Japanese wrestlers Susaki, Okuno repeat as world champs in women's competition

BUDAPEST -- They each did it in a slightly different weight class this time, but the results were emphatically the same.

Teenagers Yui Susaki and Haruna Okuno both won their second straight gold medals at the World Wrestling Championships on Thursday, giving Japan women four out of the 10 titles at stake in Budapest.

Susaki absolutely devastated the competition at 50 kilograms, capping her gold medal run with a 10-0 technical fall victory in 4:49 in the final over Azerbaijan veteran Mariya Stadnik.

The 19-year-old Susaki, who won the world title last year at the former lowest weight class of 48 kilograms, won all four of her matches by fall or technical fall, and did not surrender a point.

In the final, Susaki knew that Stadnik, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, favored a diving tackle attack, so the Waseda University freshman used an exceptionally low stance that made her look cat-like.

She was able to evade any attacks by a frustrated Stadnik, and took advantage of openings to score with her lightning-quick tackles.

Okuno, also 19, had suffered a left elbow injury in a preliminary round match the previous night, but showed little effects as she followed Susaki by grinding out an 11-0 technical fall victory in 5:46 over American Sarah Hildebrandt.

"Yui [Susaki] got the momentum going," said Okuno, who won the 2017 world gold at 55 kilograms.

Okuno put the match away in the second period with takedowns off counters of the American's attack.

Japan's bid for a third gold on the night and fifth overall in women's wrestling was foiled when Yukako Kawai lost 6-2 in the 62-kilogram final to Bulgaria's Taybe Yusein.

Kawai had been hoping to join older sister Risako, who won the 59-kilogram title on Tuesday, as a world champion. Mayu Mukaida, at 55 kilograms, won Japan's other gold.

With her second straight gold, Susaki established herself as a firm favorite for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But first, she will have to win out in a stacked domestic field that includes Rio Olympic champion Eri Tosaka and Asian Games silver medalist Yuki Irie, although she is certainly the one to beat for now.

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