Kenichiro Fumita Turned Tokyo Silver Into Paris Gold
Kenichiro Fumita won the Olympic Greco-Roman 60kg championship on August 6, 2024, defeating China’s Cao Liguo 4–1 in Paris. The victory ended Japan’s forty-year wait for a Greco-Roman Olympic gold and improved on Fumita’s silver medal in Tokyo.
A semifinal throw reversed a world-final defeat
Fumita reached the final by defeating Kyrgyzstan’s Zholaman Sharshenbekov 4–3. He trailed 1–0 before securing a four-point back suplex early in the second period.
Sharshenbekov answered with a takedown to narrow the margin, but Fumita protected his lead. The result avenged their 2023 world championship final, which Sharshenbekov had won 11–6 in Belgrade.
Control from par terre decided the final
Against Cao, Fumita scored from par terre during the first period and kept his opponent from overturning the advantage. The 4–1 decision completed a second consecutive Olympic final appearance with a different medal.
Three years earlier, Luis Orta had beaten Fumita in the Tokyo final. Fumita described that disappointment as a powerful memory while reflecting on the victory in Paris.
A special city and a national milestone
Paris was already significant in Fumita’s career because he had won his first world title there in 2017. He returned to the city as a two-time former world champion pursuing the Olympic title.
Japan’s previous Greco-Roman Olympic gold had come through Atsuji Miyahara in 1984. Fumita’s success linked his own recovery from Tokyo disappointment with the end of that long national gap.
Sources
- UWW: semifinal throw, Sharshenbekov rivalry and 2017 title
- UWW: Cao final, Tokyo background and Japanese milestone
