Yui Susaki has a pretty one-sided relationship with numbers. 82-0 read her international win-loss record coming into the 2024 Paris Olympics where Vinesh Phogat famously ended her reign. 106-0 reads her points won versus conceded stat after the Asian Championships, Asian Games and World Championships 2026. And 13-0 is her win-loss record this year culminating in a fifth World Championships title.
This is jaw-dropping domination, except one has come to associate it with Susaki. The title in Astana though comes with added glitter for the Japanese 50kg winning machine as it arrives on the back of a long hiatus from competitive wrestling. Following the shock opening round loss to Vinesh in Paris, Susaki returned to the drawing board and went for a dispassionate reassessment of her game.
Just how much toll can a solitary loss inflict on an athlete who doesn't have a coping mechanism for losses? Here's the answer: "For a year and five months since the Paris Olympics, I trained as usual in Tokyo, my base of operations. I completely re-evaluated everything, from weight management and physical conditioning, to, of course, wrestling itself. I trained all day long," Susaki told HT from Astana.
The 27-year-old 2021 Tokyo Olympics champion returned to international competitions at this year's Asian Championships where she won all her four matches to win the gold. Her streak included an opening round win over China's Ziqi Feng, a Paris Olympics bronze medallist. Susaki pinned her after scoring two points. A 11-0 rout of Neelam followed, before Susaki beat Kazakhstan's Maral Tangirbergenova by fall and beat North Korea's Son Hyang Kim 6-0 in the final. That's 27-0 for the competition.
{{/usCountry}}The 27-year-old 2021 Tokyo Olympics champion returned to international competitions at this year's Asian Championships where she won all her four matches to win the gold. Her streak included an opening round win over China's Ziqi Feng, a Paris Olympics bronze medallist. Susaki pinned her after scoring two points. A 11-0 rout of Neelam followed, before Susaki beat Kazakhstan's Maral Tangirbergenova by fall and beat North Korea's Son Hyang Kim 6-0 in the final. That's 27-0 for the competition.
{{/usCountry}}"I wanted to compete as soon as possible, but I held back and prepared to evolve. I prepared to win no matter the situation. I prepared to outperform my opponent and score points in any situation," she said.
At the Asian Games, Susaki was even more dominant, breezing through her four bouts on way to an emotional triumph on home soil. Her victims included India's Dipanshi (11-0), Cambodia's Samnang Dit (10-0), Kazakhstan's Zeinep Bayanova (4-0, by fall), and North Korea's Son Hyang Kim (10-0) — 35-0 for the competition. But Susaki was only warming up.
"After the Asian Games, all I could think of was to become a five-time world champion,” Susaki said. The moment arrived in Astana last week. Unseeded in the competition and ranked 31st in the world at the time of entering the event because of her 20-month break, Susaki scythed through the field with her technical proficiency. She won all her five bouts, including a 9-0 semi-final victory over China's Feng.
It was supposed to be a bridge too far for Neelam Sirohi in the final in any case, but Susaki was out to reclaim her aura. She pinned the Indian inside the first period to win her first world title since 2023 — 44-0 in the Worlds, meaning with each competition, Susaki's attacks got more lethal.
“I’m really happy to have achieved this. It's one of my most special wins. It's come after a long wait," she said.
Coming from Susaki, the first wrestler to have achieved the Golden Grand Slam -- winning all age-group world titles and the Olympics -- it's as much a lesson in humility as it is a reflection of the simmering desire to regain her unbeatable self.
"I don't feel any pressure at all anymore. I am proud and happy to be living the life of Yui Susaki. My father was a wrestler. I started wrestling because of him. I have loved wrestling from the day I started until today. During my break from competitions, I sought to rediscover my love for the sport, and I am glad I could do that."
Next on Susaki's radar is the Emperor's Cup All Japan Championships in December. Japan's Olympic qualifiers will begin there, setting in motion a familiar cycle for the all-conquering wrestler.
"I absolutely want to win the Emperor's Cup All Japan Championships and take a big step towards competing in the Los Angeles Olympics. I want to win that Olympic gold again. Susaki 2.0 is ready for the world."