PARIS — Eastern wrestling juggernaut Akari Fujinami prolonged her outrageous profitable streak to assert the ladies’s 53-kilogram freestyle gold of the Paris Olympics on the Champ-de-Mars Enviornment on Thursday.
The 20-year-old arrived in Paris with a 130-0 report and capped her marketing campaign with ridiculous ease profitable the gold medal contest in opposition to Ecuador’s Lucia Yepez Guzman by way of technical superiority.
In a unconditionally lopsided contest, Fujinami raced to ten issues whilst her opponent may just no longer ranking any and the euphoric Eastern leapt into the lap of her father, additionally her trainer, in her animated birthday party.
“I do not pay an excessive amount of consideration to my report,” Fujinami stated. “I simply wish to transform more potent.
“To transform an Olympic champion, I’ve labored so exhausting. Numerous unlucky incidents can occur at the Olympic degree, however I had no fears.
“This present day, I am merely satisfied and thrilled. I wish to revel in this medal and I will consume numerous yummy meals.”
Fujinami had the bout within the bag with a 6-0 lead within the first duration and sealed win with a go-behind to handle the longest profitable streak amongst energetic wrestlers.
Within the males’s Greco-Roman segment, during which holds beneath the waist are prohibited, Saeid Esmaeili received the 67kg gold as Iran retained the identify.
Esmaeili had edged out Tokyo champion Mohammedreza Geraei in a playoff to e book his price ticket to Paris, and the 21-year-old presented a glimpse of his shape with a 9-0 rout of Cuban Luis Orta to transport directly to the overall.
Orta had moved up after profitable the 60kg gold in Tokyo however needed to accept bronze in Paris.
Esmaeili needed to combat for his 6-5 win in opposition to Parviz Nasibov within the gold medal bout regardless that after the Ukrainian, who took silver, unfolded a 3-0 lead within the first duration.
The Iranian staged a super comeback in the second one duration to attract stage at 5-5 after which eked out a slim lead, which he fiercely defended within the ultimate minute.
Bulgaria’s Semen Novikov denied Iran a 2nd Greco-Roman gold by way of profitable the 87kg match with a 7-0 romp in opposition to Alireza Mohmadipiani, who took silver.
Novikov scored first on passivity and were given a boost for 2 within the first duration. He added two extra early in the second one and one for a step-out to surge some distance forward.
“It is the largest dream,” the Ukraine-born grappler stated. “I dreamed about this when I used to be a kid to at some point be an Olympic champion. The dream has come.”
Ukraine’s Zhan Beleniuk, who received gold in Tokyo 3 years in the past and silver in Rio 2016, received bronze prior to leaving his sneakers at the mat signaling his retirement.
“For me, it is sufficient. It is a just right time to retire,” he stated.
–Reuters, Particular to Box Stage Media
