Yui Susaki will face Vinesh Phogat at the 2024 Paris Olympics. © Twitter
Vinesh Phogat's disqualification in the women's 50kg wrestling final at the Paris 2024 Olympics was a big blow to Indian sports fans. But even before that, Vinesh's matches had excited India. She caused the biggest upset of the Paris Olympics, outwitting the previously invincible Yui Susaki with a perfectly planned strategy, and narrowly edging out Oksana Ryvachy of Ukraine to advance to the women's 50kg semi-finals.
Susaki, a Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion (2017, 2018, 2022, 2023), had never lost 82 matches in her international career but the top seed from Japan had little idea what was coming her way in her first match, losing 2-3 to Vinesh Phogat.
After Vinesh reached the final, Yui Susaki got a chance in the repechage and won the bronze medal, but said she felt “betrayed” by not winning the gold medal.
“I have the honor of winning the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for all your support. It truly gave me strength! I wanted to win the gold medal and meet my family, teammates, and the fans who have fought alongside me for the past three years, but I am very sorry and frustrated that this did not come true and that I have betrayed them all,” Susaki wrote in a note shared by United World Wrestling.
The operation to bring back Yui Susaki has begun.#RoadTopParis2024 | #wrestlingparis | #wrestlingparis | #RoadToParis | #wrestling | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/mHEgUsfQON
— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) August 12, 2024
“Despite my loss, I received encouraging words from all over the world that they still believed in me and would continue to support me. I wasn't able to reply to each and every one of them, but I cannot express how much I was moved, comforted, and motivated to move forward as I read each and every message. Thank you so much! As long as there are people who support and believe in me, I am determined to work hard again towards my goal of becoming an Olympic champion.”
With PTI input
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