BUDAPEST -- Olympic champion Risako Kawai rebounded from a stunning defeat two months ago by winning the women's 59-kilogram gold medal for a third straight global title, while Mayu Mukaida returned to the top of the podium at 55 kilograms at the World Wrestling Championships on Tuesday in Budapest.
Kawai defeated Turkey's Elif Yesilirmak 8-0 in the final to add to the 2016 Rio Olympic gold medal she won at 63 kilograms and the world title she won last year in the 60-kilogram division.
At the Asian Games in Jakarta in August, Kawai was dealt her first defeat in nearly three years in the semifinals and had to settle for a bronze medal.
She recalled the memory of that defeat when the bronze medals were being awarded to the third-place wrestlers during the medal ceremony in Budapest. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought to herself, "Two months ago, that was me."
Mukaida, the 2016 world champion at 55 kilograms who finished as runner-up last year at 53 kilograms, gave up an early two points in the final against Zalina Sidakova of Belarus, but quickly took command and stormed to a 12-2 technical fall victory in 3:30.
The 21-year-old Mukaida said she was inspired by the performance the previous day of Takuto Otoguro, whose victory at 65-kilogram freestyle at 19 made him the youngest male world or Olympic champion in Japan wrestling history.
The two had been together at the Japanese Olympic Committee's Elite Academy and had sparred with each other as junior high schoolers.
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