Kawai gives Japan first gold in wrestling at Tokyo Games

Yukako Kawai (R) of Japan competes against Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan during the wrestling women's freestyle 62kg final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Chiba, Japan, Aug. 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

TOKYO, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Japan claimed its first gold in wrestling at the Tokyo Olympic Games as Yukako Kawai won the women's freestyle 62kg title on Wednesday.

Yukako Kawai, 23, edged Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan 4-3 in the final, giving the host nation a record 12th Olympic gold medal in women's wrestling.

"I have re-examined myself fundamentally so I can be stronger, I practised and I was fighting a very strong wrestler in my final, but my effort paid off," said Kawai.

In the bronze medal bouts, Ukraine's Iryna Koliadenko defeated Anastasija Grigorjeva of Latvia while Mustafa Yusein Taybe of Bulgaria took the other bronze.

The men's Greco-Roman 67kg title went to Mohammadreza Geraei of Iran, who shut out Parviz Nasibov of Ukraine 9-1. It is the fourth Olympic title for Iran in Greco-Roman wrestling.

"It was my dream for all of my life and I'm happy I made it," Geraei said.

Germany's Frank Staebler defeated Ramaz Zoidze of Georgia for one bronze medal while Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed Elsayed took the other to be the youngest wrestler representing Egypt to collect a medal at the Olympic Games.

Yukako Kawai (R) of Japan celebrates with her coach after winning Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan after the wrestling women's freestyle 62kg final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Chiba, Japan, Aug. 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

In the men's Greco-Roman 87kg final, Ukraine's Zhan Beleniuk defeated Viktor Lorincz of Hungary 5-1.

"Getting a silver in Rio, I was really disappointed but that motivated me to perform better next time, which is happening today," Beleniuk said.

The two bronze medals went to Denis Maksymilian Kudla of Germany and Serbia's Zurabi Datunashvili.

China's Rong Ningning, who won the gold in the 2018 World Championships, lost to Helen Louise Maroulis of the United States in the 1/8 final of the women's freestyle 57kg.