By Hiroki Noda,
Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki on Tuesday joined her judoka countrywoman Uta Abe as a favorite who took a shock early-round loss at the Paris Games, demonstrating that not even the most dominant athletes can take anything for granted at the Olympics.
After going undefeated in 94 matches against opponents from other countries since her international debut in 2014, Susaki lost to India's Vinesh Vinesh in the women's 50-kilogram first round.
Vinesh, trailing 2-0 against the world's top-ranked wrestler and needing a miracle with the clock ticking, got a takedown near the edge of the mat at Champ-de-Mars Arena, a venue located in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
"I didn't know if that was real," a teary-eyed Susaki told reporters. "I was in good form. It was my first time facing her. Although I didn't know exactly how she would wrestle, I prepared well and had fight plans against her."
"I've been wrestling with the support of my family, teammates and many others. I feel so sorry that all of everyone's time and efforts were wasted because of me."
At the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Susaki dominated the field and did not concede a single point en route to the gold medal.
According to the Japan Wrestling Federation, Susaki, a four-time world champion, has lost only three matches since 2012, all to her compatriot Yuki Irie, who is not competing in Paris.
"I couldn't bring out my best. That's how I usually lose my bouts. The loss tells me that I don't deserve to be an Olympic champion," Susaki said.
"I devoted myself to wrestling but couldn't become an Olympic champion. I'll look back and try to find what I'm missing, and then I will train hard to become a champion again someday."
On July 28, Uta Abe lost in the women's judo 52-kilogram round of 16, ending her bid to win gold medals on the same day as her older brother Hifumi, as they did at the pandemic-hit Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The way both women reacted to their losses takes the parallels further.
"Competing at the Olympics made me rediscover that this is an unbelievable stage," Abe said. "I want to bounce back with real strength that enables me to win gold on the biggest stage again."
Facing similar challenges, now both the highly decorated sportswomen will need to decide how to write their respective redemption stories.
Related coverage:
Olympics: Tokyo gold medalist Susaki falls in wrestling 1st round
Olympics: Judoka Uta Abe vows to bounce back from Paris devastation
Olympics: Japanese delegation warns against defamatory online posts
Olympics: Hifumi Abe calls for fans to be kind, expects judo rule changes
