Light-Heavyweight, Freestyle (≤68 kilograms), Women

American Tamyra Mensah-Stock was the #1 seed. She had won the 2019 World Championships, and her last defeat had come in the finals of the 2018 Worlds, also winning the 2019 Pan American Games, three straight Pan American Championships, and three consecutive titles at the Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin.

Her biggest competition was expected to come from Nigerian Blessing Oborududu, who was competing in her third Olympics. Oborududu was the 2018 Commonwealth Games Champion and was a 10-time champion at the African Games. Also considered was the defending gold medallist from Rio, Japan’s Sara Dosho, although she was not seeded.

Things went as expected with both Mensah-Stock and Oborududu winning their early matches with ease and reaching the final. The final was close and well-fought, but Mensah-Stock prevailed for the gold medal, winning on points, 4-1.

The losing semi-finalists were Ukraine’s Alla Cherkasova and Mongolia’s Soronzonboldyn Battsetseg. Both repêchage finals were decided by falls, with Cherkasova taking down Dosho for one bronze medal. The other bronze match was somewhat of an upset as Soronzonboldyn, twice a World Champion although back in 2010 and 2015, lost by fall to Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova, although Zhumanazarova was the 2020 World Cup Champion.