‘Unspectacular and Uninteresting Style’ Leads to Victory; ‘Stubborn’ Fumita Beats China’s Liguo to Win Gold at the Paris Olympics

By Tsukasa Sano / Yomiuri Shimbun Sportswriter

15:25 JST, August 7, 2024

PARIS–With less than 10 seconds left in the men’s Greco-Roman wrestling final in the 60-kilogram division, China’s Cao Liguo became increasingly aggressive. But Kenichiro Fumita remained calm. He was tenacious, fought off the counterattacks, and eventually won. “I’m very happy,” Fumita said after the match. “It was a long time. I had a lot of pain and struggles since the Tokyo Olympics.”

The silver medal Fumita won three years ago was the beginning of his struggles. In the final at the Tokyo Games, he succumbed to the pressure of his Cuban opponent, failed to execute the front suplex he was confident in, and broke down in tears.

After that, he abandoned his favorite throw, thinking that if he could not win with it, he did not need it. He then thoroughly implemented a tactic of defending firmly and scoring points with pinning techniques. Fumita thought: “It’s unspectacular and uninteresting. But if it’s a winning style, I’ll stick with it.”

Looking back on his previous style, he said, “I was stubborn if I say so myself.”

But once he discarded his signature move, he obtained the missing piece.

Fumita said he could now “confidently say that my competitive characteristics are hybrid wrestling, which combines throwing and defense.”

True to his words, he won the semifinals at the Paris Games with his dynamic throw and the final with his solid defense. “All the wrestling that I had working on for three years, came to fruition,” he said. The detour was not in vain.