#WrestleRome

U17 World Championships Day 4 semis set

By Vinay Siwach

ROME, Italy (July 28) -- The U17 World Championships enters day four with five women's wrestling five weight classes in action. After the finals were set for the other five weights, wrestlers in 40kg, 46kg, 53kg, 61kg and 69kg will take the mat at the Pala Pellicone in Rome, Italy.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER | DAY 3 WRAP

11 different countries enter the semifinals with Japan sending all five. India has four in the semis while USA and Ukraine have two each. 7 others have a wrestler each in the last four.

13:45: What a semifinal we have a 61kg -- Suzu SASAKI (JPN) vs. Savita SAVITA (IND). Both have dominated the bouts and will wrestle in the first semifinal.

The other 61kg semifinal will have Valerie HAMILTON (USA) wrestle Sevinch SULTONOVA (UZB) who pinned Mariia MIZIURKO (UKR).

13:40: Two internationally unbeaten wrestlers in 53kg semifinals

Mariia YEFREMOVA (UKR) vs. Khaliun BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Sakura ONISHI (JPN) vs. Ya Hsin CHEN (TPE)

13:30: The 46kg semifinals for tonight

Koko MATSUDA (JPN) vs. SHRUTI (IND)
Gabriella GOMEZ (USA) vs. Kornelia LASZLO (HUN) 

13:25: Who are you picking to win the semifinals at 69kg?

Chisato YOSHIDA (JPN) vs. Nadiia SOKOLOVSKA (UKR)
Veronika VILK (CRO) vs. HARSHITA (IND) 

13:20: The 40kg semifinals are set

Yagmur KARABACAK (TUR) vs. Mona EZAKA (JPN) 
Muskan MUSKAN (IND) vs. Diana VOICULESCU (ROU) 

13:10: Mariia YEFREMOVA (UKR), a returning gold medalist, is on her way to a second straight gold medal. She reaches the 53kg semifinal with a fall over Maria SZKUDLAREK (POL) 

13:00: European champion at 46kg Kornelia LASZLO (HUN) hangs on for a close 2-0 win against Juliette LESCURE (FRA) in the quarterfinals. Lescure was a bronze medalist at the same competition

12:50: These 69kg quarterfinals are absolutely top bouts. Gulnura TASHTANBEKOVA (KGZ) vs. Chisato YOSHIDA (JPN)Nikoleta BARMPA (GRE) vs. Harshita HARSHITA (IND)Paulina KUCHARCZYK (POL) vs. Nadiia SOKOLOVSKA (UKR)Jasmine ROBINSON (USA) vs. Veronika VILK (CRO) 

12:30: Khaliun BYAMBASUREN (MGL), who was born and raised in Japan, begins her tournament with a 10-0 win over Milica SEKULOVIC (SRB)

12:20: A classic on Mat C! Sakura ONISHI (JPN) trailed Asian champion REENA (IND) 4-2 when she got a front chest wrap and scored two each. It looked like exposure for Onishi at the end but no score. Japan challenge the call. The exposure is confirmed and was in time. Onishi wins 6-6 at 53kg. 

12:10: Asian champion SHRUTI (IND) with a controlled 4-0 win over Busranur OZMEZ (TUR) at 46kg. Gabriella GOMEZ (USA) had early trouble but manages to move past Yelyzaveta KULAKIVSKA (UKR) via fall. 

11:45: Another bronze medalist from European Championships Leonie STEIGERT (GER) suffers a 3-1 loss to Yen LI (TPE) at 61kg. But silver medalist from Euros Ilayda CIN (TUR) pins Maram ALY (EGY). In other bout, Wilma HOFFMAN (SWE) beats Wiktoria KAMELA (POL) 5-0

11:30: We begin with the qualification bouts of 61kg as it has the most wrestlers. European champion Sabina PETRACHE (ROU) is made to work hard early in the competition. She wins 3-3 against bronze medalist Leah SAMSONSEN (NOR).

11:15: An all women's wrestling day. Qualification and repechage along with semifinals and the gold medals bouts later in the day. Get ready for some historic debuts and medals in Rome.

#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open: Leydecker Makes Senior Debut with 53kg Gold

By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (February 7) -- If Japan swept the gold medals in Women's Wrestling on day three of the Zagreb Open on Friday, day four on Saturday was a different story. Japan failed to win any gold medal as four different countries crowned champions.

U20 world champion Everest LEYDECKER (USA) threw her name in the mix at 53kg by winning gold in her first senior event. MANISHA (IND), Asian champion at 62kg, moved down to 57kg and managed to win gold in Zagreb.

At 72kg, Buse TOSUN (TUR) had a tough path but she managed find a way and win gold after beating Diksha MALIK (IND), 5-2, i the finals. The final gold of women's went to Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) who pinned Tristan KELLY (USA), via fall (9-1)..

Leydecker, just 18 years old, secured a one-sided victory over Roksana ZASINA (POL) in the final. She managed to score three takedowns and one point for activity clock against Zasina.

This was the American's first-ever senior event internationally but she showed no signs of being overawed by the situation.

In the semifinals, Leydecker faced two-time world bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) and rallied on her one takedown to win the match 2-2 on criteria.

While the norm is to move up weight classes as wrestlers try and adjust into the Olympic weight, Manisha decided to move down from 62kg to 57kg. The decision could backfire but on Saturday, Manisha showed no mercy to her opponents and winning the gold medal at 57kg.

Facing Himeka TOKUHARA in the final, Manisha gave no chance to the Japanese in the final and two points in the first period and one in the second to close out a 3-0 blanking.

Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) brought the best for the last as she pinned Tristan KELLY (USA) in the 76kg final and capture a gold medal for Romania. Two huge throws resulted in four-points and after the second throw, Anghel held Kelly on the mat to secure the fall and the gold medal.

Paris bronze medalist Buse TOSUN (TUR), wrestling at 72kg, captured the season-opening Ranking Series gold after comfortably beating Diksha MALIK (IND), 5-2, in the final.

RESULTS

53kg
GOLD:  Everest LEYDECKER (USA) df. Roksana ZASINA (POL), 7-0

BRONZE: Umi IMAI (JPN) df. Annika WENDLE (GER), via forfeit
BRONZE: ANTIM (IND) df. Anjali KACHHAWA (IND), 10-0

57kg
GOLD: MANISHA (IND) df. Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN), 3-0

BRONZE: Amanda MARTINEZ (USA) df. Elvira SULEYMAN (TUR), 11-0
BRONZE: Amory ANDRICH (GER) df. Tindra DALMYR (SWE), 4-2

72kg
GOLD: Buse TOSUN (TUR) df. Diksha MALIK (IND), 5-2

BRONZE: Zahra KARIMZADA (AZE) df. Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN), 4-1
BRONZE: Veronika VILK (CRO) df. Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (UWW), via inj. def.

76kg
GOLD: Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) df. Tristan KELLY (USA), via fall (9-1)

BRONZE: Kendra DACHER (FRA) df. PRIYA (IND), via fall (6-0)
BRONZE: Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN) df. Shauna KUEBECK (CAN), 10-0

Greco-Roman

77kg
GOLD: Ali OSKOU (IRI) df. Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), 9-1

BRONZE: Robert FRITSCH (HUN) df. Temuri ORJONIKIDZE (GEO), 4-0
BRONZE: Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) df. Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL), 1-1

87kg
GOLD: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df. Tamas LEVAI (HUN), 3-1

BRONZE: Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) df. Payton JACOBSON (USA), 2-1
BRONZE: Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) df. Matej MANDIC (CRO), 6-1