Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki made sure there would be no lapses or surprises when she defeated North Korean Kim Son Hyang 6-0 in the women\u2019s 50kg final at the Asian Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To hear Susaki speak of it, she is a new version of the wrestler who had stormed to every major title on offer before her unexpected and devastating downfall at the 2024 Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having made serious changes to both her lifestyle and wrestling style in the ensuing years, she has now made a golden return in her first international competition since Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m genuinely happy, and I\u2019m so glad to be back here and to have won,\u201d Susaki said. \u201cAfter Paris was over, I experienced various setbacks and I made various changes over the two years. The results of my new lifestyle in the two years since Paris and the daily practice I put in all came out in the four matches at these Asian Championships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the four other women\u2019s finals on the fourth day of competition, the host country had mixed results, as Olympic silver medalist Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan won the gold in a stacked 68kg division, while Mongolian Davaanasan Enkh Amar stunned defending champion Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in the 76kg category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The powerful Japanese squad had three other finalists besides Susaki, but only got a title from teenager Sowaka Uchida at 55kg, while China’s Xie Mengyu triumphed in the 59kg category for her first Asian gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Susaki had established herself as one of the new faces of the sport in the wake of the retirements of legends Saori Yoshida and Kaori Icho with her triumph at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That victory had made her the founding member of the \u201cGolden Grand Slam\u201d club for those who had won an Olympic gold as well as titles on all four levels of World Championships \u2013 senior, U23, U20 and U17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But leading up to the defense of her Olympic title in Paris, she had shown chinks in the armor, first with some near-misses at the 2024 Asian Championships, which she still won but in less-than-convincing fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It then all came crashing down at the Champs de Mars Arena, where she was dealt a stunning last-second loss by India’s Vinesh Phogat, marking her first-ever loss to a non-Japanese wrestler. Susaki ended up taking home a bronze, but that was small consolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After taking some time off, Susaki decided that some changes were in order, from altering her diet to make cutting weight easier to revising her match strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlong with Vinesh in Paris, I also learned much from my first-round match against the DPR Korean [Yong Ok HWANG] at the Asian Championships before Paris,\u201d Susaki said, referring to an unusually difficult victory. \u201cAfter that, I lost at the National Games [to Moe Kiyooka], making it really a difficult two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut thanks to those experiences, I have grown considerably. I definitely want to win the gold at the Los Angeles Olympics, and taking it one step at a time, I will take each title along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final at the Zhastyk Arena on Thursday, which brought her to tears on the medal podium, was a reunion of sorts. Susaki and Kim had faced each twice way back in 2017, first in the final at the Asian Championships and again in the semifinals of the World Championships. Susaki won both encounters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given her Paris experience, Susaki knew she could not underestimate Kim, and set up her moves deliberately and without anxiousness. She broke through with a go-behind takedown in the first period, then added a stepout for a 3-0 lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the second period, Susaki got in deep on a tackle, but could only manage a stepout, then padded the lead with a snapdown takedown to make it 6-0. Down the stretch, she kept calm and on alert as Kim tied up, looking for an opportunity for a last-ditch throw that never came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been nine years since I faced Kim Son Hyang, so it\u2019s been quite awhile,\u201d Susaki said. \u201cShe has achieved good results. I think I myself have changed and grown a lot over these past nine years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Susaki seemed unconcerned about a potential future encounter with the current world 50kg champion, Won Myong Gyong of North Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe country and the opponent does not matter,\u201d she said. \u201cMy objective is to assure I win by giving 100 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the 68kg category, Zhumanazarova spun behind for a first-period takedown and held on for a 2-1 victory over Miwa Morikawa of Japan, last year\u2019s world and Asian champion at 65kg who has moved up to the Olympic weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The victory gave Zhumanazarova her second Asian gold, after previously winning in 2021 and fifth medal overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is my second gold medal at the Asian Championships, but it means just as much to me as the first one,\u201d Zhumanazarova said. \u201cI\u2019m just as happy, because I\u2019ve worked very hard for it and this is the result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like Susaki and Kim, the Zhumanazarova and Morikawa have a history that goes back some time. The two had met in the quarterfinals of the 2016 World Cadet (U17) Championships, where Morikawa won 4-0 en route to the silver medal. Zhumanazarova took a bronze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since then, they have both achieved varying levels of success. Zhumanazarova has two Olympic medals, including a bronze from Tokyo, and a world title from 2021. Morikawa has medals from five consecutive World Championships from 2021 to 2025, including two golds, and two Asian titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Morikawa needed to beat reigning world champion Ami Ishii at the Japan national championships just to make the team to Bishkek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the home crowd was still buzzing over Zhumanazarova\u2019s win, compatriot Medet Kyzy was dealt a come-from-behind 4-2 loss by Enkh Amar in the 76kg final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With no real attacks and lots of mutual pushing, Medet Kyzy had taken a 2-0 lead on an activity point in the first period and a face-shoving penalty in the second. After Enkh Amar received an activity point, the match finally started to heat up in the final minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enkh Amar used a headlock to get Medet Kyzy off balance and slipped behind her with the two on their feet, then proceeded to march her over the edge for a stepout with :13 left. Medet Kyzy\u2019s lack of a resistance led to a 1-point fleeing penalty to put the Mongolian ahead 3-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was very calm, and my coach also said to me to stay very calm, and that’s why I made the correct decision at the last moment,\u201d said Enkh Amar, the 2023 world silver medalist at 72kg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the clock ticked down, Medet Kyzy powered Enkh Amar to the edge and slammed her to the mat, sending the crowd into a frenzy. But the move failed to beat the clock, and an unsuccessful challenge made the final score 4-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the 55kg final, Japan\u2019s Uchida spotted Li Yuxuan of China a six-point lead, only to storm back for a 10-6 victory that relegated the Chinese to a silver medal for the second straight year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Li gained a takedown off a counter and proceeded with two gut wrenches. But on an attempt at a third, Uchida stepped over for a 2-point exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uchida\u2019s next attack hit the mark for a single-leg takedown, to which she added two rolls of her own for an 8-6 lead. Uchida then sewed up the victory with go-behind takedown for the lone points of the second period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight away, I gave up a go-behind takedown and she rolled me, so I was really panicking,\u201d Uchida said. \u201cIt made me uneasy that I couldn\u2019t finish off my single-leg tackle, which is my specialty, and I gave up points off of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I have a variety of moves, and I know the hardships I went through to get here. I believed in myself and remembered to keep attacking to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uchida said that when she noticed her opponent appeared to be running out of gas, she applied more pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI realized that my opponent was getting winded and even though it was tough for me, too, mentally I was feeling a bit at ease,\u201d she said. \u201cEven though I came back, it was still only a two-point difference. I made sure not to let up through the end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the 19-year-old Uchida, a recent world U17 and U20 champion who had to settle for a bronze medal at last year\u2019s World Championships in her first major senior-level tournament, the win in Bishkek had special meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI definitely wanted to win my first [major] senior tournament, but I lost convincingly at the World Championships in September,\u201d Uchida said. \u201cIt was really tough to take, so I was really determined to win here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is my last international tournament as a teenager, so I really wanted to finish with a win. Even if it was messy, I just wanted to be able to smile at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 59kg, China\u2019s Xie won her first Asian gold by surviving a fierce battle with Japan’s Sena Nagamoto, hanging on for an 8-6 victory after holding a five-point lead in the second period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know the opponent, the Japanese wrestler is very strong and tough,\u201d Xie said. \u201cI knew it would be a difficult final, but I didn’t put too much burden on my shoulders. I just followed my mood and tactics and what the coach told me to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xie, a bronze medalist last year, struck first with a duck under for a takedown, but Nagamoto used a low single for a takedown in the final seconds of the first period to make it 2-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xie broke the match open with a step-out and two take-downs to lead 7-2, but Nagamoto was not prepared to give up the fight. The 2023 world U23 silver medalist gained a 2-point exposure from a reverse headlock, which Xie slipped out of for a reversal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nagamoto picked up a late takedown, but Xie held on for the win.\u201cI needed to be more careful to do all the actions because the opponent will try her best to attack,\u201d Xie said. \u201cBut I cannot only think about defense, but also find a chance to do counterattack or attack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xie, who also has a world 55kg bronze won in 2022, reveled in triumphing in her first trip to a major final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI never had this experience before,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s the first time in the final and I won gold the first time. So it\u2019s like a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All 5 Chinese make medal podium<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Zelu Li, dethroned as the 68kg champion by Zhumanazarova in the semifinals, was among a trio of Chinese who won bronze-medal matches to ensure that all five of the country\u2019s wrestlers made it to the podium on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Li, a 2025 world bronze medalist at 72kg, had little trouble rolling to a 10-0 victory in 1:25 against an overmatched Dang Thi Linh of Vietnam to take home a 68kg bronze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Li twice combined a takedown with two rolls \u2013 using an intriguing technique in which she locked Dang\u2019s heel against the back of her leg in lieu of the more common lace lock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the other 68kg match, Delgermaa Enkhsaikhan of Mongolia picked up her second straight bronze and fifth Asian medal overall by ending what had been a close match with Yelena Shalygina of Kazakhstan with a fall 47 seconds into the second period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the score tied 1-1, Enkhsaikhan powered the 37-year-old Shalygina straight to her back and secured the fall, denying the veteran another major medal in a vast collection that includes a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 50kg category, Aktenge Keunimjaeva of Uzbekistan denied Sri Lanka its first-ever Asian medal, scoring an activity point and a takedown off a barrel roll in the first period to edge Nipuni Hewa Pedige 3-0. Hewa Pedige became the fourth wrestler overall and second woman from the island nation to make it to a bronze-medal match, and the fourth to come away empty-handed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Olympic bronze medalist Feng Ziqi of China earned her third career Asian medal by taking the other 50kg bronze with a quick 10-0 win over Maral Tangirbergenova of Kazakhstan, scoring a takedown and four rolls in 1:16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 76kg category, Li Wenji of China secured China\u2019s third bronze of the night, scoring a takedown and three stepouts in a 5-0 victory over Chang Hui Tsz of Chinese Taipei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gulmaral Yerkebayeva of Kazakhstan became a five-time Asian bronze medalist \u2013 dating back to 2015 \u2013 when she defeated Hwang Eunju of Korea 5-1 for the other 76kg bronze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 30-year-old Yerkebayeva scored a takedown in the first period and adding another in the last 10 seconds of the match to clinch the victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wildest match of the day came at 59kg, in which Ulmeken Esenbaeva of Uzbekistan squandered a nine-point lead to fall behind by three points, only to throw down Sezim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan and secure a fall with 23 seconds left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Esenbaeva had a 4-point takedown as she raced to a 9-0 lead in the first period. But Zhumanazarova came to life, scoring a takedown and then piling up points in a scramble that included a 2-point penalty against Esebaeva for grabbing the head. When the dust was cleared on challenge, Zhumanazarova had a 12-9 lead at the break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the second period, Esenbaeva cut the gap with a backwards trip for a takedown. With time running out, she secured a headlock and took Zhumanazorova to her back for a 13-12 lead that became irrelevant when the fall was confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other 59kg match has its share of drama as well, as Neha of India rallied from a 4-1 deficit with second-period surge that gave her a 10-4 victory over two-time Asian medalist Bolortuya Khurelkhuu of Mongolia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neha won her first Asian medal after moving up to 59kg, having finished second at the Zagreb Ranking Series at 57kg, the weight class in which she won a world U17 gold and U23 bronze in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was India\u2019s second bronze of the night, after Hansika Lamba scored all of her points in the second period of a 6-1 victory over 2024 bronze medalist Aruuke Kadyrbek Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in the 55kg category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ariunzaya Odonchimeg of Mongolia received the other 55kg bronze when Korean Oh Jeongbin (KOR) defaulted due to injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Women\u2019s Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 50kg (11 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB) df. Nipuni HEWA PEDIGE (SRI), 3-0 53kg (11 entries)<\/strong> 55kg (8 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Ariunzaya ODONCHIMEG (MGL) df. Jeongbin OH (KOR) by Inj. Def. 57kg (11 entries)<\/strong> 59kg (8 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: NEHA (IND) df. Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL), 10-4 62kg (11 entries)<\/strong> 65kg (9 entries)<\/strong> 68kg (10 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Zelu LI (CHN) df. Thi Linh DANG (VIE) by TS, 10-0, 1:25 72kg (8 entries)<\/strong> 76kg (9 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Wenji LI (CHN) df. Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE), 5-0 Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki made sure there would be no lapses or surprises when she defeated North Korean<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[91],"class_list":["post-11473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-wrestling"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Yui-Susaki.jpg",1300,731,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Yui-Susaki-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Yui-Susaki-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Yui-Susaki-768x432.jpg",640,360,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Yui-Susaki-1024x576.jpg",640,360,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Yui-Susaki.jpg",1300,731,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Yui-Susaki.jpg",1300,731,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Yui-Susaki-825x575.jpg",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Yui-Susaki-590x410.jpg",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Newsbeat<\/a>","tag_info":"Newsbeat","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Yui-Susaki.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11473"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11475,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11473\/revisions\/11475"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
GOLD: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Son Hyang KIM (PRK), 6-0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Ziqi FENG (CHN) df. Maral TANGIRBERGENOVA (KAZ) by TS, 10-0, 1:16<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SF 1: Jin ZHANG (CHN) df. Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) by Fall, 2:33 (2-2)
SF2: MEENAKSHI (IND) df. Seoyoung PARK (KOR), 4-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GOLD: Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) df. Yuxuan LI (CHN), 10-6<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Hansika LAMBA (IND) df. Aruuke KADYRBEK KYZY (KGZ), 6-1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SF 1: Kexin HONG (CHN) df. Youngjin KWON (KOR) by TS, 10-0, :30
SF2: Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) df. Sara NATAMI (JPN) by Fall, 3:20 (8-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GOLD: Mengyu XIE (CHN) df. Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN), 8-6<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Ulmeken ESENBAEVA (UZB) df. Sezim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) by Fall, 5:37 (13-12)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SF 1: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Nigina SABIROVA (UZB) by Fall, 1:55 (8-0)
SF2: Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK) df. Tynys DUBEK (KAZ) by TS, 11-0, 3:20<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SF 1: LILI (CHN) df. Firuza ESENBAEVA (UZB) by Fall, 2:09 (4-0)
SF2: Nana IKEHATA (JPN) df. Hanbit LEE (KOR), 4-0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GOLD: Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN), 2-1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) df. Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ) by Fall, 3:47 (3-1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SF 1: Jia LONG (CHN) df. Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) by TS, 11-1, 4:31
SF2: Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN) df. HARSHITA (IND) by Fall, 5:59 (7-2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GOLD: Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL) df. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) 4-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ) df. Eunju HWANG (KOR), 5-1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"