Japan Bags 1st Women’s Fencing Medal; Contrasting Results in Men’s, Women’s Table Tennis

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:56 JST, August 2, 2024

PARIS — Japan bagged its first Olympic medal in women’s fencing after its foil team of Sera Azuma, Yuka Ueno, Karin Miyawaki and Komaki Kikuchi defeated Canada 33-32 in the bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.

In swimming, 33-year-old Satomi Suzuki finished fourth in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke final.

There were contrasting results in the table tennis. In the men’s singles, Tomokazu Harimoto, 21, lost to China’s Fan Zhendong in a seven-set quarterfinal match. Hina Hayata, 24, meanwhile, guaranteed a spot in the top four after winning her women’s singles quarterfinal.

In judo, 29-year-old Rika Takayama lost in the bronze medal match in the women’s 78-kilogram class, while Tokyo Olympics 100-kilogram class gold medalist Aaron Wolf, 28, lost in the repechage contest.