Japan's three-time Olympic wrestling champion Saori Yoshida announced her retirement officially yesterday, saying it's time for the next generation of wrestlers to take the stage at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The 36-year-old Yoshida, who also won 13 consecutive world championships, spoke before a packed news conference at a hotel in central Tokyo. "I realize I have done everything I can as a wrestler and it's now time to let the next generation of wrestlers take over," Yoshida said.
Yoshida had been taking time away from competition since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where she fell short of a fourth-straight Olympic gold medal and settled for silver. She has been serving as a coach for the Japanese national team in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics.
She received the People's Honor Award in 2012 after surpassing Aleksandr Karelin's record for consecutive world titles. The Russian legend won three Olympic gold medals and nine world championships between 1988 and 1999.
Yoshida, who began wrestling at the age of three, said she was tempted to stick around until the Tokyo Olympics. "After Rio, I had the desire to compete in Tokyo," Yoshida said. "My father told me it's important to know when to retire. I knew I would need my best efforts to perform well in Tokyo and when I saw how motivated the younger wrestlers coming up were I knew the time was right."
Yoshida said she would continue coaching younger wrestlers and will pursue other interests. She has already appeared in several television commercials. "I have many dreams," Yoshida said. "I would like to do something besides wrestling. I want to seek happiness and, of course, I want to give support for the Tokyo Games."
