KOCHI, Japan – Japan’s Paris Olympic wrestling gold medalist Tsugumi Sakurai on Friday announced her retirement from competition to move into coaching.
The 24-year-old from Kochi Prefecture won the women’s 57-kilogram class at the 2024 Summer Games after winning three straight world championships — at 55 kg in 2021 and 57 kg the following two years.
“I’m drawing a line as a competitor,” Sakurai said at the prefectural government office, revealing she is setting up a wrestling school in her native city of Konan to coach youngsters.
Known for her stamina and trademark arm drag, Sakurai booked her Paris berth by beating two-time Olympic gold medalist Risako Kinjo among her other rivals in the domestic qualifier.
She won the gold in Paris alongside her childhood friend Kotaro Kiyooka, who was also coached by her father and triumphed in the men’s 65-kg freestyle.
Sakurai, who enrolled at the graduate school of Kochi University last April, made her competitive return in October but had kept her future in the sport on hold.<\/p>\n