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2012 JAPANESE OLYMPIC MEDALISTS

GOLD

MEN'S 66-KG WRESTLING

Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu

Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu beat India's Sushil Kumar, a bronze medalist at the Beijing Games four years ago, in the men's 66-kg freestyle wrestling final to become the first Japanese man to win Olympic gold in wrestling since Takashi Kobayashi and Mitsuru Sato won the 48-kg and 52-kg freestyle in Seoul in 1988.

"It's like a dream come true, and this medal is really heavy. I'd been trying to get a medal and training very hard to win one. But it's the same story for all other wrestlers, so I'm wondering if I deserve this." (KYODO)

GOLD

MEN'S MIDDLEWEIGHT BOXING

Ryota Murata

Ryota Murata beat No. 4 seed Brazilian Esquiva Falcao in the middleweight final to capture the gold medal. The 26-year-old became only the second Japanese to win an Olympic boxing gold.

"I was shooting for the gold medal. That wasn't a dream, but my goal. But I don't consider this an evaluation of myself. My life from now on will be how I evaluate myself, so I want to live a life that I am not ashamed of." (KYODO)

Japan downed South Korea in straight sets to win the bronze medal. KYODO PHOTO

BRONZE

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Women's volleyball team

Japan's women's volleyball team captured its first Olympic medal in 28 years — since taking the bronze at the 1984 Los Angeles Games — with a straight-sets victory over Asian rival South Korea in the bronze medal match.

Japan coach Masayoshi Manabe: "The players really pulled it out for me and I am deeply moved. At the end when we did it my mind just went blank. The players were really able to regroup well (from the semifinal defeat to Brazil)."

Yoshie Takeshita: "We think that we all individually worked hard and believed in ourselves. That made the difference today. It was not only the setting, we all played well. My role is to help underneath the base and I did it today. The Olympic medal is the best moment of all."

Yuko Sano: "I don't remember the last time Japan won a medal because it was a different generation but I am happy that I was able to contribute to a bronze medal in my career." (KYODO)

(Players: Hitomi Nakamichi, Yoshie Takeshita, Mai Yamaguchi, Erika Araki, Kaori Inoue, Maiko Kano, Yuko Sano, Ai Otomo, Risa Shinnabe, Saori Sakoda, Yukiko Ebata, Saori Kimura)

BRONZE

MEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT BOXING

Satoshi Shimizu

Satoshi Shimizu brought Japan its first Olympic boxing medal since Eiji Morioka took bronze at the 1968 Mexico Games, earning a bronze medal in the men's bantamweight class.

"I'm relieved a little bit that I got Japan's first boxing medal in 44 years, but I'm also disappointed. I'm so tired both physically and mentally. I just can't think about what I'll do next. I'll get some rest."

BRONZE

MEN'S 55-KG WRESTLING

Shinichi Yumoto

Shinichi Yumoto emulated his twin brother Kenichi by winning an Olympic bronze medal in the men's 55-kilogram freestyle wrestling.

"I wanted to fight in the final. Kenichi took the bronze four years ago and it was a great encouragement for me to get this far and win this medal." (KYODO)

Japan won its first ever women's soccer medal. KYODO PHOTO

SILVER

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Women's soccer team

World Champion Japan settled for silver — the first-ever women's soccer medal — after losing 2-1 to the United States in the final.

Japan manager Norio Sasaki: "Even though we couldn't win this Olympics, we played very well and there is nothing we should be ashamed of. I'm very satisfied with how they played and very thankful to have a silver medal. I told the players they should all be proud of themselves." (KYODO/AFP)

(Lineup: Miho Fukumoto, Yukari Kinga, Azusa Iwashimizu, Saki Kumagai, Aya Sameshima, Mizuho Sakaguchi, Kozue Ando, Aya Miyama, Nahomi Kawasumi, Homare Sawa, Shinobu Ohno, Kyoko Yano, Karina Maruyama, Asuna Tanaka, Megumi Takase, Mana Iwabuchi, Yuki Ogimi, Ayumi Kaihori)

GOLD

WOMEN'S 55-KG WRESTLING

Saori Yoshida

Saori Yoshida overpowered longtime rival Tonya Verbeek of Canada in the women's 55-kg wrestling final, giving her a third gold medal after winning titles at the inaugural tournament in Athens in 2004 and the 2008 Beijing Games.

"A lot has happened since Beijing, but I feel that I've definitely gotten stronger. I am happy that I could end in this great way on this spectacular world stage. I felt the fans from Japan who couldn't be here rooting me on. I knew I couldn't lose. I was determined to fight." (KYODO)

GOLD

WOMEN'S 63-KG WRESTLING

Kaori Icho

Kaori Icho claimed the women's wrestling 63-kg gold, becoming the first Japanese female athlete to win three consecutive Olympic titles. She is the second person from Japan to achieve a three-peat after Tadahiro Nomura, who accomplished the feat in the men's judo 60-kg category.

"My goal was not just to get this title (of three straight wins), but ultimately I am happy that I could achieve this feat. I really wanted to try some other things out there, so I feel some disappointment about that. But getting points for a tackle was great." (KYODO)

GOLD

WOMEN'S 48-KG WRESTLING

Hitomi Obara

Six-time world champion in the non-Olympic 51-kg class, Hitomi Obara downed Beijing Olympic bronze medalist Mariya Stadnyk of Azerbaijan in an epic showdown, rallying from a period down to claim the gold medal in the 48-kg class.

"I can't believe this. I couldn't have gotten this gold medal on my own. The cheers of the crowd became my strength, so I knew I wasn't alone on the mat to fight it out till the end." (KYODO)

(From left) Ai Fukuhara, Sayaka Hirano and Kasumi Ishikawa earned silver in the women's team table tennis competition. KYODO PHOTO

SILVER

WOMEN'S TEAM TABLE TENNIS

Ai Fukuhara, Sayaka Hirano, Kasumi Ishikawa

The Japanese team of Ai Fukuhara, Kasumi Ishikawa and Sayaka Hirano became Japan's first medal winners in table tennis, earning a silver in the final against defending Olympic champion China.

Fukuhara: "It had not yet sunk in that we had won a medal but I realized it wasn't a dream when it was put around my neck on the podium."

Ishikawa: "The Chinese team really drove home how strong they are today but I am going to make my best efforts and hopefully we can gradually close the gap on them."

Hirano: "We have built up a good team and have played really well and have had a great result (by winning silver). I'm delighted for myself and grateful to my teammates." (KYODO)

BRONZE

MEN'S GRECO-ROMAN 60-KG WRESTLING

Ryutaro Matsumoto

Ryutaro Matsumoto rallied from a period down to claim the men's Greco-Roman 60-kg wrestling bronze. It was the 15th consecutive Olympics that the Japanese men won a medal in the wrestling tournament.

"It feels good to extend my country's medal streak early in the wrestling program. In Japan, media attention has been on women's wrestling, but I believe I was able to make our presence felt." (KYODO)

SILVER

MEN'S FLOOR EXERCISE

Kohei Uchimura

Kohei Uchimura earned silver in the men's floor exercise final, adding to his gold in the individual all-around and silver in the team competition.

"Although I wasn't able to get gold today, I think I did really well, so I am satisfied. I have to admit that (winner) Zou Kai did very well. I can't say I'm satisfied ending up with just one gold, but it was very hard to get that one Olympic gold medal. There's something about the Olympics that is hard to predict." (KYODO)

The Japan team of (from left) Suguru Awaji, Yuki Ota, Ryo Miyake and Kenta Chida grabbed silver in the men's team foil event. KYODO PHOTO

SILVER

MEN'S TEAM FOIL

Yuki Ota, Ryo Miyake, Kenta Chida, Suguru Awaji

Japan won the men's team foil silver for the country's first Olympic medal in fencing's team event. The team of Yuki Ota, Ryo Miyake, Kenta Chida and Suguru Awaji beat reigning world champion China in the last eight and world bronze medal winner Germany in the semifinals before succumbing to Italy in the final.

Chida: "I just tried to concentrate on my bouts without being distracted by anything else. I'd be pleased if this medal makes people (in Kesennuma, his hometown in northeastern Japan devastated by the earthquake and tsunami in March last year) feel happy."

Ota: "I think I gave it all I've got. I struggled a lot this time (in London) but I've finally come this far. I really wanted to win a medal with Kenta because he is from an area hit by the disaster." (KYODO)

BRONZE

MEN'S HAMMER THROW

Koji Murofushi

37-year-old Koji Murofushi marked a season best throw of 78.71 meters to take the bronze in the men's hammer throw. It was his second overall Olympics medal following gold he won at Athens 2004.

"I had a lot of support from so many people including my team so I'm really glad to have won a medal . . . I'm going to regenerate my body now, focus on recovering. I'll think about what to do next once I've gotten rid of the fatigue." (KYODO)

SILVER

WOMEN'S BADMINTON DOUBLES

Reika Kakiiwa, Mizuki Fujii

Reika Kakiiwa and Mizuki Fujii grabbed silver in the women's badminton final. It was Japan's first-ever Olympic medal in the sport. The women's doubles competition was marred by controversy as four pairs, including top-seeded Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China, the world champions, were booted out of the competition in what was declared match-fixing by Badminton World Federation officials. Losing matches in order to face lower-seeded foes in the quarterfinals was the reason cited.

"When we went into the final, I didn't feel that I wanted this silver medal, but now I really want this medal. (The silver) is actually very heavy. I can't wait to show the medal to my supporters back in Japan." (KYODO)

The Japan team of (from left) Haruka Ueda, Yuka Kato, Satomi Suzuki and Aya Terakawa won bronze in the women's 4x100 medley relay. KYODO PHOTO

BRONZE

WOMEN'S 4X100-METER MEDLEY RELAY

Haruka Ueda, Yuka Kato, Satomi Suzuki, Aya Terakawa

Aya Terakawa, the oldest Japanese female swimmer to medal at the Summer Games, and teammates Satomi Suzuki, Yuka Kato and Haruka Ueda battled hard to claim bronze in the women's 4x100-meter medley relay.

Terakawa: "Until we reached this moment we had been talking almost every day about winning a medal in the relay, so to realize our dream on a stage like this competing against the world's top swimmers is something that makes us happy. I was so moved being next to America and Australia on the podium. It is the moment I had been waiting for." (KYODO)

The Japan team of (from left) Takuro Fujii, Takeshi Matsuda, Kosuke Kitajima and Ryosuke Irie won silver in the men's 4x100 medley relay. KYODO PHOTO

SILVER

MEN'S 4X100-METER MEDLEY RELAY

Kosuke Kitajima, Ryosuke Irie, Takeshi Matsuda, Takuro Fujii

Kosuke Kitajima finished off with a medal as he teamed up with Ryosuke Irie, Takeshi Matsuda and Takuro Fujii to take silver behind the Americans in the men's 4x100 medley relay. Japan won three silvers and eight bronzes in swimming at the London Games — the most number of medals won by the country's swimmers in an Olympics after World War II.

Kitajima: "This was a really tough race for me. I was not able to do well personally but I was able to help my team members win the silver medal and I am glad about that." (KYODO)

SILVER

MEN'S ARCHERY

Takaharu Furukawa

Takaharu Furukawa took the silver medal in men's archery, earning Japan's first medal in the event since 2004. The result was a big achievement for Furukawa, who managed only a 33rd-place finish at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

"I'm happy but I was a little disappointed at the end." (KYODO)

SILVER

WOMEN'S OVER 78-KG JUDO

Mika Sugimoto

Mika Sugimoto, making her Olympic debut, took silver in the women's over 78-kg on the final day of the judo competition at the London Olympics.

"Right now, I feel disappointment. I was aiming for the gold medal. I was determined to win until the very end. I was excited to be able to demonstrate my abilities in judo." (KYODO)

SILVER

MEN'S 200-METER BACKSTROKE

Ryosuke Irie

Ryosuke Irie edged long-time rival Ryan Lochte to claim silver in the men's 200-meter backstroke. It was his second medal of the London Games following his bronze for the 100.

"I swam the last 50 meters very well, and it would have been best if I could see '1' next to my name on the board. I'm disappointed, but I gave it my all, so I'd like to accept this result for now and try again to be world No. 1 in this event." (KYODO)

SILVER

WOMEN'S 200-METER BREASTSTROKE

Satomi Suzuki

Satomi Suzuki earned silver in the women's 200-meter breaststroke, adding to her bronze medal for the 100.

"I'm thrilled I went one better than my (bronze) medal in the 100 meters. I swam so hard in the last 50. I want to congratulate myself for tying the national record set during the high-tech swimsuit period (by Rie Kaneto in September 2009)." (KYODO)

Kohei Uchimura won the men's gymnastics all-around final. He became the first Japanese gymnast since Koji Gushiken at the 1984 Los Angeles Games to take this title. KYODO PHOTO

GOLD

MEN'S GYMNASTICS ALL-AROUND

Kohei Uchimura

Kohei Uchimura claimed the second gold for Japan in London with a strong performance, finishing in first place in the men's gymnastics all-around final. Despite coming in as a strong gold medal favorite, he had failed to show top form in the qualification, advancing to the final with the ninth-best score.

"When I stepped on the podium, I thought this was really a dream. All kinds of things went through my mind, including the thought that I finally made it this far. I think I was able to win the gold medal due to everyone's support so I really want to thank everybody." (KYODO)

BRONZE

MEN'S 90-KG JUDO

Masashi Nishiyama

Masashi Nishiyama found his way to the podium with an extra-time victory in the bronze-medal match of the men's 90-kg judo competition.

"I feel a lot of disappointment. I thought for sure that I had scored an ippon (in the quarterfinals, where an ippon he initially thought he had scored was later downgraded to waza-ari), but there's nothing I could do after it was all over. I was more nervous than I thought I'd be at the Olympics. I still have a way to go." (KYODO)

BRONZE

MEN'S 200-METER BREASTSTROKE

Ryo Tateishi

Ryo Tateishi finally beat rival Kosuke Kitajima, who defeated Tateishi in both the 100 and 200 in the Japanese trials, to take home the bronze medal in the men's 200-meter breaststroke.

"Edging Kitajima on the world stage has always been a goal of mine. I don't have the same kind of medal he's got yet, but I'm happy about finishing ahead of him. I think it will mean a lot to the rest of my career." (KYODO)

BRONZE

WOMEN'S 200-METER BUTTERFLY

Natsumi Hoshi

21-year-old Natsumi Hoshi, who stormed to victory pretty much out of nowhere in the Japanese trials, again stepped up to take home the women's 200-meter butterfly bronze.

"I never really came out and said it, but I've been training for a gold medal all this time. I'm a little disappointed but I couldn't have made it this far without the support of so many people. I was incredibly nervous, but I feel like I had the best swim I could." (KYODO)

BRONZE

WOMEN'S 63-KG JUDO

Yoshie Ueno

Yoshie Ueno, 2009 and 2010 world champion, lost in the quarterfinals but bounced back to claim bronze in the women's 63-kg judo. The 29-year-old was aiming to follow the legacy of her older sister Masae, who won gold at both the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games at 70 kg.

"I have to say that I am disappointed since I was aiming for a gold medal. My sister had supported me (as my coach), and I was in good form. This was a fresh experience for me. Now that it's over, I feel that I enjoyed myself." (KYODO)

BRONZE

MEN'S 200-METER BUTTERFLY

Takeshi Matsuda

Takeshi Matsuda finished third in the men's 200-meter butterfly to give Japan its fifth swimming bronze of the London Olympics. Matsuda also won a bronze at the last Olympics in Beijing.

"I thought my time was good, and I thought I had my best race since Beijing. But I was less than 0.3 seconds away from a gold, which is pretty tough to accept. Hearing how loud the crowd was, I could tell the race was close. I felt good throughout the race which was the most important thing to me. I wasn't worried about my time." (KYODO)

GOLD

WOMEN'S 57-KG JUDO

Kaori Matsumoto

Kaori Matsumoto grabbed Japan's first gold medal of the London Games with a victory over Corina Caprioriu in the women's 57-kg judo final, albeit by disqualification for an illegal throwing technique by her Romanian opponent. The 24-year-old became the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic gold in this category.

"I knew that when I won this gold medal it wasn't just me that won it. I had to fight for all of the people who have supported me. It really gave me strength to have all those people rooting for me. I am happy that I could be No.1 (to get Japan's first gold medal)." (KYODO)

The Japan team of (from left) Ryohei Kato, Kazuhito Tanaka, Koji Yamamuro, Yusuke Tanaka and Kohei Uchimura finished in second place behind China in the men's team event. KYODO PHOTO

SILVER

MEN'S TEAM GYMNASTICS

Ryohei Kato, Kazuhito Tanaka, Koji Yamamuro, Yusuke Tanaka, Kohei Uchimura

Japan settled for the silver medal in a controversial men's gymnastics team final, in which the Japanese had initially finished outside the medals in fourth place. Japan launched an appeal and after a lengthy deliberation by officials, the inquiry was accepted and Japan was moved up to second place.

Uchimura: "I am obviously disappointed that we didn't get the gold medal and ended up with the silver, but looking back all five of us enjoyed ourselves. That feeling is stronger than any disappointment I have." (KYODO)

SILVER

MEN'S 73-KG JUDO

Riki Nakaya

Riki Nakaya lost in the final of the men's 73-kg judo to Russia's Mansur Isaev and settled for the silver. He was aiming to become the first Japanese judoka to win the title in the category since Kenzo Nakamura won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games in what was then the 71-kg class.

"I was representing Japan, so I was determined to get the gold, but I see that I am still missing something. My goal was to bring home the gold medal, so I'm not too happy about this medal." (KYODO)

BRONZE

WOMEN'S 100-METER BREASTSTROKE

Satomi Suzuki

21-year-old Satomi Suzuki claimed bronze in the women's 100-meter breaststroke, despite qualifying with the seventh best time for the final.

"I'm so happy. I was thrilled just to be a part of this party, but I managed to get through the heats, then the semifinals and now this. Honestly, I never imagined I could win a medal from the first lane. I was completely locked in on my own race, and I think that's what drove me to a medal." (KYODO)

BRONZE

WOMEN'S 100-METER BACKSTROKE

Aya Terakawa

Aya Terakawa, 27, became the oldest Japanese female swimmer to medal at the Summer Games, earning a bronze in the women's 100-meter backstroke event.

"It wasn't the color of medal I was wishing for, but I'm happy." (KYODO)

BRONZE

MEN'S 100-METER BACKSTROKE

Ryosuke Irie

Ryosuke Irie took home the bronze medal for the men's 100-meer backstroke with a time of 52.97 seconds.

"At the last Olympics, there was all this hype about me being the next ace of Japanese swimming and all that, but I couldn't win a gold medal and step up when it mattered. So to reach the podium means a lot. I want to cherish this bronze medal. A lot of the other swimmers were frontrunners but I like to come from behind. I was confident I could make up ground." (KYODO)

BRONZE

MEN'S 400-METER INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

Kosuke Hagino

Kosuke Hagino, Japan's first male high school swimmer at the Summer Games since two-time double champion Kosuke Kitajima, finished third behind world champion Ryan Lochte and Brazilian runnerup Thiago Pereira in the men's 400-meter individual medley.

"On the turn at 300, I saw Phelps behind me so I kind of got the feeling he was out of form. I was trying to catch Pereira but I just missed him. What a waste. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be. Watching Phelps and Lochte enter the pool, I was like, 'Wow, I'm at the Olympics.' It feels great to have won a medal. I just want to thank my teammates for all their support." (KYODO)

Archers (from left) Ren Hayakawa, Miki Kanie and Kaori Kawanaka won the bronze medal for women's team archery. KYODO PHOTO

BRONZE

WOMEN'S TEAM ARCHERY

Ren Hayakawa, Miki Kanie, Kaori Kawanaka

The Japan s team of Ren Hayakawa, Miki Kanie, Kaori Kawanaka claimed bronze in the women's team archery event. No Japan men's or women's team had ever medaled in Olympic archery.

Hayakawa: "I'm happy we made history. I'm delighted to have won the medal. I want to thank all the people who have cheered and supported us until now." (KYODO)

BRONZE

MEN'S 66-KG JUDO

Masashi Ebinuma

22-year-old reigning world champion Masashi Ebinuma overcame controversy in the quarterfinals and earned the bronze for the men's men's 66-kg judo category.

"There were many incidents today. I think I was able to get the bronze medal because the crowd was behind me. But since I was aiming for gold, this is meaningless to me." (KYODO)

Hiromi Miyake won the silver for the women's 48-kg weightlifting event, going one better than her father who won bronze at the 1968 Mexico Games. AP

SILVER

WOMEN'S 48-KG WEIGHTLIFTING

Hiromi Miyake

Hiromi Miyake lifted a national-record total of 197 kg and became the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic weightlifting medal.

"This feels like a dream . . . It hasn't hit home yet. I have been aiming for a medal for 12 years. I was just focused on bettering my own record, but I never thought that I would be able to get a medal. I am glad I went one better than my father (Yoshiyuki), who won the bronze."

SILVER

MEN'S 60-KG JUDO

Hiroaki Hiraoka

Hiroaki Hiraoka took silver medal after losing to Russian Arsen Galstyan in the men's 60-kg judo final.

"I lost in my first match at the Beijing Games, so I was only thinking about winning the gold. It's disappointing because I worked so hard for four years . . .I wanted to repay my thanks with a gold medal, so I feel this was a poor result."

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