to land the gold.

"I knew Spencer for many years," Higuchi said of his opponent.

"I knew that he was very strong. But I studied his movements, so I was able to win."

India's Aman Sehrawat and Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan took bronze.

The men's 86kg final was robbed of a proper contest despite a strong cast.

Yazdani, who won the 74kg gold in Rio and the 86kg silver in Tokyo, went into the bout as the favorite. But an arm injury made it nearly impossible for him to carry on and the Iranian needed a couple of injury timeouts before conceding defeat with 25 seconds left.

Ramazanov had picked up two turns for a 7-1 lead in the second period when his opponent surrendered in pain.

"It was hard for him, but he was a great fighter with his other arm," Ramazanov said of his opponent.

Three-time world champion Sakurai won the 57kg gold with a 6-0 win against Anastasia Nichita of Moldova, who settled for silver.

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

"It was very tough for all of us, and for me as well," the Japanese said.

"But I was thinking only about the gold medal, and that's what I fought for."

Helen Maroulis, who won a gold at the Rio Olympics, claimed her second Olympics bronze.

Japan now have five gold medals - Iran, Bulgaria and the U.S. are next on two each - along with two bronze.

• ·ジャイアント馬場さん「命日」に「没２５年追善」＆「太陽ケア引退」＆「木原アナ３５周年記念」興行…来年１・３１後楽園
• ·藤川球児氏が分析　勝敗分けた巨人・岡本和真の３回好機の空振り三振「優勝を意識する時期に入り…」
• ·大谷翔平２試合連続無安打＆盗塁なしで途中交代　９点ビハインドで７回からは遊撃手のロハス登板
• ·第３子出産の近藤千尋、「産後とは思えない」おうち時間の過ごし方に反響！夫と第３子との初の３ショ披露
• ·「第2回新潟国際アニメーション映画祭」の作品を楽しめる特集上映、東京で開催
• ·ドラマ「嘘解きレトリック」鈴鹿央士＆松本穂香が顔を寄せるポスタービジュアル（コメントあり）
• ·滝沢眞規子、映画「００７」の舞台になった高級ホテルでオトナコーデ披露「さすが様になってます」「見惚れる」の声
• ·Ｇ大阪、浦和に完封負けしV戦線から後退　リーグ６試合勝ちなしと苦戦続く
• ·「ダーウィンズゲーム」のFLIPFLOPs、剣と魔法と冒険を描く「ロードマギアの弟子」
• ·【日本ハム】水谷瞬がプレーボール弾…シーズン４度の先制弾は球団では田中幸雄以来２６年ぶり
• ·西武、今季限りで引退の３５歳捕手「ここまで野球ができたのは奇跡」　引退試合では二塁打
• ·【日本ハム】河野竜生が１５日楽天戦から１軍合流へ　１日に初めて登録抹消　３１ホールドはパ・トップ
• ·玉木代表、連日の会見はピリピリムード　プライベート質問ＮＧ要請も記者から質問相次ぎ「脇が甘かった」
• ·無双状態の大の里止める役目なのに、琴桜もう２敗理解できない　勝ちたい気持ち強すぎるのか…元大関・琴風の目
• ·演歌歌手・こおり健太　最新曲「裏町蛍」リリース「期待通りの曲を作れました」
• ·坂本花織、今季初戦３位　フリー３回転ルッツ２本構成で合計１９９・９４点　渡辺倫果８位