Japan’s Akari Fujinami Wins Gold in Women’s 53-kg Freestyle Wrestling; Japanese Sailors Take Silver in Mixed Dinghy Competition

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:39 JST, August 9, 2024

PARIS — Akari Fujinami claimed the gold medal for wrestling in the women’s freestyle 53-kilogram class at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. It was the debut Olympic appearance for the 20-year-old champion, and her winning streak in official competitions, which has continued since she was in junior high school, reached 137.

On the 14th day of the sporting event, two other Japanese wrestlers, Tsugumi Sakurai, 22, in the women’s freestyle 57-kilogram class, and Rei Higuchi, 28, in the men’s freestyle 57-kilogram class, each advanced to the finals and were confirmed as silver or gold medalists.

Japan’s other medal on Thursday came in the mixed dinghy sailing competition, where Keiju Okada, 28, and Miho Yoshioka, 33, won the silver medal.

The Japanese women’s table tennis squad defeated Germany in the quarterfinal and will face China at the finals on Saturday.

Rachid Muratake, 22, became the first Japanese athlete to reach the finals in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, where he finished in fifth place.