Japan’s Sakura Motoki Takes Gold in 62-Kg Wrestling; Overwhelming Her Ukrainian Opponent in the Final

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:56 JST, August 11, 2024

PARIS — Japan’s Sakura Motoki won her first Olympic gold in her first trip to the Games, defeating her Ukrainian opponent in the final of the women’s 62-kilogram wrestling event at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

“I’m so happy to win the gold medal after being supported by many people for my wrestling,” Motoki said after the match.

Motoki’s win brings Japan’s haul of wrestling gold medals to a record six at the Paris Olympics, surpassing the five that Japan wrestlers bagged at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Motoki won three matches on Friday to advance to the final, and overwhelmed Ukraine’s Iryna Koliadenko from the start of the gold medal match on Saturday.

A native of Saitama Prefecture, Motoki finished third in the 59-kilogram division at the 2022 World Championships and won silver in the 62-kilogram division at the 2023 World Championships.

Motoki’s father Yasutoshi represented Japan at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in men’s 63-kilogram division of Greco-Roman wrestling.