19/09/2026
Nine Years, 153 Straight Wins Ago: Fujinami’s Last Loss and the Foe Who Dominated Her
The one who lost still recalls the match quite well, having used the agony of that defeat as a springboard toward one of the most remarkable winning streaks in wrestling history.
The winner of the encounter — which became historic in the context of what followed — is fuzzy on the details and has long chosen to put her victory in the past. In fact, her interview for this story is the first time she has ever spoken about it to the media.
Well before she would become an Olympic and two-time world champion, Akari FUJINAMI was dealt a 7-2 defeat in the girls’ 44kg final at the National Junior High School Championships, held in June 2017 in Mito, 120 kilometers northeast of Tokyo.
Her conqueror that day was Umi ITO, whose victory was not unexpected. It was a repeat of the final from the National Junior High School Invitational in November the previous year, when Ito, who was one grade older, pounded out a 10-0 victory over Fujinami.
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