Adrienne Gray earned a spot in the finals at the world championships in Norway. (Photo courtesy USA Wrestling)
OSLO, Norway, Oct. 5, 2021 – The United States won its first two medals in the women’s freestyle division at the Senior world championships on Tuesday, with Kayla Miracle claiming a silver medal at 62 kg and Jenna Burkert adding a bronze medal at 55 kg. It was their first career Senior world medals for both U.S. women.
Miracle was defeated in the finals by 2019 world champion and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan, 7-0.
Five-time world champion and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Adeline Gray has set herself up to make history again at the Senior world championships, after a big win in the semifinals on Tuesday.
Miracle and Tynybekova wrestled a relatively even and back-and-forth first period, as Tynybekova had a 1-0 lead at the break courtesy of a shot clock point. The most action in the match came in the first minute of the second period, when the two wrestlers entered into a scramble after a shot by Miracle. Tynybekova was able to maneuver in the position and expose Miracle for two points, a call that was challenged but confirmed. That gave Tynybekova a 4-0 lead, one that would prove to be enough. She posted a step out and then a late go-behind takedown to complete the 7-0 win over Miracle.
Miracle was a 2020 Olympian for the USA, and also competed on the 2019 Senior world Team. She has now won a World medal on the Cadet, Junior, U23 and Senior levels.
Burkert, on her fourth Senior world team, wrestled a technically and tactically smart match on the way to a 5-2 victory over Pinki of India, a 2020 Asian champion.
Burkert controlled the tempo from the start and never let up. The Army WCAP athlete scored a pair of first-period points via a step out and a shot clock point, taking a convincing 2-0 lead into the second period. After more tough hand fighting to begin the second, Burkert shot and earned yet another hard-fought step out, advancing the lead to 3-0. Pinki later began to open up and fire off shots, but Burkert’s defense proved to be too much. The American scored a takedown on a counter go-behind with under a minute to go, and held on to finish up a 5-2 victory
After the first two weight classes, the team standings has Japan in first with 40 points, the United States next with 35 points, and Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine in third with 25 points. Group Two will have medal matches on Wednesday night and Group Three will finish the tournament on Thursday night.
Gray is seeking to become the first U.S. wrestler of any style or gender to win six Senior world titles in a career. She has qualified for the gold-medal finals at 76 kg finals, after a pin of Samar Hamza of Egypt in the semifinals. Hamza is a two-time Olympian and four-time African champion.
Hamza earned a step out point to begin the match, but Gray cruised to victory in the second period. After leaving the break tied at 1-1, Gray secured a feet-to-back takedown for four points and then multiple gut wrench turns to unofficially end the match. She kept Hamza on her back and locked up the fall.
Gray, who is the No. 1 seed, will face a well-known opponent, Epp Mae of Estonia, in the gold-medal finals.
Gray pinned all three of her opponents so far this tournament, with only Hamza surviving until the second period.
Gray will be joined in Wednesday’s gold-medal finals by teammate Sarah Hildebrandt, the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and 2018 world silver medalist, who won her semifinals match at 50 kg.
Hildebrandt continued to display an explosive offense, defeating Nadezhda Sokolova of the Russian Wrestling Federation in a 12-1 technical fall. Sokolova is a six-time age-group World medalist, including a 2011 Cadet World title.
Hildebrandt surrendered a shot clock point early in the match, but quickly found a takedown to go into the break with a 2-1 lead. From there, the match was dominated by Hildebrandt. She scored three more takedowns and utilized her powerful leg lace to finish up the win and punch her ticket to tomorrow’s finals.
Three-time world team member Forrest Molinari will compete for a bronze medal at 65 kg, after dropping a 6-2 decision to 2019 Junior world champion Miwa Morikawa of Japan in the semifinals.
Molinari controlled the hand fighting throughout the bout and tired out her opponent, but Morikawa scored in key situations to secure the win. Molinari had the match to within two points late, but Morikawa scored a takedown at the edge with 20 seconds left to post the win. It marked Japan’s third-straight win in the session, giving them finalists at 50kg, 53kg and 65kg.
Molinari’s opponent in her bronze-medal match is yet to be determined. She will wrestle the winner of the Wednesday morning repechage match between Mariya Mamashuk of Belarus and Aina Temirtassova of Kazakhstan.
Molinari has qualified for a bronze medal match in all three of her world championships appearances, after placing fifth at the 2018 and 2019 Senior world championship meet.
SENIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Oslo, Norway, October 5
Group One women’s freestyle final results
55 kg
Gold – Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan)
Silver – Nina Hemmer (Germany)
Bronze – Oleksandra Khomenets (Ukraine)
Bronze – Jenna Burkert (USA)
5th – Olga Khoroshavtseva (Russian Wrestling Federation)
5th – Pinki (India)
Gold – Sakurai tech fall Hemmer, 10-0 2:08
Bronze – Khomenets dec. Khoroshavtseva, 10-8
Bronze – Burkert dec. Pinki, 5-2
62 kg
Gold – Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan)
Silver – Kayla Miracle (USA)
Bronze – Nonoka Ozaki (Japan)
Bronze – Gantuya Enkhbat (Mongolia)
Gold – Tynybekova dec. Miracle, 7-0
Bronze – Ozaki tech fall Prokopevniuk, 12-0 5:17
Bronze – Enkhbat dec. Nunes de Oliveira, 7-6
U.S. women’s freestyle Group One results
55 kg – Jenna Burkert (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP), bronze medal
LOSS Nina Hemmer (Germany), tech. fall 14-4
WIN Andreea Ana (Romania), 4-2
WIN Pinki (India), 5-2
62 kg – No. 3 seed Kayla Miracle (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids), silver medal
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
LOSS Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan), 7-0
Team standings after first two weight classes
Top 10: 1. Japan 40, 2. U.S. 35, 3. Kyrgyzstan, 25, 4. Ukraine, 25, 5. Germany, 20, 6. Russian Wrestling Federation, 18, 7. Mongolia, 15, 8. India, 12, 9. Brazil, 10, 10. Romania, 8
U.S. women’s freestyle Group Two results
50 kg – No. 1 seed Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/New York AC)
WIN Bohdana Kokozei Yashchuk (Ukraine), tech. fall 10-0, 0:43
WIN Lisa Ersel (Germany), tech. fall 10-0, 1:27
WIN Nadezhda Sokolova (Russian Wrestling Federation), tech. fall 12-1, 5:44
Gold medal finals – Vs. Remina Yoshimoto (Japan)
53 kg – Amy Fearnside (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)
LOSS Katarzyna Krawczyk (Poland), tech. fall 10-0
65 kg – Forrest Molinari (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids)
WIN Enkhjin Tuvshinjarga (Mongolia), pin 2:50
WIN Dinara Kadaeva Salikhova (Russian Wrestling Federation), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Koumba Larroque (France), 3-3
LOSS Miwa Morikawa (Japan), 6-2
Bronze medal match – Against winner of Mariya Mamashuk (Belarus) vs. Aina Temirtassova (Kazakhstan)
76 kg – No. 1 seed Adeline Gray (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/New York AC)
WIN Aysegul Ozbege (Turkey), pin 1:17
WIN Kiran (India), pin 2:33
WIN Samar Hamza (Egypt), pin 4:00
Gold medal finals – vs. Epp Maee (Estonia)
