Japan's wrestling great Susaki Yui: The battle that made the undefeated star cry
Winning Olympic gold without conceding a point should have fulfilled all of Susaki Yui's dreams. Instead, the Japanese star had a nagging feeling that she had more left to prove. At the 2023 World Wrestling Championships she got one step closer to making her ultimate dream come true. Olympics.com spoke to the champion to find out what that dream is.
Wrestling
On paper, Susaki Yui looks stronger than Tamahagane steel.
On the mat at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships, however, the Japanese wrestler who is already being hailed as the greatest female wrestler of all time was a flood of tears.
One would not expect a victory in a semi-final to matter so much to the 24-year-old who was already a three-time world champion as well as an Olympic, Asian, junior and U23 champion. But it was what happened to Susaki in the days - and years - prior that had led to the uncontrollable release.
She had almost missed her home Olympic Games and was at the risk of missing Paris 2024 after training so hard that she got injured three weeks before the world championships started in Belgrade, Serbia.
In the semi-final, she rewrote her story's ending.
“Four years ago, I was very disappointed that I couldn’t compete at the 2019 world championship to secure a spot for Tokyo 2020," Susaki explained after winning her fourth world title. "I’ve never forgot the feeling, even after I became Olympic champion. That’s why I wanted to ensure a place for the Paris [2024] Olympics at this event, which is the only event I can clear up the disappointment.”
A near miss... once more
Susaki has never lost an international match in her career, and the home Olympics were no exception.
The Japanese star did not concede a single point in the women's 50kg event to claim gold in her Olympic debut. But there was one factor that nagged her: She was an Olympic champion, yes, but not the reigning world champion.
That honour belonged to Azerbaijan’s Mariya Stadnyk who triumphed in the 50kg category at the 2019 Worlds in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Susaki did not have a chance to defend her 2018 title because she missed out qualifying for the national team.
The wrestling great who has never been beaten internationally lost at the national worlds trials to Irie Yuki. Missing the 2019 World Championships also meant that Susaki would not compete at her home Olympic Games.
She was spared that heartbreak by chance as Irie's poor performance in Nur-Sultan led to Susaki getting selected to represent Japan at Tokyo 2020. Determined not to go through the same ordeal ahead of Paris 2024, Susaki trained hard to win the 2023 world title and secure an Olympic quota for Japan.
But here, once again, she was faced with a setback.
Susaki had trained so hard that she injured her knee 19 days before the women's 50kg final, once again leaving her Olympic fate in limbo.
"Believe": Hoops, dunks and wrestling inspiration
Sidelined days before the start of the tournament that would determine her Paris 2024 destiny, Susaki found inspiration in an unlikely source – a basketball team.
“Before the world championship, the Japanese basketball team obtained a spot for Paris," Susaki said of Japan's accomplishment at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. "Coach Tom Hovasse kept telling the players 'believe'.
"When I had a hard time (with injury), my older sister sent me a picture saying, 'We believe in you. Even though you are now having a difficult time, you can do it because that is who you are. We believe that you will go to Paris Olympic as the world champion'. That gave me extra energy, and the faith made me the world champion.”
Susaki tapped into that faith in Belgrade and had a strong run to reach the final, including beating People's Republic of China Feng Ziqi 8-2 in the semi-final, which also earned Japan a quota for Paris 2024.
In the final she took down Otgonjargal Dolgorjav, who was equally motivated as she was going for Mongolia’s first-ever gold medal at a world championships, with a score of 10-1.
"I hadn't been able to wrestle before the match, and the match was about to start," Susaki said afterwards.
“I injured myself 19 days ago during a practice session because I kept pushing myself too hard to win this world championship. Now I’ve overcome the challenge and all those experiences broaden my abilities. I will use them to build my confidence towards Paris 2024.”
Susaki Yui looked at basketball for inspiration during the 2023 World Wrestling Championships. She also connected to the sport when she carried the flag alongside basketball player Rui Hachimura at the Opening Ceremony of Tokyo 2020.
Dreaming in French
Paris holds a special place in Susaki’s heart. It was here that she won the first of her four world titles, in 2017, at the age of 18.
If selected by Japan’s National Olympic Committee, she will return to the French capital in 10 months as the reigning Olympic and world champion.
"I thought there was great meaning in trying to win the Olympics for the second time in a row as a world champion, so I definitely wanted to become a world champion here and go to Paris one year later," Susaki said of the extra meaning behind her win in Belgrade. "I went into the finals with this feeling.''
As an extra perk, this time around Sasuki could also see her family in the stands. While her relatives live five minutes from Makuhari Messe, where the wrestling competition took place, they could not watch her win gold because of Covid-19 restrictions.
Given Susaki's ability to put on a show, it is a sight no one – not just her family – would want to miss.
“I really love wrestling, watching and doing," she said. "I appreciate being able to challenge to win Olympic gold medals again. Of course, there would be more pressure ahead of Paris, but I try to enjoy all of that and will make sure to win at the Games again.”