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American Kayla Miracle earns spot in gold medal final at 62 kg

American Kayla Miracle earned a spot in the finals at Monday’s world championship tournament in Norway. (Courtesy USA Wrestling_

Courtesy USA Wrestling

OSLO, Norway, October 4, 2021 – On the first day of women’s freestyle at the Senior world championships, American Kayla Miracle finished off a strong day of wrestling by earning a spot in Tuesday’s gold medal match at 62 kg of 136.6 pounds.

Miracle defeated Lais Nunes de Oliveira of Brazil in the semifinals, 2-0. It was an opponent that Miracle had wrestled numerous times in continental and international events. Miracle took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Nunes was put on the activity clock and could not score. At a key point in the second period, with some of the referees motioning for an activity clock call against Miracle, she was able to power Nunes off the mat for the step out point. Although Nunes attempted to get to Miracle for a score, she could not get close to getting a point.

Miracle will wrestle 2019 world champion and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan in the gold-medal match on Tuesday. Miracle was a 2020 Olympian for the USA, and also competed on the 2019 Senior world team.

The other U.S. wrestler from Group One of women’s freestyle, four-time world team Jenna Burkert, was pulled back into repechage when the wrestler who beat her, Nina Hemmer of Germany, was able to win her semifinals match against Pinki of India.

Burkert will wrestle Andreea Ana of Romania in the repechage round on Tuesday morning. If Burkert wins her repechage match, she will advance to a bronze-medal match against Pinki on Tuesday night.

Miracle will go for her gold medal on Tuesday night during the finals which begin at 6:00 p.m. local time. Oslo is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone.

Four more U.S. women compete on Tuesday, 2020 Olympic silver medalist and five-time world champion Adeline Gray at 76 kg, 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and 2018 world silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt at 50 kg, plus three-time world team member Forrest Molinari at 65 kg and first-time world team member Amy Fearnside at 53 kg.

The Group Two semifinals are at 4:45 p.m. local time, just prior to the Group One finals.

SENIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Oslo, Norway, October 4 

Group One women’s freestyle finals pairings
55 kg – Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) vs. Nina Hemmer (Germany)
62 kg – Kayla Miracle (USA) vs. Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan)

Group One women’s freestyle semifinal results
55 kg
Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) dec. Olga Khoroshavtseva (Russian Wrestling Federation), 6-2
Nina Hemmer (Germany) dec. Pinki (India), 8-6

62 kg
Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) dec. Ilona Prokopevniuk (Ukraine), 5-2
Kayla Miracle (United States) dec. Lais Nunes de Oliveira (Brazil), 2-0

U.S. women’s freestyle Group One results

55 kg – Jenna Burkert (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP)
LOSS Nina Hemmer (Germany), tech. fall 14-4
Repechage match – vs. Andreea Ana (Romania)

62 kg – No. 3 seed Kayla Miracle (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids)
WIN Gantuya Enkhbat (Mongolia), tech. fall 14-4
WIN Alina Kasabieva (Russian Wrestling Federation) tech. fall, 13-2
WIN Lais Nunes de Oliveira (Brazil), 2-0
Gold medal match – vs. Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan)

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