By Ken Marantz
OCA Media
Nagoya, Japan, September 30, 2026: World champion Ami Ishii got an expected Japanese juggernaut in women’s wrestling off to a golden start, winning the 68kg title on the opening day of competition on Wednesday.
Ishii, the first up in a lineup of global stars the host country will send out to the mat over the four days, scored three takedowns in defeating DPK Korea’s Pak Sol Gum 7-2 in the final at Inae Sports Park.
Ishii used her low single-leg takedown to take a 5-1 lead in the first period. She added her third takedown in the second period before finally conceding one to Pak, whose lone score came off a counter as Ishii effectively repelled her attacks.
“I didn’t really think about her attack, I was just focusing on getting points while stopping whatever she did,” Ishii said.
Ishii said she was spurred on by the block of cheering fans from the corporate sponsor she joined upon her graduation from Ikuei University in March that she would rarely have at an international event.
“There were a lot of them,” Ishii said. “When I looked up and saw the group in the stands, it made it worth winning.”
Both wrestlers had to scale tough barriers in the morning session to make the final.
Ishii spotted China’s world bronze medalist Long Jia a 4-0 lead in their semifinal, but forged her way back to go ahead 8-4 before ending the match by fall with just under a minute to go.
Although it was the first official match between them, the two were familiar with each other. Long has come to Japan on her own several times to train at Ikuei University, one of the top women’s collegiate powerhouses in Japan.
Pak came out a 1-1 winner over reigning Asian champion and Olympic silver medalist Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan on last-point criteria, with both points scored on the activity clock.
In the bronze-medal matches, Long pretty much did to Mongolia’s Delgermaa Enkhsaikhan what Ishii did to her, scraping out a 7-6 victory after giving up the first six points.
In fact, Long had to fight off her back and Enkhsaikhan put her into danger with a 4-point headlock throw.
Zhumanazarova took the other bronze with a victory by fall over Korea’s Park Hyeonyeong.
Ishii, the 2024 world champion at 72kg, has been on a roll since the greatest heartbreak of her career, when she missed out on the Paris Olympics after suffering a last-second loss to Nonoka Ozaki in a playoff.
Ozaki, who won a bronze in Paris, will be in action on Thursday in Nagoya in the 62kg competition, the weight class in which she is the current Asian champion.