Yui Susaki, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist in the 50kg category, suffered an early exit in the Paris Olympics after falling to India’s Vinesh Phogat in the quarterfinal. Though Phogat went on to win the semifinal against Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzmán, she was later disqualified for exceeding the weight limit by 100 grams. Despite the setback, Susaki managed to secure a bronze medal after defeating Oksana Livach of Ukraine. However, the Japanese star was visibly disappointed with her performance, expressing a sense of ‘betrayal’ in a social media post by United World Wrestling.
In her post, Susaki acknowledged the support she received and expressed her frustration for falling short of her goal. She wrote, “I had the honour of winning the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics! First of all, thank you so much for all your support. It has really helped me out! I wanted to see my family, teammates, and fans who have fought with me for the past three years to win the gold medal, but I couldn’t do it, and I’m so sorry and frustrated that I committed a betrayal.”
Despite the disappointment, Susaki remains determined and has set her sights on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, vowing to reclaim the gold medal. “Despite the loss, encouraging words from all over the world and worlds that they still believe in me and will continue to support me. I wasn’t able to reply, but I read every message, one by one, and I can’t measure how much it touched my heart, how much it saved my heart, and how much it made me want to keep moving forward. Thank you so much! As long as there are people who still support me and believe in me, I am strongly willing to keep going hard again to achieve my goal of becoming an Olympic champion,” she continued.
Susaki concluded her statement by reaffirming her commitment to returning to the Olympic stage, aiming for gold medals in both Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032. “I hope that one day I can truly love this bronze medal. I will definitely achieve the Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles four years later, and the Olympics gold medal in Brisbane eight years later,” she stated.
