Japan’s Rei Higuchi won the gold while Spencer Lee of the United States claimed silver in the men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling at the Paris Olympics on Friday.
India’s Aman Sehrawat and Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan took bronze. Bulgaria’s Magomed Ramazanov won the 86kg gold, while Hassan Yazdani of Iran took silver.
Aaron Brooks of the US and Dauren Kurugliev of Greece won bronze. In the women’s section, Japan’s Tsugumi Sakurai won the 57kg gold ahead of Anastasia Nichita of Moldova, who settled for silver. Helen Maroulis of the US and Hong Kexin of China took bronze.
“It was not an easy road. I lost a lot, was disqualified from the weigh-in (in the Tokyo Olympics qualifying round), and experienced a lot of frustration and despair,” Higuchi said.
“I won the gold medal thanks to so many people...There were people who thought I was the strongest in the world and cheered me on. I am very happy to have been able to answer their call.”
Higuchi, known for his quick one-legged tackles, became the first Japanese man to win a title in the lightest weight category since Takashi Kobayashi in the 48kg class at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
It was redemption for the Osaka Prefecture native who did not qualify for the Tokyo Games in 2021 after failing to make weight.
Tied 2-2 after overcoming a two-point deficit in the first period with a leg tackle in the second, Higuchi twisted Lee down by the waist before deftly flipping him to score two points as the clock ran out.
Japan took its gold medal tally to four, with two bronze, to lead the wrestling medal tally in Paris. It won two golds in Greco-Roman, while a dominant victory by Akari Fujinami in the women’s 53kg class on Thursday extended her winning streak to a phenomenal 137 bouts since junior high school.
Ramazanov’s victory marks Bulgaria’s first gold in men’s freestyle wrestling since Valentin Yordanov’s triumph at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
With this win, Ramazanov joins an elite group, as wrestling remains the most successful sport for Bulgaria at the Olympics with a total of 73 medals, including 18 golds, 32 silvers, and 23 bronzes.
The Dagestani-Russian’s win is particularly historic given that Semen Novikov had previously secured Bulgaria’s first Olympic title in Greco-Roman wrestling in 24 years, a gold that was the country’s sole victory in the style since Armen Nazaryan’s success in Sydney 2000. Additionally, Karlos Nasar had also claimed a gold medal with a world record, marking the second gold for Bulgaria in Paris 2024.
Ramazanov’s journey to the gold involved a series of intense matches. On Thursday, he defeated Canadian Alex Moore 12-2, Uzbek wrestler Yavrail Shapiev 4-1, and American Aaron Brooks 4-3 with a decisive late technique. In the final, Ramazanov faced Yazdanicharati, a celebrated wrestler known for his victories in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021, and for his multiple world championship titles.
In the match against Yazdanicharati, Ramazanov dominated early on. His first successful grab injured the Iranian, who required medical attention multiple times.
Despite the Iranian’s efforts to counter and avoid passivity warnings, Ramazanov maintained his lead.
The Bulgarian representative managed to score a significant 7-1 lead with effective takedowns and ground work, securing his gold medal as the Iranian struggled in the final moments.
