The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesAugust 8-24 2008
(BEIJING, August 16) -- Canada's Carol Huynh won the Women's Freestyle 48 kilogram gold medal on August 16 in a surprising defeat over competition favorite Icho Chiharu of Japan, shattering Japan's hope of winning two Wrestling gold medals in one day.
This was Icho's second Olympic defeat, having also taken silver in Athens. She has won two World Cup titles and two World Championship titles in the past three years but was unable to bring this gold medal home. "Today the medal I got was silver, I have been working hard since the Athens Olympic Games with my younger sister, Kaori. To me, this is Gold," she said after the final.
For Huynh, the gold medal meant her best senior achievement, Canada's first gold medal in Beijing and Canada's first ever Women's Wrestling Olympic gold medal.
Bronze medals went to Athens gold medalist Irina Merleni of Ukraine and 2008 European champion Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan.
The defending 55kg champion, 25-year-old wrestling legend Yoshida Saori, outwrestled local favorite Li Xu in the 55kg final to uphold Japanese authority in Wrestling on Saturday. Yoshida began wrestling when she was just three, training under her father; since her international debut in 1998, she has won all major international tournaments, including five World Championships. She also set a historical record for wining 119 bouts in a row, before a loss in January.
Yoshida cried after winning the bout. "I didn't remember crying in Athens but this time I cried because I killed myself preparing for these Olympics," she commented on her crying. "I don't remember crying in Athens. This time I cried because I was very happy and I really put my best into preparing for this Olympics. I really had been carrying around with me in my head what happened in January."
Colombia's Jackeline Renteria took one of two bronze medals for her country's first ever Olympic Wrestling medal. The other bronze went to Athens silver medalist Tonya Verbeek of Canada.
