Top Medal Contenders in Wrestling and Fencing Emerge from the Strongest Generation

“From July 27th, the ‘Paris Olympics’ will begin. Following the Tokyo Olympics, which shone with a record 58 medals, this tournament is also expected to have many medal-winning events. We thoroughly interviewed legends about the highlights of notable events. Let’s revel in the medal rush of the Japanese athletes!”

Akari Fujinami (20) [Wrestling]

Women’s Freestyle 53kg Semifinal: August 8th, 1:55 AM (TBD)
　　　　　　　　　　　　　    Final: August 9th, 4:15 AM (TBD)

Akari Fujinami’s gold medal in the women’s 53kg wrestling category is virtually assured. Sosuke Takatani, head coach of the Takushoku University wrestling team, who has participated in three consecutive Olympic Games, comments:

“Training under coach Kaori Icho (40), who won gold medals in four consecutive Olympic Games, Fujinami has recorded 133 consecutive victories in official matches, surpassing Saori Yoshida (41), who won gold medals in three consecutive Olympic Games. She can execute tackles from various angles, has a wide range of techniques, and a strong core. A gold medal is certain, and there are no rivals in the 53kg category.

She is looking beyond just the gold medal. She once sent me a message saying, ‘If there’s anything I can do to help promote wrestling, please let me know!’ She is a wrestler who fights not only to become stronger but also with the mission of making wrestling a major sport.”

The legend of the “New Strongest Primate Woman” begins.

Yui Susaki (25) [Wrestling]

Women’s Freestyle 50kg Semifinal: August 7th, 1:55 AM (TBD)
　　　　　　　　　　　　　   Final: August 8th, 4:15 AM (NHK General)

Aiming for an unprecedented achievement of “two consecutive tournaments with a perfect record”—Tokyo Olympics women’s 50kg gold medalist Yui Susaki has returned to the Olympics even stronger.

“Her defining characteristic is her low stance. She drops her hips parallel to the ground and executes high-speed tackles from there. Her stoicism is also one of her strengths. In May of this year, she traveled alone to Dagestan, a strong wrestling nation, for training, which seems to have further enhanced her power to overpower foreign competitors” (Takatani, as mentioned earlier).

The only thing to be cautious about is the start.

“If she fails a tackle in the early stages when the opponent still has stamina, there’s a possibility of being countered. However, in the latter half, it will be Susaki’s stage. As long as she avoids mistakes, a complete victory is expected this time as well” (as mentioned earlier).

For her, the Paris Olympics is merely a stepping stone.