Japan's Kaori Icho becomes first four-time Olympic wrestling champion

Kaori Icho (Japan) holding her fourth Olympic gold medal. Photo: Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com.

RIO DE JANEIRO – In the extensive history of Olympic wrestling no wrestler has ever won four Olympic gold medals. Everything changed once Japan’s Kaori Icho stepped off the finals mat tonight in Brazil.

If she hadn’t already, Icho ascended to living-legend status and will forever go down as the first four-time Olympic wrestling champion after a thrilling last second victory over game Russian Valeria Koblova in the 58 kg finals. Trailing 2-1 late, Icho countered a Koblova shot to score the gold-clinching two points with under five seconds to go.

Icho now holds an astounding 10 World titles and four Olympic titles to her name. The only wrestler who possesses more gold than Icho is her teammate, 13-time World champion and three-time Olympic champion Saori Yoshida who will take her shot at Olympic gold number four tomorrow.

Not only did Japan crown the winningest Olympic wrestler in history tonight, they also swept all three gold medals with Eri Tosaka and Sara Dosho winning their first Olympic crowns.

Tosaka entered Rio as a three-time defending World champion at 48 kg, but only ranked No. 3 in the World after faltering earlier this year at the Asian Championships. Tosaka left no doubt as to who the best lightweight in women’s wrestling is after she stunned World No. 1 Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan at the buzzer, 3-2.

Dosho, a three-time World medalist, struck gold for her first time, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Ranked No 5 in the World, Dosho upset defending World and Olympic champion Natalia Vorobieva of Russia with a match-clinching takedown in the waning moments of the 69 kg final, winning on criteria 2-2.

Japan won Olympic medals No. 12, No. 13 and No. 14 on the first day of women’s freestyle competition, and are now up to a record 10 gold medals. In fact, Japan has medaled in every women’s freestyle bracket contested at the Olympic Games, except one, since the sport was included at the Athens Games in 2004.

Securing bronze medals at 48 kg were World No. 2 Yanan Sun of China and World No. 8 Elitsa Yankova of Bulgaria.

Sun, a 2013 World champion, picked up a lighting quick technical fall over World No. 4 Zhuidyz Eshimova of Kazakhstan, 10-0. The win gave China its fifth Olympic medal in women’s freestyle.

Yanakova won a Junior World title in 2013 and became just the second Bulgarian woman to win an Olympic wrestling medal with a 7-6 decision over World No. 6 Patricia Bermudez of Argentina. Stanka Zlateva won silver for Bulgaria in 2008 and 2012.

Both Marwa Amri of Tunisia and Sakshi Malik of India were able to snag the first Olympic medals in women’s freestyle for their respective nation’s by capturing bronze at 58 kg.

World No. 12 Amri executed a four-point double leg with four seconds remaining against six-time World and Olympic medalist Yuliya Ratkevich of Azerbaijan to win, 6-3. Rio marked Amri’s third time competing in the Olympic Games.

Also in dramatic fashion, Sakshi took down World No. 6 Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan with one second on the clock to win as the buzzer sounded. After a failed challenge by Tynybekova, the final score read 8-3. Sakshi entered the Olympic Games unranked in the World.

The bronze medal winners at 69 kg were World No. 9 Elmira Syzdykova of Kazakhstan and World No. 3 Jenny Fransson of Sweden.

Syzdykova won Kazakhstan’s third Olympic medal in women’s freestyle with a 7-4 victory over Enas Ahmed of Egypt. This is Syzdykova’s first time reaching a World or Olympic podium on the senior level.

Longtime women’s standout Fransson finally captured an Olympic medal after two previous attempts. She took out World No. 12 Dorothy Yeats of Canada, 2-1, to capture Sweden’s first Olympic medal in women’s freestyle.

Day two of the women’s freestyle competition will pick up at 9 a.m. (ET) on Thursday with the 53 kg, 63 kg and 75 kg tournaments. Taking the mat for the U.S. squad are three-time World champion Adeline Gray, 2015 World champion Helen Maroulis and 2012 World champion Elena Pirozhkova.

Every match from the 2016 Olympic Games can be viewed live courtesy of NBC at NBCOlympics.com. Complete brackets and match-by-match results can be found at unitedworldwrestling.org.

2016 OLYMPIC GAMES
Aug. 14-21 at Carioca Arena 2 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Final Results
48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Gold – Eri Tosaka (Japan)
Silver – Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Yanan Sun (China)
Bronze – Elitsa Yankova (Bulgaria)
5th – Zhuidyz Eshimova (Kazakhstan)
5th – Patricia Bermudez (Argentina)
7th – Iwona Matkowska (Poland)
8th – Carolina Castillo Hildago (Colombia)
9th – Haley Augello (United States)
10th – Vinesh (India)

Medal Matches
Gold – Eri Tosaka (Japan) dec. Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan), 3-2
Bronze – Yanan Sun (China) tech. fall Zhuidyz Eshimova (Kazakhstan), 10-0
Bronze – Elitsa Yankova (Bulgaria) dec. Patricia Bermudez (Argentina), 7-6

58 kg/128 lbs.
Gold – Kaori Icho (Japan)
Silver – Valeria Koblova (Russia)
Bronze – Marwa Amri (Tunisia)
Bronze – Sakshi Malik (India)
5th – Yuliya Ratkevich (Azerbaijan)
5th – Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan)
7th – Orkhon Purevdorj (Mongolia)
8th – Jackeline Renteria Castillo (Colombia)
9th – Elif Jale Yesilirmak (Turkey)
10th – Petra Olli (Finland)

Medal Matches
Gold – Kaori Icho (Japan) dec. Valeria Koblova (Russia), 3-2
Bronze – Marwa Amri (Tunisia) dec. Yuliya Ratkevich (Azerbaijan), 6-3
Bronze – Sakshi Malik (India) dec. Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan), 8-5

69 kg/152 lbs.
Gold – Sara Dosho (Japan)
Silver – Natalia Vorobieva (Russia)
Bronze – Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan)
Bronze – Jenny Fransson (Sweden)
5th – Enas Ahmed (Egypt)
5th – Dorothy Yeats (Canada)
7th – Buse Tosun (Turkey)
8th – Nasanburmaa Ochirbat (Mongolia)
9th – Aline Focken (Germany)
10th – Gilda Maria De Oliveira (Brazil)

Medal Matches
Gold – Sara Dosho (Japan) dec. Natalia Vorobieva (Russia), 2-2
Bronze – Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan) dec. Enas Ahmed (Egypt), 7-4
Bronze – Jenny Fransson (Sweden) dec. Dorothy Yeats (Canada), 2-1

U.S. women’s freestyle results
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Haley Augello, Lockport, Ill. (New York AC), 9th
WIN Jessica Blaszka (Netherlands), 7-0
LOSS Eri Tosaka (Japan), 11-2
LOSS Zhuidyz Eshimova (Kazakhstan), 3-2