Judoka Rena Furukawa delivered when it mattered the most and won the first gold medal for the national judo team in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Over at the Hoai Duc Gymnasium, Furukawa showed poise in the "golden score" round of the women's -57kg final and took down Chu Myat Now Wai of Myanmar.
After several attempts earlier in regulation, Furukawa got a firm grip of Chu before executing the uchi-mata throw at the 2:17 mark.
Earlier, Furukawa also scored 1-0 against Thai foe Orapin Senatham in the semifinal.
From a bronze medal finish in the 2019 SEA Games here in the Philippines, Furukawa led the national team to its first gold medal in this year's regional biennial meet.
Keisei Nakano and John Viron Ferrer also clinched silver medals in the men's -74kg and -90kg, respectively, while Megumi Kurayoshi settled for bronze in the women's -63 kg.