By Amlan Chakraborty
PARIS (Reuters) – Powerhouse Japan claimed two of Friday’s three freestyle wrestling gold medals at the Paris Olympics through Rei Higuchi and Tsugumi Sakurai to maintain their dominance on the mat at the Champ de Mars Arena.
Bulgaria’s Magomed Ramazanov won the men’s 86kg gold against an injured Hassan Yazdani of Iran, who settled for silver.
Higuchi won the 57kg freestyle gold with a 4-2 win against American Spencer Lee to banish memories of missing the home Olympics in Tokyo three years ago after he was found to be overweight in a qualifying tournament.
The Rio Olympics silver medallist began slowly as Lee scored a couple of step-outs for a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Higuchi began the second period with a wild scramble and levelled it 2-2 before scoring two more points in the dying seconds to land the gold.
“I knew Spencer for many years,” Higuchi said of his opponent.
“I knew that he was very strong. But I studied his movements, so I was able to win.”
India’s Aman Sehrawat and Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan took bronze.
The men’s 86kg final was robbed of a proper contest despite a strong cast.
Yazdani, who won the 74kg gold in Rio and the 86kg silver in Tokyo, went into the bout as the favourite. But an arm injury made it nearly impossible for him to carry on and the Iranian needed a couple of injury timeouts before conceding defeat with 25 seconds left.
Ramazanov had picked up two turns for a 7-1 lead in the second period when his opponent surrendered in pain.
“It was hard for him, but he was a great fighter with his other arm,” Ramazanov said of his opponent.
Three-time world champion Sakurai won the 57kg gold with a 6-0 win against Anastasia Nichita of Moldova, who settled for silver.
The 22-year-old Japanese led 4-0 after two take-downs in the first period and landed another in the second to seal her victory.
“It was very tough for all of us, and for me as well,” the Japanese said.
“But I was thinking only about the gold medal, and that’s what I fought for.”
Helen Maroulis, who won a gold at the Rio Olympics, claimed her second Olympics bronze.
Japan now have five gold medals – Iran, Bulgaria and the U.S. are next on two each – along with two bronze.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in Paris; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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