Japan’s Saori Yoshida won her third Olympic women’s 55 kilogram wrestling gold medal in succession Thursday, beating Canada’s Tonya Lynn Verbeek in the final.
The match was a rematch of the Olympic final in Athens in 2004 and the result went the same way, Yoshida winning 3-0 on points before celebrating by doing cartwheels.
The Japanese grappler, who won gold at 10 of the last 11 world championships, produced an explosive driving throw to win the first round 3-0 before sealing the win in the second with two one-point throws.
Verbeek’s team launched a video appeal in the second round against the first of Yoshida’s throws, but it was rejected.
Earlier, Colombia’s Jackeline Renteria won her second Olympic bronze as Azerbaijan’s Yuliya Ratkevich won the other bronze medal match.
Renteria beat Ukraine’s Tetyana Lazareva, twice a losing finalist at the world championships, 3-1 on points while former 59 kg world champion Ratkevich beat Russia’s 19-year-old Valeria Zholobova 3-0.
Japan’s Saori Yoshi won her third Olympic women’s 55 kilogram wrestling gold medal in succession Thursday, beating Canada’s Tonya Lynn Verbeek in the final.
The match was a rematch of the Olympic final in Athens in 2004 and the result went the same way, Yoshi winning 3-0 on points before celebrating by doing cartwheels.
The Japanese grappler, who won gold at 10 of the last 11 world championships, produced an explosive driving throw to win the first round 3-0 before sealing the win in the second with two one-point throws.
Verbeek’s team launched a video appeal in the second round against the first of Yoshi’s throws, but it was rejected.
Earlier, Colombia’s Jackeline Renteria won her second Olympic bronze as Azerbaijan’s Yuliya Ratkevich won the other bronze medal match.
Renteria beat Ukraine’s Tetyana Lazareva, twice a losing finalist at the world championships, 3-1 on points while former 59 kg world champion Ratkevich beat Russia’s 19-year-old Valeria Zholobova 3-0.
