wrestleOaxtepec

Four Different Countries Claim Junior Women’s Titles at #WrestleOaxtepec

By Taylor Miller

Photo of Nyla BURGESS (CAN). Photo by Osvaldo Aguilar. 

OAXTEPEC, Mexico – It was all women’s freestyle action today at the Cadet and Junior Pan American Championships, where 12 athletes claimed gold medals in Oaxtepec, Mexico.

This week, the top-eight in the Olympic weights of the Junior divisions will earn bids to the 2021 Junior Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia, in December.

Four different countries collected titles in the Junior women’s division. The champions included Amani JONES (USA) at 55 kg, Mayra PARRA ALVAREZ (VEN) at 57 kg, London HOUSTON (USA) at 59 kg, Yolanda CORDERO VARGAS (CUB) at 62 kg, Nyla BURGESS (CAN) at 68 kg and Yelena MAKOYED (USA) at 76 kg.

Parra’s win at 57 kg was the first gold for Venezuela since 2017.

In the Cadet division, USA won four of the six weights with gold medals from Brianna GONZALEZ (USA) at 46 kg, Faith COLE (USA) at 49 kg, Jaclyn DEHNEY (USA) at 53 kg and Marissa JIMENEZ (USA) at 61 kg.

Mexico picked up golds at the other two weights, with Bertha ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX) winning at 57 kg and Melanie JIMENEZ VILLALBA (MEX) emerging victorious at 65 kg.

En español
OAXTEPEC, México – 12 más atletas ganaron medallas de oro en la competencia de hoy en solo estilo libre femenino en los campeonatos panamericanos cadete y juvenil en Oaxtepec, México.

En los torneos juveniles, los ocho mejores luchadores en las clases de peso olímpico califican para los Juegos Panamericanos Juveniles en diciembre en Cali, Colombia.

Ganando títulos en la división juvenil fueron Amani JONES (USA) en 55 kg, Mayra PARRA ALVAREZ (VEN) en 57 kg, London HOUSTON (USA) en 59 kg, Yolanda CORDERO VARGAS (CUB) en 62 kg, Nyla BURGESS (CAN) en 68 kg y Yelena MAKOYED (USA) en 76 kg.

La victoria de Parra fue la primera medalla de oro para Venezuela desde 2017.

En la division cadete, USA ganó cuatro de los seis pesos. Las campeonas estadounidenses fueron Brianna GONZALEZ (USA) en 46 kg, Faith COLE (USA) en 49 kg, Jaclyn DEHNEY (USA) en 53 kg y Marissa JIMENEZ (USA) en 61 kg.

México capturó oros en los otros dos pesos, con Bertha ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX) ganando en 57 kg y Melanie JIMENEZ VILLALBA (MEX) superando en 65 kg.

JUNIOR WOMEN’S FREESTYLE RESULTS
55 kg
GOLD
- Amani JONES (USA)
SILVER- Victoria ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX)

57 kg
GOLD - Mayra PARRA ALVAREZ (VEN)
SILVER - Yailin JIMENEZ (DOM)
BRONZE - Bronwyn MACGREGOR (CAN)
BRONZE - Yaynelis SANZ VERDECIA (CUB)

59 kg
GOLD - London HOUSTON (USA)
SILVER - Jolie BRISCO (CAN)
BRONZE - Lucero SANCHEZ SILVA (MEX)

62 kg
GOLD - Yolanda CORDERO VARGAS (CUB)
SILVER - Astrid MONTERO CHIRINOS (VEN)
BRONZE - Aliyah YATES (USA)
BRONZE - Alejandra RIVERA ARRIAGA (MEX)

68 kg
GOLD - Nyla BURGESS (CAN)
SILVER - Sandra ESCAMILLA MENCHACA (MEX)
BRONZE - Jamilex CUMBICOS CASTILLO (ECU)
BRONZE - Gloria SEGURA FEBLES (DOM)

76 kg
GOLD - Yelena MAKOYED (USA)
SILVER - Linda Marilina MACHUCA (ARG)

BRONZE - Neirili BANGUERO MARTINEZ (VEN)
BRONZE - Gabriela CANALES HERRERA (MEX)

CADET WOMEN’S FREESTYLE RESULTS
46 kg
GOLD - Brianna GONZALEZ (USA)
SILVER - Yusneiry AGRAZAL WEST (PAN)
BRONZE- Jaren Avril Marcela OSORIO IXPATA (GUA)

49 kg
GOLD - Faith COLE (USA)
SILVER - Yorlenis MORAN SANCHEZ (PAN)
BRONZE - Danna Edelmira MARTINEZ ORDONEZ (MEX)

53 kg
GOLD - Jaclyn DEHNEY (USA)
SILVER - Jelissa Jocelyn HERNANDEZ GOMEZ (MEX)
BRONZE- Ashly Nicole IBOY ESCOBAR (GUA)

57 kg
GOLD - Bertha ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX)
SILVER - Alexis JANIAK (USA)
BRONZE - Leonela GRUEZO ORTIZ (ECU)

61 kg
GOLD - Marissa JIMENEZ (USA)
SILVER - Camila ROA ORTEGA (PER)
BRONZE - Makayla BROWNE (BAR)

65kg
GOLD - Melanie JIMENEZ VILLALBA (MEX)
SILVER - Madeline KUBICKI (USA)
BRONZE - Juliana NEPER OLIVEIRA SANTOS (BRA)

 

#UWWAwards

UWW's 2024 Wrestlers of the Year: Petriashvili, Tosun, Kusaka

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 16) -- United World Wrestling has announced the wrestlers of the year in Freestyle, Women's Wrestling and Greco-Roman. UWW’s 2024 Wrestler of the Year award winners are Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), Buse TOSUN (TUR) and Nao KUSAKA (JPN).

Freestyle: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)

The 30-year-old Georgian finished with a style-best 68,200 Ranking Series points through his finishes at the four point-based events of the year -- Olympic Games, European Championships, Croatian and Hungarian Ranking Series -- in which he collected a 13-4 record with 8 wins coming against top 20 ranked opponents.

Petriashvili’s 2024 season didn’t start well, as he finished in fifth place with a 3-2 record at the Croatian Ranking Series. This marked Petriashvili’s sixth consecutive full season in which he started on a losing note before regaining focus and peaking at the most opportune times.

In his next outing, Petriashvili scored three wins before reaching the European finals for the seventh time in his career. However, he fell short against career rival Taha AKGUL (TUR) for silver.

The three-time world champion then went to Hungary for the final tune-up before the Paris Olympics. While at the second Ranking Series event of the year, Petriashvili grabbed three wins, but not before falling to Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) in the semifinals while nursing a left elbow injury.

Petriashvili headed to Paris hungry to improve his 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medal. The father of two did exactly that, picking up four victories including a 10-9 shock win over two-time reigning world champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI), becoming Georgia’s third-ever freestyle Olympic gold medalist.
 
Greco-Roman: Nao KUSAKA (JPN)

23-year-old Nao KUSAKA (JPN), finished with a Greco-Roman best 79,200 Ranking Series points after winning golds at the Olympics, Asian Championships, and Hungarian Ranking Series events while also winning a bronze at the Croatian Ranking Series event at the beginning of the season.

After falling in the semifinals of his first competition of the year, Kusaka rallied off 14 consecutive victories -- four of which came against former world champions Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) and Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) -- on his way to winning golds in Paris, Bishkek and Budapest.

Kusaka’s win in Paris at 77kg, alongside his fellow teammate Kenichiro FUMITA’s gold, ended Japan’s 40-year Greco-Roman Olympic gold-medal drought.

Women's Wrestling: Buse TOSUN (TUR)

Buse TOSUN (TUR) is UWW’s Women’s wrestler of the year after topping the rankings with a style best 60,200 points. She narrowly edged Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) by 200 points for the coveted award.

Tosun, the reigning world champion at 68kg, finished 2024 with an impressive 11-2 record. Of those 11 wins during the season, a staggering eight came against wrestlers in the top 15 of the world rankings.

She dropped her first match of the season to Feng ZHOU (CHN) but went on to win 11 of her remaining 12 bouts, falling only at the Paris Olympics to eventual champion Amit ELOR (USA), en route to winning an Olympic bronze which was just Turkiye's second-ever women’s wrestling Olympic medal.

United World Wrestling congratulates Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), Nao KUSAKA (JPN), and Buse TOSUN (TUR) for their incredible achievements this year and for being named the 2024 Wrestlers of the Year.