She cried after victory kissed her. But the tears were not of joy. On Wednesday, The United Wrestling World Championships arena witnessed the fall of a dream for a Japanese wrestler although she stood atop the podium. The wrestler who clinched a gold in her weight category last year, repeated the show this year as well. However, the much-coveted gold medal remained just a ‘consolation prize’ for her.

And the dream was not a small one. It is a dream that every sportsperson in the world harbors at the bottom of their hearts. So the disappointment was out of bounds. And she let it flow as the gold medalist left the arena in tears.

 Golden celebration stumbles at ‘Olympic’ roadblock

On September 20, 20-year-old Japanese wrestler Nonoka Ozaki wrestled past her American opponent Macey Kilty 10-0 in the 65kg final. It put an instant smile on her face. But within moments, the truth struck her that it was not an Olympic weight category. The nascent champion burst into tears facing the death of her chances in the Paris Olympics. Post-match the world witnessed Ozaki’s unfiltered emotions as she said, “When I won the title, it hit me that it wasn’t an Olympic weight.”

What was even more painful for Ozaki was that once her teammate Sakura Motoki earned a spot on the Japanese national wrestling team for Paris. Ozaki was the gold medalist of 2022 in 62kg but she lost out to her countrymate Sakura Motoki for a place on the team at that weight. Earlier in the day, Motoki advanced to the 62kg final. This kind of sealed off Ozaki’s path to Paris.

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It was like a build-up of disappointments for Ozaki. And she did not hide her emotions as she said, “It was tough to see someone else clinch the team spot in my weight class. It was my own fault. Sports is like that. I have to accept it.” However, the teammate to whom Ozaki lost her bid to Paris is already gaining respect from her opponents.

Japanese wrestling bid going ‘strong’

In the 62-kg final, Motoki was up against Wily Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan. Tynybekova showed her class by outperforming Motoki. thereby claiming her third world title and a ticket to her fourth Olympics.  However, after her 4-1 victory, Tynybekova had all praise for the Japanese team. “The Japanese wrestlers are very strong”, she said. Japan currently stands at the 6th position with 61 medals while the US is at the top with 148 medals, followed by Iran and Georgia.

USA Wrestler Pays Heavy Price for Failing to Qualify Weight as Olympics Hope Diminish

Ozaki seemed to echo the strength of the Japanese wrestlers when she talked about the way forward from here. She said, “I have the option of going to the Asian Games….I have no choice but to put this behind me.” Her desire to participate and compete in the Olympics might have shattered. But it is evident that she is on the move once again, leaving the scar undercover. Will such heartbreaks and disappointments lead the way to adding more weight categories in the Olympics?

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