Japan’s women’s freestyle wrestling team is good. Really good.
The country’s recent performances at the Olympics have shown that it is not slowing down and that the next generation is better than ever. Japan secured four gold medals and two bronze medals – arguably its best performance at the Olympics.
The last time Japan lost at a world championship or Olympic Games was the 2012 World Championship, where China won the team title. That’s 12 consecutive years of Japanese dominance – not counting the 2016 World Championship, which had only two weight classes (Japan won).
Japan at the World Championships and Olympic Games since 2013
The United States completed its most successful quad after finishing second behind Japan at the 2021-2023 World Championships and in the unofficial team rankings of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg) and Amit Elor (68 kg) won gold, Kennedy Blades (76 kg) won silver and Helen Maroulis (57 kg) won bronze. It was the most gold medals for a U.S. women’s team and they tied with the 2020 team for the most medals.
Terry Steiner, coach of USA Wrestling’s women’s national team, insists his team is on the rise and will conquer the world, citing the explosive growth of girls’ high school wrestling and record-breaking participation. Steiner also says our next female freestyle superstar or Olympian could be someone we’ve never heard of – a testament to the grassroots work being done in the United States.
“We still have a lot of work to do, but I believe that one day we will get the upper hand, but Japan will not go down,” Steiner said. “We have to climb over them. I think we are closing that gap, but there is still a lot of work to do. There is no place to rest at the moment. They are not resting. They are making progress and also have a lot of young people in their team.”
Here are five questions that need to be answered for women to take power in the United States.
What does the United States have to do to beat Japan at the World Championships and Olympics?
Gold. Lots of gold. And lots of medals.
Japan has won an average of two more medals and two and a half more gold medals than the United States over the past four years, by an average margin of 47.75 points. Team USA will need to perform like Japan to win.
Or the USA will have to take advantage of a small setback. At the 2019 World Championships, the US team won three gold medals and Japan won one. Overall, however, Japan won six medals and the USA only three.
Direct comparison: USA against Japan
Japan doubled the USA’s gold medal haul at the 2024 Olympic Games with a score of 4:2.
Kennedy Blades lost 3-1 to Yuka Kagami of Japan in the gold medal final in the 76 kg class, but a takedown in the second round would have given Blades the win. Had she won, the score would have been 3-3.
Former Campbellsville University star Grace Bullen of Norway led Japan’s Sakurai Motoki 7-2 in the semifinals before Motoki secured a late win for a spot in the gold medal final (which she won).
Kayla Miracle lost 6:6 on criteria to Aisuluu Tynybekova from Kyrgyzstan in the quarterfinals. The team result would have been much closer if these turning points had turned out differently.
Ask Steiner how he comes through in crucial moments. The former University of Iowa star won his 1993 NCAA tournament final with a last-second takedown. Winning titles requires a complete fight.
How will the United States compete with Japan’s strength?
Japan is represented in most weight classes with five to six participants, which gives the team an advantage over all other countries.
Let’s take 53 kilograms. Akari Fujinami, 20, won the 2024 Olympic Games and the world titles in 2021 and 2023. Behind her are three-time world champion Haruna Okuno, 25, and four-time world champion and Olympic champion Mayu Mukaida, 27. Neither of them is good enough to make the team.
Japan has world champions as substitutes in several weight classes.
The USA has the best team strength in the world at 76 kg, possibly as high as 72 kg if several stars stay down after the World Team Trials. Success at the age level also predicts how the USA will perform at the senior level.
A complete takeover requires a strong national team with 10 weight classes.
What does a takeover mean?
A takeover means the United States is the consistent and dominant power in women’s freestyle. And the United States doesn’t just have Japan to think about. Russia and Belarus were absent from the Olympics, and India is in turmoil. Mongolia, China and Ukraine are absent and will likely have impressive lineups in the years to come. This was a top-heavy Olympics, with the United States and Japan securing all the gold medals.
How long will the takeover take?
There is no timetable. Development takes time, investment and consistency. There is also no magic formula. Deflecting a leg shot and stopping a shot takes thousands of hours of repetition. Wishful thinking has no impact on results.
Will the rise of flag football impact the growth of women’s wrestling in the United States?
It’s hard to say. Flag football is going to be an Olympic sport and the NFL is behind it. The two sports could go hand in hand and support each other since they are different seasons. It could be a good thing if it’s packaged properly.
Several potentially great wrestlers have chosen football over wrestling, so it’s hard to predict how that will play out. Women’s flag football is not yet a Division I sport, but should be in the coming years. That could play a role when an athlete is deciding between a flag football and wrestling scholarship.
Women’s wrestling is a national sport in Japan, so there is every reason to believe the country will continue to invest in its success. Football is America’s sport, and the NFL is investing in the success of flag football.
