Flyweight, Freestyle (≤50 kg), Women

Two of the leading contenders to win a medal in the women’s freestyle wrestling flyweight division returned empty handed. Evin Demirhan-Yavuz from Türkiye, at her second Olympics, lost her first bout quite surprisingly against the Cuban Yusneylys Guzmán. The 2023 World Championship silver medalist Dolgorjavyn Otgonjargal from Mongolia reached the semi-final but was then toppled convincingly by the US wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt. The latter had already downed the #3 seeded Chinese wrestler Feng Ziqi in the quarter-final by 7-4 points.

The other section of the draw saw more surprises when the Indian Vinesh beat top favorite and Tokyo gold medalist Yui Susaki in a tight first round match, 3-2 on points. Vinesh, a two-times bronze medalist at World championships and Asian Games winner, went on to defeat the Ukrainian Oksana Livach and Yusneylys Guzmán. For Vinesh, her third Olympics could have been the climax of her career after two unfortunate appearances. On the morning of the final, however, Vinesh weighed 100 grams too much. She was barred from the final and disqualified. Subsequently, the 30-year-old Vinesh announced her retirement. Her place in the final was taken by Guzmán.

In the final, Tokyo bronze medalist Hildebrandt secured gold, pinning Guzmán 3-0 on points. The first bronze medal match was contested between the two athletes who had lost to Vinesh. The Japanese Susaki, who dominated the last four World championships, claimed bronze as consolation, with a superiority victory against Livach. The second bronze went to Feng Ziqi. She was a 6-4 winner on points over Dolgorjavyn. At the age of 36, Mariya Stadnik represented Azerbaijan for the sixth time at the Olympic Games. After winning two silver and two bronze medals, however, she missed her goal of becoming the first female wrestler to win five Olympic medals.