Sakura Motoki

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Sakura Motoki

| honorific_suffix =

| image = Victory ceremony of the Women's freestyle 62 kg at Paris 2024 (cropped).png

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Motoki at the 2024 Summer Olympics

| headercolor = lightblue

| textcolor =

| native_name = 元木咲良

| native_name_lang =

| birth_name =

| full_name =

| nickname =

| nationality =

| national_team =

| citizenship =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|2002|02|20}}

| birth_place = Saitama, Japan

| death_date =

| death_place =

| resting_place =

| resting_place_coordinates =

| monuments =

| hometown =

| education =

| alma_mater =

| occupation =

| years_active =

| employer =

| agent =

| height = {{convert|1.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|62|kg|lb st|abbr=on}}

| spouse =

| life_partner =

| other_interests =

| website =

| module =

| country = Japan

| sport = Women's freestyle wrestling

| position =

| disability =

| disability_class =

| weight_class =

| weight_class_type =

| rank =

| event = 62 kg

| event_type =

| universityteam =

| collegeteam =

| league =

| league_type =

| club =

| team =

| turnedpro =

| turnedpro_type =

| partner =

| former_partner =

| coach =

| retired =

| coaching =

| module2 =

| worlds =

| regionals =

| nationals =

| olympics =

| paralympics =

| commonwealth =

| highestranking =

| pb =

| show-medals =

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Country| {{JPN}} }}

File:Olympic rings.svg

}}

{{Nihongo|Sakura Motoki|元木咲良|Motoki Sakura|born 20 February 2002}} is a Japanese freestyle wrestler competing in the 62 kg division.{{Cite web|url=https://uww.org/athletes-results/motoki-sakura-15658-profile|title=Sakura Motoki profile page|website=uww.org}} She won the gold medal in the women's 62{{nbsp}}kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.{{Cite news |last=Khalatyan |first=Rafael |date=10 August 2024 |title=Wrestling: Petriashvili finally gets his hands on gold |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1147706/paris-wrestling-petriashvili-on-top |access-date=20 August 2024 |work=InsideTheGames.biz}}

Career

Motoki reached the semi-finals in the women's freestyle 59 kg category at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, by defeating Turkish Ebru Dağbaşı in the first round with a 5–0 lead and Alyona Kolesnik, competing for Azerbaijan, in the quarter-finals with a 6–0 lead. She lost to Anastasia Nichita from Moldova 7–5 in the semi-final. In the bronze medal match, she won the bronze medal by beating China's Zhang Qi with a pin while leading 7–0.{{cite news |title=59kg Bracket |url=https://uww.org/arena/weight-category/551bd46c-31a6-11ed-a7c7-08002745f808/bracket.pdf |access-date=12 September 2022 |work=United World Wrestling}}

In 2023, Motoki competed in the women's 62{{nbsp}}kg event at the World Wrestling Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia and won the silver medal.{{Cite web |title=2023 World Wrestling Championships Results Book |url=https://d3u2kdyvfaxwhl.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/2023-09/final-book-2023-senior_world_championships_and_og_qualif.pdf?VersionId=Vw6R1se4WK.11kPw_YnsfzZdbwCSiIiI |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104205225/https://d3u2kdyvfaxwhl.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/2023-09/final-book-2023-senior_world_championships_and_og_qualif.pdf?VersionId=Vw6R1se4WK.11kPw_YnsfzZdbwCSiIiI |archive-date=4 November 2023 |access-date=4 November 2023 |website=United World Wrestling}} As a result, she earned a quota place for Japan for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.{{Cite web |title=Qualification System – Games of the XXXIII Olympiad – Paris 2024 – Wrestling |url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Paris-2024/Paris2024-QS-Wrestling.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113060500/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Paris-2024/Paris2024-QS-Wrestling.pdf |archive-date=13 January 2024 |access-date=11 April 2024 |website=United World Wrestling}}

In 2024, she won the silver medal in the women's 62{{nbsp}}kg event at the Asian Wrestling Championships held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.{{Cite web |title=2024 Asian Wrestling Championships Results Book |url=https://cdn.uww.org/2024-04/results_04_bishkek.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422161208/https://cdn.uww.org/2024-04/results_04_bishkek.pdf |archive-date=22 April 2024 |access-date=22 April 2024 |website=United World Wrestling}} Motoki won the gold medal in the women's 62{{nbsp}}kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.{{Cite web |title=Wrestling Results Book |url=https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/WRE/OG2024_WRE_B99_WRE-------------------------------.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811181048/https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/WRE/OG2024_WRE_B99_WRE-------------------------------.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2024 |access-date=12 August 2024 |website=2024 Summer Olympics}} She defeated Iryna Koliadenko of Ukraine in her gold medal match.