Japanese wrestler Saori Yoshida won her third straight gold medal in women’s 55kg freestyle wrestling, beating Canadian Tonya Verbeek. Verbeek was the silver medalist in Athens and a bronze medalist in Beijing, but she could not defeat the most decorated competitor in women’s wrestling history. Since her wrestling debut in 2002 Yoshida has won every major event she has entered and is the only woman to ever win Olympic gold in the event.
Japan, Russia Win Gold Medal In Women’s Wrestling
Colombia’s Jackeline Renteria Castillo and Azerbaijan’s Yuliya Ratkevich took home the two bronze medals.
Japan won three of the four gold medals in women’s wrestling but in the 72kg division Russia’s Natalia Vorobieva won gold by pinning Stanka Zlateva Hristova of Bulgaria. Hristova is a five-time world champion who also was forced to settle for silver four years ago in Beijing.
Guzel Manyurova of Kazakhstan and Maider Unda of Spain won the bronze medals.
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