2024 Olympics: 53 kg Women's Freestyle Results and Notes

The 2024 Olympic Games came to an end on Sunday. Since there was so much action going on for the last week you're sure to have missed something along the way. We'll go through each weight class and have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight.

Past weight classes

Greco-Roman: 60 kg

Greco-Roman: 67 kg

Greco-Roman: 77 kg

Greco-Roman: 87 kg

Greco-Roman: 97 kg

Greco-Roman: 130 kg

Women's Freestyle: 50 kg

Women's Freestyle: 68 kg

Round of 16

Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) over Hyogyong Choe (North Korea)  7-4

Andreea Ana (Romania) over Mariana Dragutan (Moldova)  5-0

Annika Wendle (Germany) over Maria Prevolaraki (Greece)  3-2

Zeynep Yetgil (Turkey) over Antim Panghal (India)  10-0

Akari Fujinami (Japan) over Dom Parrish (USA)  Fall 2:05

Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia) over Christianah Ogunsanya (Nigeria)  Fall 2:19

Qianyu Pang (China) over Mia Aquino (Guam)  10-0

Emma Malmgren (Sweden) over Betzabeth Arguello (Venezuela)  Fall 5:06
 

Quarterfinals

Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) over Andreea Ana (Romania)  Fall 4:41

Annika Wendle (Germany) over Zeynep Yetgil (Turkey)  Fall 4:22

Akari Fujinami (Japan) over Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia)  8-2

Qianyu Pang (China) over Emma Malmgren (Sweden)  10-2

Semifinals

Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) over Annika Wendle (Germany)  10-0

Akari Fujinami (Japan) over Qianyu Pang (China)   10-0
 

Repechage

Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia) over Dom Parrish (USA)  Fall 4:35

Hyogyong Choe (North Korea) over Andreea Ana (Romania)  11-0

Bronze Medal Matches

Hyogyong Choe (North Korea) over Annika Wendle (Germany)  InjDef

Qianyu Pang (China) over Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia)  Fall 1:05
 

Gold Medal Matches

Akari Fujinami (Japan) over Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador)  10-0
 

Notes:

Despite being only 20 years old, Akari Fujinami is now a two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist.

With four wins at the Olympic Games, Fujinami has a winning streak that has extended to 137 matches. 

Only one of Fujinami’s four matches went the full six minutes. 

Lucia Yepez Guzman’s silver medal was the first Olympic medal for Ecuador in any of the three styles of wrestling. 

This was the most Asian dominated medal stand. Three of the four medalists represent Asian countries. 

Hyogyong Choe became the first North Korean woman to earn an Olympic medal in wrestling with her bronze medal. 

China’s Qianyu Pang (China) is now a two-time Olympic medalist (2,3). She is also a four-time World/Olympic medalist. 

Three of the four medalists are 24 years old or younger. China’s Pang (27) was the oldest of the bunch. 

Three of the eight seeded wrestlers lost in the first round, #4 Antim Panghal, #5 Maria Prevolaraki, #6 Christianah Ogunsanya. 

American fans are aware that a pair of world medalists clashed in the opening round as Fujinami pinned Dom Parrish. It was the only first round matchup between past world medalists. 

Parrish also met Khulan Batkhuyag in repechage. The two met in the world finals in 2022 and Parrish prevailed 4-2. This time the Mongolian picked up a win via fall. 

This might have been the most lopsided bracket in terms of tiers of talent. Of the 19 matches wrestled at this weight, only five of them went the full six minutes. 

Along those same lines, 53 kg was the only women’s weight class where there were techs in both semifinal matches. 

Fujinami and Yepez Guzman are the only wrestlers who made the medal stand at this weight last year at the World Championships and in Paris. 

Emma Malmgren was one of only two Swedish women in the tournament. Malmgren was the only two pick up a win. 

Pang, Andreea Ana, and Maria Prevolaraki are the only members of the 53 kg 2020 Olympic bracket that returned in 2024. Yepez Guzman is the only other wrestler in the bracket with Olympic experience (at 50 kg in 2020). 

Prevolaraki was easily the most experienced wrestler in this field. She competed in the Olympic Games for a fourth time, though she has never medaled.