Japan's Tsugumi Sakurai, right, and Germany's Nina Hemmer compete in the women's 55-kilogram final at the wrestling world championships in Oslo, Norway, on Oct. 5, 2021. (Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Tsugumi Sakurai recorded a dominant 10-0 technical fall win over Germany's Nina Hemmer in the women's 55-kilogram final on Tuesday, capturing a gold medal in her freestyle wrestling senior world championships debut.

       The 20-year-old Ikuei University student, who won the 55-kg title at last year's national championships and this year's national invitational, needed just 2 minutes, 8 seconds to secure Japan's first victory at the Jordal Amfi arena in Oslo.

       "I was able to get on the mat with confidence, thanks to all the support I got that allowed me to do well here," Sakurai said.

       "There were wrestlers who appeared in the Olympics and those that have good results, and I was able to go head-to-head against them and beat them. It gives me confidence," she said.

       In the women's 62-kg, Japanese 18-year-old Nonoka Ozaki defeated Ukrainian Ilona Prokopevniuk 12-0 for bronze.

       No wrestlers who represented Japan at the Tokyo Olympics are competing in the Oct. 2-10 event held in Norway's capital.

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