Japan's Rei Higuchi won the men's freestyle wrestling 57-kilogram gold medal before countrywoman Tsugumi Sakurai claimed the podium's top spot at the same weight in the women's event at the Paris Games on Friday.
The 28-year-old Higuchi, silver medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, came from behind to defeat Spencer Richard Lee of the United States 4-2 in the dying seconds of the final at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.
"It was not an easy road. I lost a lot, was disqualified from the weigh-in (in the Tokyo Olympics qualifying round), and experienced a lot of frustration and despair," Higuchi said.
"I won the gold medal thanks to so many people...There were people who thought I was the strongest in the world and cheered me on. I am very happy to have been able to answer their call."
Higuchi, known for his quick one-leg tackles, became the first Japanese man to win a title in the lightest weight category since Takashi Kobayashi in the 48-kg class at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
It was redemption for the Osaka Prefecture native who did not qualify for the Tokyo Games in 2021 after failing to make weight.
Tied 2-2 after overcoming a two-point deficit in the first period with a leg tackle in the second, Higuchi twisted Lee down by the waist before deftly flipping him to score two points as the clock ran out.
"I'm grateful to my family for all of their patience. I fought at a very high level here. This was a terrific tournament for me," Higuchi said after the medal ceremony.
Sakurai, 22, a three-time world champion making her Olympic debut, beat Anastasia Nichita of Moldova 6-0 to claim the title.
She follows in the footsteps of four-time Olympic champion Kaori Icho and Tokyo Games winner Risako Kinjo, whom she beat in a national selection tournament en route to punching her ticket to Paris.
"I was not too nervous and stayed relaxed as usual. I heard a lot of cheers, and I enjoyed my matches very much," Sakurai said.
Japan took its gold medal tally to five, with two bronze, to lead the wrestling medal standings in Paris.
It won two golds in Greco-Roman, while a dominant victory by Akari Fujinami in the women's 53-kg class on Thursday extended her winning streak to a phenomenal 137 bouts since junior high school.
In earlier action on Friday, Daichi Takatani booked a spot in the men's 74-kg freestyle final with a hard-fought 20-12 victory over American Kyle Douglas Dake, a bronze medalist in this class at the Tokyo Games.
The 29-year-old Takatani, making his first Olympic appearance, will face Razambek Salambekovitch Jamalov of Uzbekistan in Saturday's final.
Sakura Motoki also moved into the final in the women's 62-kg class, coming back from the brink of defeat with a back-bending tackle for a technical fall of Grace Jacob Bullen of Norway and will face off against Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Iryna Koliadenko of Ukraine on Saturday.
Down 7-2 in the second period, Motoki tossed her opponent over her shoulders to snatch the win.
Motoki, the 2023 world silver medalist at 62 kg, is bidding to extend the Japanese women's title streak in this weight category that goes back to the inaugural women's wrestling tournament in 2004.
Although Tokyo Olympic champion Yui Susaki suffered an upset in the first round at 50 kg and won bronze here, Japanese women have won wrestling gold medals in six consecutive Olympics since the 2004 Athens Games.
If the rest of the women win, including Motoki and Yuka Kagami, the 2023 world champion at 76 kg, they will have four gold medals, tying the record haul set in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021.
Related coverage:
Olympics: Injury makes wrestling phenom Akari Fujinami a more fearsome foe
Olympics: Shock losers Susaki, Abe to walk similar redemption roads
Olympics: Tokyo gold medalist Susaki falls in wrestling 1st round
