BEIJING (AP) -Saori Yoshida of Japan has won her second successive Olympic women's wrestling gold medal at 55 kilograms, pinning Chinese teenager Xu Li.

Yoshida has lost only one match in her international career, to Marcie Van Dusen of the United States earlier this year. She bounced back from that loss with a series of easy victories in Beijing to become the first women's wrestler to win two Olympic golds.

"I killed myself to prepare for this,'' Yoshida said after crying on the medal stand, the first time in her career she could remember doing so.

Xu, who doesn't turn 19 until December, would have been the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in any discipline. She lost the first period 2-0, then was pinned by Yoshida 43 seconds into the second on Saturday.

Winning the bronze medals were Tonya Verbeek, who took Canada's second wrestling medal of the games in a matter of minutes, and Jackeline Renteria of Colombia. Carol Huynh of Canada earlier won the gold at 48 kg.

Only a few weeks after talking confidently of winning a second gold and ending her career undefeated - she had won 119 consecutive matches - Yoshida lost to Marcie Van Dusen of the United States in a World Cup meet in January.

The startling defeat gave a severe jolt to the confidence of an athlete who has entered 23 major international tournaments since her cadet wrestling days in 1998 and won them all.

It also made Yoshida realize that nothing is guaranteed, not even for a still-in-her-prime wrestler of 25 who had given no previous sign she might be beaten.

"That was a very big propellant for me,'' Yoshida said. "That loss has been circling 'round and 'round in my head since January. That had never happened before.''

Yoshida resumed training harder than before, worried the rest in her class were catching up to her. She changed her practice routines, her workout habits. She also may have gained a bit of needed humility.

Maybe she need not have worried. Yoshida was ahead on points by a combined 21-1 before pinning Xu, an 18-year-old who would have been the youngest Olympic wrestling champion in any discipline.

"I worked very hard, and it was very, very difficult,'' she said. "I'm extremely happy now. I'm pleased for myself and my country.''

Xu, who doesn't turn 19 until December, lost the first period 2-0 before being pinned by Yoshida 43 seconds into the second. She has dropped both career matches to Yoshida, who has won the last seven world-level titles, five consecutive world championships and two Olympics. There are no world championships during an Olympics year.

"I didn't expect to be in the final match,'' Xu said. "I wanted to be in the top eight.''

Xu was 28th in her first world championship last year, so she already has taken a huge leap in performance.

"Silver is good enough for an 18-year-old,'' she said. "I am too young and not as good as Yoshida. She defeated me in the Asian championship and she has more experience and skills than me.''

Winning the bronze medals were Tonya Verbeek, a 2004 silver medalist who took Canada's second wrestling medal in a matter of minutes, and Jackeline Renteria of Colombia. Carol Huynh won at 48 kg, the first Olympic wrestling gold ever won by Canada.

Renteria's medal was the first of any kind for Colombia in wrestling.

"I'm proud for myself, and for my country,'' she said.

Van Dusen is 26 and doesn't plan to train for London in 2012 and, possibly, another chance at Yoshida in the Olympics. Xu will do exactly that.

"I will learn from this loss in my future training. I will practice harder,'' Xu said. "I want to defeat Yoshida in the future.''

Yoshida wished she could have wrestled Van Dusen in Beijing. Before the games, Van Dusen talked confidently of beating Yoshida again in a rematch.

"In the future, I think I will compete with here and I will beat her,'' Yoshida said.