Left: Tsugumi Sakurai holds her gold medal in the women’s 57-kilogram freestyle wrestling event at the Paris Olympics on Friday. Right: Rei Higuchi holds his gold medal in the men’s 57-kilogram freestyle wrestling event at the Paris Olympics on Friday.
15:26 JST, August 10, 2024
PARIS — Ami Yuasa, Rei Higuchi and Tsugumi Sakurai added to Japan’s gold medal haul at the Paris Olympics on Friday, bringing their total to 16. That’s the second-best gold medal haul after Japan’s 27 at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Yuasa, 25, better known as Ami, won her first gold medal at the Olympic Games on Friday.
Higuchi, 28, won gold in the men’s 57-kilogram freestyle wrestling event on Friday, and Sakurai, 22, won gold in the women’s 57-kilogram freestyle wrestling event.
As of Friday, the Paris Games were tied with the 1964 Tokyo Games and the 2004 Athens Games in the rankings for the best gold medals.
Daichi Takatani advanced to the finals of the men’s 74kg freestyle wrestling and Sakura Motoki advances to the finals of the women’s 62kg freestyle wrestling, ensuring both teams are guaranteed at least a silver medal.
In the final of the men’s bouldering and lead climbing, 17-year-old Sorato Anraku won silver.
The men’s table tennis team lost the battle for bronze to France on Friday.
