Japan’s Kotaro Kiyooka outpointed Rahman Amouzadkhalili of Iran 10-3 to win the men’s 65-kg freestyle wrestling gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
A first-time Olympian, the 23-year-old Kiyooka secured Japan’s seventh wrestling gold of the Paris Games, the most of any country. He followed in the footsteps of countryman Takuto Otoguro who won the men’s 65-kg freestyle gold at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Amouzadkhalili, the 2022 world champion, scored the first point by making Kiyooka step out before the Japanese wrestler quickly turned things around at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.
Kiyooka scored a takedown and then secured control of Amouzadkhalili’s legs to go up 10-1 at the end of the first period. The Iranian came out aggressively after the break but could not assert control.
Yuka Kagami can add to Japan’s gold medal haul when she battles Kennedy Blades of the United States in the women’s 76-kg final later on the last day of the Olympics.
BY: The Times Union
