Nagoya, October 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
North Korea’s Il Sim Son stunned Japanese Olympic champion Akari Fujinami on Saturday, ending her remarkable 155-match international winning streak with a fall in the women’s 57kg semifinal at the Asian Games 2026.
Fujinami, who had remained unbeaten internationally since 2017, was pinned by the world silver medallist at 3:52 after Son took control from the opening exchange and never allowed the Japanese wrestler to mount a sustained comeback.
The defeat came as a major surprise given Fujinami’s dominance since moving up from 53kg to 57kg at the end of last year. The Paris Olympic champion had continued her winning run in the higher weight category and arrived in Nagoya as one of Japan’s leading gold-medal contenders.
Son, however, immediately disrupted those expectations. She opened the semifinal with a takedown and followed it with two rolls to establish a 6-0 lead by the break.
Fujinami had earlier demonstrated her ability to overturn a significant deficit, recovering from 0-6 down to beat her opening-round opponent 15-4. But she could not repeat that comeback against Son.
The North Korean wrestler repeatedly shut down Fujinami’s attacks and remained composed when the Japanese star attempted a duck-under. Son then added two barrel rolls, with the second leaving Fujinami exposed on the mat and allowing her to secure the decisive fall.
After the bout, Fujinami admitted that her opponent had been stronger.
“My opponent was really strong, and I was just weak,” Fujinami was quoted as saying by United World Wrestling. “I’m still not strong enough. I will definitely get stronger. I want to win by continuing to wrestle in my own style.”
The loss ended Fujinami’s first international winning streak in nine years and brought her 155-match run to a close. She will now compete for a bronze medal.
Son, meanwhile, has advanced to the Asian Games gold-medal bout, where she will have an opportunity to add another major title to her record.
The day also produced another upset involving a Paris Olympic champion, with Uzbekistan’s Razambek Jamalov, the men’s 74kg gold medallist, losing 7-6 to Iran’s Yones Emami.
Jamalov subsequently entered the repechage but lost 7-3 to India’s Sagar Jaglan, who sealed the victory with a takedown and turn in the final 20 seconds.
In other finals, India’s Aman Sehrawat will face North Korea’s world champion Chongsong Han in the 57kg gold-medal bout, while Iran’s Amirali Azarpira will meet Uzbekistan’s Sherzod Poyonov for the 97kg title.
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