The government will bestow the People's Honor Award on Ms. Saori Yoshida — a wrestler who has won three Olympic gold medals and 10 world championships — "for bringing hope and courage to society." As Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said in announcing the government's decision to give her the award, "With her everyday practice and perseverance, Ms. Yoshida has made an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of wrestling." We congratulate her on becoming the 20th winner of the award.

The 30-year-old wrestler began her winning streak at the 2002 world championship and won her latest world championship in September. She has won three consecutive Olympic gold medals — in 2004 in Athens, in 2008 in Beijing and in 2012 in London, where she served as national flag-bearer for the Japanese team.

In winning the award, Ms. Yoshida joins an elite group of Japanese athletes that includes baseball legend Mr. Sadaharu Oh, marathoner Ms. Naoko Takahashi, judoka Mr. Yasuhiro Yamashita and last year's winner, Nadeshiko Japan, the national women's soccer team. Ms. Yoshida's award will likely increase Japanese interest in wrestling, which lags in popularity behind baseball, soccer and sumo. We hope that it will also spark interest in other equally worthy but less popular sports.