Lightweight, Freestyle (≤57 kg), Women

In the final of the women’s freestyle wrestling lightweight division, the two top favorites were Japan’s Tsugumi Sakurai and Anastasia Nichita from Moldova. Sakurai had dominated this event since Tokyo 2020, winning three World championships and the Asian Games in 2022. Paris was the Olympic début of the 22-year-old athlete. Her European opponent won the 2022 World Championship in the next higher class, the 59 kg. When she moved down to the 57 kg class in 2023, she lost the final at the Worlds against Sakurai, who had moved up from 55 kg.

Both women made their way to the final without facing major problems and dominated their respective matches. In the semi-finals, Sakurai defeated Helen Maroulis from the United States by 10-4 on points, and Nichita beat Hong Kexin from China by fall after 1:37. In the final, Sakurai repeated the 2023 World Championship outcome, clearly controlling Nichita in a 6-0 points victory.

Helen Maroulis was already part of the previous generation. She won her last World championship in 2021 but continued to medal. Paris was her third participation in the Olympics and she climbed the podium every time. After gold at Rio in the 53 kg division, she won bronze in Tokyo in the 57 kg division and repeated this feat Paris. In the bronze medal match, it took her just 24 seconds to snatch bronze from Canadian Hannah Taylor by fall. Youngster Hong Kexin, the second losing semi-finalist, also took bronze, shouldering Giullia Penalber from Brazil almost as quickly.