is a Japanese freestyle wrestler. She won the gold medal in the women's 50 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics without conceding a single point to any opponent. In the 2024 Summer Olympics, she was defeated by Vinesh Phogat, her first ever loss in any international bout. She eventually won a bronze medal through the repechage bout. She is also a four-time World Champion, having won her first title in 2017. She is coached by Shoko Yoshimura.
Career Susaki made her junior debut in 2010 and won three consecutive world cadet championships from 2014 to 2016. In 2017, she won the gold medal at her debut World Championships in Paris in 2017 in the 48 kg category. In 2018, she won the gold medal at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships at Budapest in the new 50 kg category. Between the world titles, she won the Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2017 and the Klippan Lady Open in 2018 in the women's 50 kg event. In Klippan, she beat then top ranked Mariya Stadnik in the final by a 10-1 scoreline.
She could not defend her World title in the 2019 World Wrestling Championships, as she was beaten in the national trials by Yuki Irie, who then represented Japan at the Championships. However, after Irie's subsequent poor performance, Susaki was recalled to the Olympic Team. On 5 July 2021, she was named flagbearer of the Japanese delegation to the Summer Olympics by the Japanese Olympic Committee, together with basketball player Rui Hachimura. Although widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the 50 kg class, she was unseeded going into the Olympics. She went on to win the gold medal without conceding a point to an opponent in the Games. She won the gold medal in the women's 50kg event at the subsequent 2022 World Wrestling Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia. In October, by winning gold at the 2022 U23 World Wrestling Championships, Susaki became the first wrestler to win all four age-group and senior World Wrestling Championships and an Olympic gold medal, completing what has been described as a "Grand Slam" or "Golden Grand Slam".
At the 50 kg event at the 2024 Olympics, Susaki lost her first round bout against Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, which was her first loss in 95 matches against non-Japanese wrestlers, and ended her perfect 82–0 record at the international level. In the repechage bout, she overcame Ukrainian Oksana Livach by technical superiority to win the bronze medal.
Awards Wrestling Special Award by Tokyo Sports (2017)
Achievements Legend W – Win; L – Loss; F – Victory by fall
Summer Olympic Games YearVenueEventOpponentResultRoundRank2020Tokyo50 kgW 10–0Final Gold2024Paris50 kgW 10-0Repechage Bronze
World Championships YearVenueEventOpponentResultRoundRank2017Paris48 kgW 14-4Final Gold2018Budapest50 kgW 10-0Final Gold2022Belgrade50 kgW 4F-0Final Gold2023Belgrade50 kgW 10-0Final Gold
Asian Wrestling Championships YearVenueEventOpponentResultRoundRank2017New Delhi48 kgW 10-0Final Gold2024Bishkek50 kgW 8-4Final Gold
References
External links
Yui Susaki at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived)