Kaori Icho

Kaori Icho is a Japanese freestyle wrestler who won four consecutive Olympic gold medals from 2004 to 2016, competing mainly in the 58-kilogram and 63-kilogram divisions.

2004 Summer Olympics: The Athens Games, where Kaori Icho won her first Olympic gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling. Her first Olympic title began an unprecedented four-Games winning streak.
Freestyle wrestling: A wrestling style that permits attacks on an opponent’s legs as well as upper-body holds. It is the Olympic discipline in which Icho built her career.
Aomori Prefecture: A prefecture in northern Japan, where Kaori Icho was born. Icho’s origins in Aomori preceded her rise through Japan’s wrestling system.
Four consecutive Olympic gold medals: A record sequence of individual Olympic gold medals won at four consecutive Summer Games. Icho became the first woman to achieve this feat in an individual Olympic event.
2008 Summer Olympics: The Beijing Games, where Kaori Icho defended her Olympic freestyle wrestling title. A second gold established that her Athens victory was no isolated peak.
Takedown (wrestling): A wrestling action that brings an opponent from standing to the mat while establishing control. Icho’s attacking ability depended on turning exchanges into scoring takedowns.
Japan women's national wrestling team: The national program representing Japan in international women’s wrestling competitions. Icho developed and competed within the program that produced multiple world-class wrestlers.
Women's wrestling: Wrestling competitions for women, contested internationally in freestyle rules. Icho’s career became one of the defining stories of the sport’s Olympic era.
2012 Summer Olympics: The London Games, where Kaori Icho won her third consecutive Olympic gold in women’s freestyle wrestling. She became the first woman to win individual gold at three consecutive Olympic Games.
Wrestling defense: Techniques that prevent an opponent from scoring or gaining control in wrestling. Icho’s ability to deny attacks helped her control bouts against elite opponents.

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Olympic wrestlingRelated: Her record captures the ascent of women’s freestyle wrestling on the Olympic stage.