Paris 2024 Olympic wrestling champion Motoki Sakura won her first world title Thursday (18 September), taking the 62kg title at the 2025 World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.
Motoki, whose previous Worlds finishes earned her silver in 2023 and bronze in 2022, pushed past the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Kim Ok-ju, winning 5-4 in the final.
The bronze medals went to Purevdorjiin Orkhon of Mongolia, the 2017 world champion at 63kg, and Amina Tandelova.
Earlier in the day, Japan’s Murayama Haruna defeated Ecuador’s Lucía Yépez, the Paris runner-up, for the 53kg world title, with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Choe Hyo-gyong and India’s Antim Panghal the bronze medallists. Choe also claimed bronze at Paris 2024.
The win is Murayama’s third world title. She won the 55kg in 2017, the 53kg in 2018, and the 55kg in 2023.
Japan’s triumphs continued in the 68kg division with Ishii Ami defeating Yuliana Yaneva of Bulgaria for the gold medal. Paris 2024 silver medal winner Kennedy Blades of the United States and the People’s Republic of China’s Long Jia rounded out the top three.
The last women’s gold medal went to Ukraine’s Alla Belinska, who saw off Türkiye’s Nesrin Baş 6-0 in the final. The bronze medal winners were Kyrgyzstan’s Nurzat Nurtaeva and China’s Li Zelu.
Competition continues Friday (19 September) at the Worlds with the first day of finals in Greco-Roman wrestling.