Wrestling Coach Wanted a Hug, Got a Body Slam

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Japanese wrestler Risako Kawai took Olympic gold in women's 62kg freestyle wrestling Thursday, beating Maria Mamashuk of Belarus. She dominated, winning 6-0 when time ran out (that's good if you have no idea how wrestling works). The 21-year-old won gold in her Olympic debut and she celebrated by doing a little of what got her there in the first place.

As her coach ran out to the mat for a celebratory hug, she lifted him into the air and slammed him to the mat like a rag doll. When he got up, she did it again. He finally got that hug on the third attempt, with a big smile on his face.

Her gold was significant for the Japanese wrestling team after the defeat of 13-time world champion Saori Yoshida in the women's 53kg freestyle wrestling competition. A gold for Yoshida would have been only the second time a female athlete in any sport won gold in four successive Olympics. 

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Weirdly, Kawai wasn't the only wrestler who reacted to gold by slamming their coach to the mat. Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez celebrated his third straight Olympic gold in men's 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling with a little dance and a body slam of a coach much, much smaller than him.

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Dustin Nelson is a News Writer with Thrillist. He holds a Guinness World Record, but has never met the fingernail lady. He’s written for Sports Illustrated, Men’s Journal, The Rumpus, and other digital wonderlands. Follow him @dlukenelson.