The Japanese women's freestyle wrestling team is strong. Really strong.
Japan's success in the recent Olympics has proven that the country is not slowing down and that the next generation is better than ever. Japan won four gold medals and two bronze medals, arguably their best performance at the Olympics.
Japan's last loss at a world championships or Olympic Games was at the 2012 world championships, where China won the team event. This marks Japan's 12th consecutive year of dominance, excluding the 2016 world championships, which only had two weight classes (and was won by Japan).
Japan's performance in world championships and the Olympics since 2013
Year Japan Place Competition Weight Medal Gold Silver Bronze Gold Medal % Medal % 2013 1st World 7 43014 357 2014 1st World 8 54105063 2015 1st World 8 53113863 2016 1st Olympic 6 54106783 2017 1st World 8 64115075 2018 1st World 10 7 4124070 2019 1st World 10 61321060 2021 1st Olympic 6 44006767 2021 1st World 10 9 4324090 2022 1st World 10 9 5135090 2023 1st World 10 8 6116080 2024 1st Olympic 6 640267100
The U.S. finished second to Japan in the 2021-2023 world championships and second in the unofficial team standings for the 2024 Olympics, completing the most successful four events.
Sarah Hildebrand (50 kg) and Amit Erol (68 kg) won gold, Kennedy Blades (76 kg) won silver and Helen Maroulis (57 kg) won bronze. This was the most gold medals for the U.S. women's team and tied them with the 2020 team for the most medals.
USA Wrestling's women's national team coach, Terry Steiner, is adamant that her team is on a roll and will dominate the world. She cites the explosive growth and record-breaking participation in high school girls' wrestling as the reason. Steiner also says that the next women's freestyle superstar and Olympian may be someone we've never heard of. It's a testament to the grassroots movement in the U.S.
“We have work to do, but there will come a day when we take over, but I believe Japan is not going to fall,” Steiner said. “We have to get past them. I think the gap is closing, but there's still work to do. There's no resting place right now. They're not resting. They're moving forward and they have a lot of youth on the team as well.”
Here are five questions that must be answered if we are to achieve a female-led administration in the United States.
What will it take for the U.S. to beat Japan at the World Championships or the Olympics?
Gold. Lots of gold. And lots of medals.
Over the past four years, Japan has averaged two more medals and 2.5 more gold medals than the U.S., with an average margin of victory of 47.75 points. The U.S. team will need a performance like Japan's to win.
Or the U.S. needs to capitalize on a few disappointments. At the 2019 World Championships, the U.S. team won three gold medals to Japan's one, but Japan won six medals total to the U.S.'s three.
Head to Head: USA vs Japan
Year Weight USA Rank USA Points USA Gold Medals USA Medals JPN Rank JPN Points JPN Gold Medals JPN Medals Points Difference 2021 102nd 147 271st 196 49 49 2022 102nd 157 371st 190 59 37 2023 102nd 135 171st 195 68 60 2024 62nd 93 241st 130 46 37
Japan could double the United States' gold medal haul in the 2024 Olympics, 4-2.
Kennedy Blaydes lost 3-1 to Yuka Kagami of Japan in the 76 kg gold medal final, but a takedown in the second period would have given Blaydes the victory. Had Blaydes won, the gold medal tally would have been tied at 3-3.
Former Campbellsville University star Grace Bullen of Norway led 7-2 in the semifinals against Japan's Motoki Sakurai before Motoki got a late fall to advance to the gold medal final (where she won).
Kayla Miracle lost 6-6 to Kyrgyzstan's Aisul Tynybekova in the quarterfinals. If the turning point moment had gone the other way, the team scores would have been much closer.
Ask Steiner about a time he's come from behind the wall — the former University of Iowa star won the 1993 NCAA Tournament final with a last-second takedown — and how winning a title requires a flawless match.
How will the US counter Japan's depth?
Japan has five or six fighters in most weight classes, putting it in an advantageous position against any other country.
Take the 53 kg class for example. 20-year-old Akari Fujinami won the 2024 Olympics and the 2021 and 2023 World Championships. Following her are 25-year-old Haruna Okuno, a three-time World Champion, and 27-year-old Mayu Mukoda, a four-time World and Olympic Champion. Neither of them are good enough to make the national team.
Japan has world champions as backups in several weight classes.
The U.S. boasts the best field in the world at 76 kg and could potentially move up to 72 kg if some of its stars remain after the World Team Trials. Success in the age group will also be a good predictor of how the U.S. will perform at the senior level.
Complete domination would require a strong national team across 10 weight classes.
What does acquisition mean?
The US's first place in women's freestyle shows just how consistently dominant they have been. Japan is not the only country the US has to think about. Russia and Belarus are not in the Olympics, and India is in disarray. Mongolia, China and Ukraine have all dropped in the rankings, so the next few years will be tough. This was a strong Olympics, with the US and Japan dominating the gold medals.
How long will the handover take?
There is no timetable. Improvement takes time, investment, and consistency. There is no magic formula. Protecting a leg race and stopping a shot takes thousands of hours of repetitive practice. Wishful thinking has no impact on your results.
Will the popularity of flag football impact the growth of women's wrestling in the United States?
It's hard to say. Flag football is becoming an Olympic sport, and the NFL is backing it. The two sports have different seasons, so they could work together and help each other out. If packaged properly, that could be a good thing.
It remains to be seen how this will play out, as several promising wrestlers have chosen football over wrestling, and while women's flag football is not yet a Division I sport, it should be in the next few years, so that could be a factor if an athlete is choosing between a flag football or wrestling scholarship.
Women's wrestling is Japan's national sport, so there's every reason to believe the country will continue to invest in its success. Football is an American sport, and the NFL is invested in the success of flag football.
