LONDON, Aug 12: Japan won their fourth wrestling gold of the London Olympics on Sunday to record their best finish since 1968, while the United States clinched a second to end the Games in fifth spot.

Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu ended India’s dream of their first Olympic wrestling gold when he beat railway worker Sushil Kumar in the 66kg freestyle final.

Japan’s dominant women wrestlers won three golds and the men also picked up two bronzes to finish second in the final medal table, just behind Russia.

“I was lucky. It is impossible to do it just with my strength,” Yonemitsu said. “It’s because of a combination of luck, good condition, good performance and everything.”

India’s Kumar took India’s first silver in Olympic wrestling and said a stomach illness took the edge off his performance.

“Without the stomach infection, I could have tried harder,” said Kumar, who was India’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony.

US wrestler Jake Varner dominated Ukraine’s Valerii Andriitsev to win the 96kg final and give the Americans their first pair of wrestling golds since Sydney in 2000.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “I expect to win every time I step on the mat. I smiled more than I usually do.”

Asked how he would celebrate, Varner added: “I don’t know, probably some chocolate milk or something like that.”—Reuters