Rio 2016: Japanese wrestler celebrates winning gold medal by body slamming her own coach
Risako Kawai chose the unusual celebration to toast her success in the women's 63kg wrestling category
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Your support makes all the difference.Japanese Olympic wrestler Risako Kawai celebrated winning the gold medal in the women’s 63kg class by slamming her own trainer to the mat twice before parading him around the arena on her shoulders.
The pair were delirious with joy after Kawai defeated Mariya Mamashuk of Belarus in the gold medal final on Thursday night, and after shaking hands with her opponent, Kawai made a beeline for her coach, Kazuhito Sakae.
Instead of the usual hugs, tears and smiles, Kawai slammed her coach over her shoulders and onto the mat, before repeating the move in what was one of the funniest celebrations seen at Rio 2016. The bizarre scenes continued as Kawai then hoisted her coach up onto her shoulders and paraded him around the Carioca Arena while he was draped in the Japanese national flag.
The 21-year-old was understandably delighted after securing a gold medal in her very first Olympic Games.
Speaking after the fight – and the uncontrollable celebrations – Kawai said: "Before the final, the coach said he wanted me to lift him on his shoulders. The three wrestlers the previous day all won gold so they got to do that, and I said I wanted to be first to slam him and he let me do it."
Sakae will have been used to the feeling of being slammed onto the mat though, having competed in the Asian Wrestling Championships for Japan between 1983 and 1989 and also wrestling at the 1987 World Championship , where he claimed bronze in the 62 kg class.
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