Games-Olympic champion Kusaka wins Paris rematch but fades in final

Olympic champion Nao Kusaka produced one stirring ​comeback on Thursday but could not conjure another, ​as the home favourite settled for ‌silver in ​the men's Greco-Roman 77kg wrestling at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Two years after beating Demeu Zhadrayev for Olympic gold in Paris, Kusaka faced the Kazakh again in ‌the quarter-finals at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center. In Greco-Roman wrestling, competitors can attack only with their upper bodies and arms and are not allowed to hold below the waist.

Zhadrayev led 9-4 and looked poised for revenge until Kusaka, roared ‌on by a loud home crowd, fought back to win 11-9. Kusaka scored two step-outs and two exposures to ‌go 10-9 ahead. Zhadrayev challenged the final exposure call and lost, which gave Kusaka one more point and ended a gripping bout.

Kusaka again fell behind in the final against Iran’s Alireza Abdevali after giving away two early points. This time he could not recover, and his ⁠desperate push ​in the second period ⁠could not prevent a 5-2 defeat. "I was focusing on the match but conceding unnecessary early points completely disrupted my rhythm," the 25-year-old said.

"I ⁠believed that winning this tournament would prove my true strength, and I prepared for the tournament with that in mind. "However, I lacked ​the inner strength to push through such a hard match, and I failed to maintain my focus ⁠all the way to the final. I was simply weak."

Japan, a traditional wrestling powerhouse, still had gold to celebrate after Yuri Nakazato defeated India’s ⁠Nitesh ​Siwach 4-0 in the men’s Greco-Roman 97kg final. "It feels so strange. To be honest, I never imagined I could win the gold," said Nakazato, who hobbled onto the podium after injuring his leg.

"Looking at the bracket, ⁠there were top-tier athletes from Kazakhstan and Iran, and I've been beaten in about 40 seconds at this year's ⁠Asian championships. "I just wanted to ⁠win a medal and show my best performance for everyone supporting me, and that came true."

Nonoka Ozaki also won a gold for the hosts, beating North Korea’s Kim ‌Ok Ju 3-0 ‌in the women's freestyle 62kg final.