PARIS — Yui Susaki peered up at the top of the white tent above her Tuesday morning, perhaps trying to avoid eye contact with the pack of Japanese journalists surrounding her as she fought back tears outside Champ de Mars Arena. 

International wrestling’s most dominant force had never been in this position. All she’d ever known on the sport’s biggest stage is triumph and titles — until Tuesday.  

For a five-year stretch, the 25-year-old Japanese phenom didn’t allow a point at the World Championships or Olympic Games. She entered competition Tuesday with a pristine 82-0 international mark and a 21-0 record at international wrestling’s two most prestigious tournaments. 

For nearly six minutes in the opening round at 50 kilograms, it appeared Susaki might dodge her first international defeat and survive an opening-round scare against India’s Vinesh Phogat. Then it all changed in an instant. Phogat ran through Susaki in the closing seconds for the winning score in a 3-2 upset that rocked the sport and turned the women’s freestyle 50-kilogram bracket on its top. 

By the end of the night, two international mainstays who went through sacrifices and struggles to make 50 kilograms and thrive at the lightest weight class emerged as the Olympic finalists. 

Phogat and Indiana native Sarah Hildebrandt navigated their way through the bracket to secure medals and a ticket to Wednesday night’s title bout. 

Hildebrandt stifled her three opponents Tuesday with opportunistic offense and sticky defense. She scored an early takedown and laced up Algeria’s Ibtissem Doudou in a 10-0 opening-round victory. She outlasted 2023 World bronze medalist Ziqi Feng of China 7-4 to win a back-and-forth quarterfinal bout. In the semis, Hildebrandt locked down Mongolia’s Otgonjargal Dolgorjav, wiggling out of a pair of attacks to win a 5-0 decision, avenging a loss from last year’s World semifinals.  

It was Hildebrandt’s ability to “stay in the moment” that impressed USA Wrestling women’s freestyle coach Terry Steiner most Tuesday. 

“Not thinking back on what just happened, not thinking ahead, not changing your gameplan, just staying in the moment and being present on the mat,” Steiner said. “That’s the one thing she’s really worked on — just staying focused right in the moment where she can do something about it. And she did a great job today.” 

It could’ve been easy for Hildebrandt and the rest of the 50-kilogram contestants to take their eye off the target after Phogat’s seismic upset rattled the bracket. Susaki’s defeat was the biggest headline Tuesday on The Japan News. 

"By losing like this, I wasted all the support of so many people," Susaki said, according to the Kyodo News. "I kept training for the Paris Olympics without doing anything else. The loss tells me that I don't deserve to be an Olympic champion.

"I couldn't do what I wanted to do. I just don't know what went wrong."

Susaki entered Paris as the biggest betting favorite across all three wrestling styles. Conversely, one sports wagering outlet had Phogat as an 80-to-1 shot to win gold before the tournament. 

Her path just to get to Paris is perhaps even more improbable. 

Phogat led protests against the former head of the Wrestling Federation of India, who was accused of sexually harrassment and intimidation. ESPN India chronicled Phogat’s challenges during the past two years as she “slept on New Delhi's pavements for 40 days, was beaten and dragged by the police, nearly immersed all her medals in the Ganga river and underwent knee surgery.”