The Chinese team won their first wrestling medal at the Rio Olympic Games through 2013 world champion Sun Yanan when Japan bagged all three women's titles on Wednesday.
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Chinese wrestler Sun Yanan is interviewed after a competition at the Rio Olympic Games on August 17, 2016. [Photo: weibo.com] |
Sun walked away with a bronze in women's freestyle 48kg after she made quick work of two-time world medalist Zhuldyz Eshimova of Kazakhstan in the bronze medal match in the afternoon.
The 23-year-old Chinese spent just 54 seconds executing a four-point lift and three gut wrenches to end the match 10-0.
"I am happy to have a medal but I really want the gold. It hit me hard when I lost in the semifinals where I did have a chance, because I know well about Eri Tosaka," Sun said through sobs.
Sun jumped to a 2-0 lead in the semifinal against three-time world champion Tosaka, whom Sun beat in this year's Asian Championships. But Tosaka came back with a takedown and three straight turns off a leg lace to win 8-3 and advance to the final where the Japanese edged Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan 3-2 for her first Olympic gold.
Elitsa Yankova of Bulgaria took the second bronze medal by winning a tight battle over Patricia Bermudez of Argentina.
In the 58kg final, 10-time world champion and three-time defending champion Kaori Icho won in dramatic fashion, scoring a takedown off a single leg in the closing seconds on Valeria Koblova of Russia to win 3-2 and become the first-ever four-time Olympic wrestling champion.
Sakshi Malik became India's first ever Olympic medalist in women's wrestling as she beat Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan 8-5 to win a bronze while Marwa Amri gave Tunisia its first medal in wrestling in any style, beating former world champion Yuliya Ratkevich from Azerbaijan 6-3 in the first bronze medal match.
Sara Dosho came from behind to beat former Olympic champion Natalia Vorobieva of Russia 2-2 on criteria, wrapping up a golden night for Japan.
Swede Jenny Fransson, a 2012 world champion, won her first Olympic medal by defeating Canada's Dorothy Yeats 2-1 and world No. 9 Elmira Syzdykova of Kazakhstan took the other bronze medal.
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