#WrestleOttawa

Valencia Escoto Hace Historia para México en #WrestleOttawa Clasificatorio Olímpico

By Taylor GREGORIO

OTTAWA, Canada – Alma Jane VALENCIA ESCOTO (MEX) won her semifinal match at 57 kg, becoming the first woman in history from Mexico to qualify for the Olympic Games in wrestling.

In the preliminary rounds, Valencia collected wins against Betzabeth SARCO COLMENAREZ (VEN), 5-1, and Nes Marie RODRIGUEZ TIRADO (PUR) by pin.

To earn a spot in the Olympic Games, Valencia knocked off 2019 World champion Linda MORAIS (CAN) in the semifinal with another victory by fall. She went on to win the finals by injury default to take the gold medal.

In this weekend’s event, the top-two from each weight class will earn a bid for their countries to the 2020 Olympics.

The United States women’s freestyle team qualified its remaining four weight classes for the Tokyo Olympics, advancing all of its athletes to the Pan American Olympic Qualifier finals.

Thanks to medal-winning performances at 68 kg and 76 kg at the 2019 World Championships, the United States entered the weekend with two weights already qualified. On Saturday, it completed its team sending Sarah HILDEBRANDT (50 kg), Jacarra WINCHESTER (53 kg), Helen MAROULIS (57 kg) and Kayla MIRACLE (62 kg) to their respective finals.

Today was the first international competition for 2016 Olympic champion Maroulis since the 2018 World Championships. She took the 2019 season off due to injury.

In her first bout, Maroulis defeated returning World champion Linda MORAIS (CAN) with a 12-2 technical fall.

Maroulis wasn’t the only World medalist to qualify the weight for the USA.

Hildebrandt is a 2018 World silver medalist at 53 kg. This year, she moved down to 50 kg for the Olympics, which is the weight she qualified today.

In the semifinals, Hildebrandt defeated 2012 World champion and two-time World bronze medalist Jessica MACDONALD (CAN) with a dominant 11-0 performance.

Similarly, Winchester, the 2019 World champion at 55 kg, moved down a weight class to compete at 53 kg this year.

To qualify, Winchester defeated 2016 Pan American champion Samantha STEWART (CAN), 8-4, in the semifinals.

Brazil, Canada and Cuba also qualified multiple weight classes for the Tokyo Olympics.

Earning three spots for Cuba were Yusneylis GUZMAN LOPEZ (50 kg), Lianna de la Caridad MONTERO HERRERA (53 kg) and 2018 U23 World champion Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (68 kg).

Brazil picked up two spots with Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (62 kg) and 2014 World silver medalist Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (76 kg) advancing to the finals.

Nunes and da Silva were funded by the United World Wrestling Development Technical Assistance program, which allows athletes from developing countries the opportunities to compete at top-level events. Their qualifications for the Olympic Games would not have been possible without the support of UWW.

Host country Canada also qualified two spots, thanks to 2018 World silver medalist Danielle LAPPAGE (68 kg) and 2016 Olympic champion Erica WIEBE (76 kg).

The Pan American Olympic Qualifier wraps up tomorrow with the men’s freestyle competition.

En Espanol

OTTAWA, Canada – Alma Jane VALENCIA ESCOTO (MEX) gano su semifinal en 57 kg para convertirse en la primera Mexicana en clasificar a unos Juegos Olimpicos en lucha.

En las primeras rondas, Valencia derroto a Betzabeth SARCO COLMENAREZ (VEN) y Nes Marie RODRIGUEZ TIRADO (PUR).

Para calificar la categoria, Valencia vencio a la campeona mundial de 2019 Linda MORAIS (CAN) por puestaespalda y en la final, la Mexicana gano por lesion y para así quedarse con la medalla de oro.

En este evento, los dos mejores atletas de cada categoría calificaron a sus países a la justa Olímpica.

La cuatro integrantes del equipo de Estados Unidos avanzaron a las finales en sus respectivas categorías, con lo que clasificaron a Tokio 2020.

Gracias a que en el Campeonato Mundial de 2019 resultaron ganadores de medalla en 68 y 76 kg en el 2019, los Estados Unidos llegaron a este evento con dos categorias ya clasificadas, por lo que hoy completaron el equipo con Sarah HILDEBRANDT (50 kg), Jacarra WINCHESTER (53 kg), Helen MAROULIS (57 kg) y Kayla MIRACLE (62 kg).

Hoy fue la primera competencia internacional en 2 años para la campeona olimpica en Río 2016 Helen Maroulis, ya que no participaba en un evento de esta naturaleza desde el Campeonato Mundial 2018.

En su primero combate, Maroulis derroto a la campeona mundial 2019 Morais de Canada por superioridad tecnica.

Maroulis no fue la unica medallista mundial quien califico su categoria para EE. UU. Hildebrandt medallista de plata en 2018, y Winchester ganadora de la medalla de oro en 2019 también consiguieron el boleto a Tokio.

Brasil, Canadá y Cuba también tuvieron m múltiples clasificados para los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio.

Cuba se quedó con tres plazas gracias a Yusneylis GUZMAN LOPEZ (50 kg), Lianna de la Caridad MONTERO HERRERA (53 kg) y campeona mundial U23 de 2018, Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (68 kg).

Por otro lado, Brazil recolecto dos lugares cuando Lais NUÑES DE OLIVEIRA (62 kg) y la medallista mundial en 2014, Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (76 kg) avanzaron a los combates finales.

Nuñes y da Silva fueron financiadas por el programa United World Wrestling Development Technical Assistance, que brinda a los atletas de países en desarrollo la oportunidad de competir en eventos de alto nivel. La clasificacion de ambas no sería posible sin el apoyo de UWW.

Canada califico dos categorías, gracias a la medallista de plata del mundial 2018 Danielle LAPPAGE (68 kg) y a la campeona olimpica debRío 2016 Erica WIEBE (76 kg).

El Clasificatorio Olímpico Panamericano termina mañana con los combates del estilo libre masculino.

Women’s freestyle finals results

50 kg
GOLD - Yusneylis GUZMAN LOPEZ (CUB) df. Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA), injury default
BRONZE - Thalia MALLQUI PECHE (PER) df. Carolina CASTILLO HIDALGO (COL), injury default
BRONZE - Jessica MACDONALD (CAN) df. Rita Fatima ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX), 10-0

53 kg
GOLD - Lianna de la Caridad MONTERO HERRERA (CUB) df. Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA), injury default
BRONZE– Samantha STEWART (CAN) df. Luisa VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU), 9-0

57 kg
GOLD - Alma VALENCIA ESCOTO (MEX) df. Helen MAROULIS (USA), injury default
BRONZE – Linda MORAIS (CAN) df. Gabriela Nicole RAMOS DIAZ (PUR), fall

62 kg
GOLD - Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Kayla MIRACLE (USA), injury default
BRONZE – Michelle FAZZARI (CAN) df.
Nathaly GRIMAN HERRERA (VEN), injury default

68 kg
GOLD - Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (CUB), injury default
BRONZE -
Luz VAZQUEZ (ARG) df. Leonela AYOVI PARRAGA (ECU), 3-2
BRONZE - Tatiana RENTERIA RENTERIA (COL) df. Yanet SOVERO NINO (PER), 4-2

76 kg
GOLD - Erica WIEBE (CAN) df. Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA), injury default
BRONZE – Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU) df. Andrea OLAYA GUTIERREZ (COL), injury default

Women’s freestyle semifinals results

50 kg
Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) df. Jessica MACDONALD (CAN), 11-0
Yusneylis GUZMAN LOPEZ (CUB) df. Carolina CASTILLO HIDALGO, 6-4

53 kg
Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) df. Samantha STEWART (CAN), 8-4
Lianna de la Caridad MONTERO HERRERA (CUB) df. Luisa VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU), 5-4

57 kg
Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Nes Marie RODRIGUEZ TIRADO (PUR), 11-0
Alma VALENCIA ESCOTO (MEX) df. Linda MORAIS (CAN), fall 3:45

62 kg
Kayla MIRACLE (USA) df. Michelle FAZZARI (CAN), 12-3
Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Nathaly GRIMAN HERRERA (VEN), 3-1

68 kg
Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (CUB) df. Yanet SOVERO NINO (PER), 5-0
Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Leonela AYOVI PARRAGA (ECU), 10-0

76 kg
Erica WIEBE (CAN) df. Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU), 5-0
Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA) df. Andrea OLAYA GUTIERREZ (COL), 2-1

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024 Wrestling Day 4: Yazdani, Lee, makes semis; Sakurai vs Maroulis set

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

PARIS (August 9) -- Freestyle action kicks off in Paris with 57kg and 86kg as Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) and Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) look to change their silver medals from past Olympics to gold. In 57kg, Helen MAROULIS (USA) is trying to do the same but world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) is in her way.

LIVE MATCH ORDER | PARIS 2024 DAY 3

13:31: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) is back in the Olympic semifinals! He got thrown for a huge four from Dauren KURGULIEV (GRE) but he comes back to break Kurguliev and win 9-4 and book a spot against Myles AMINE (SMR)

13:20: A bout for the ages as returning bronze medalist Myles AMINE (SMR) beats Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) 16-14 to book his spot in the semifinal! Nurmagomedov took the lead using a leg lace but Amine hit the same and reclaimed the lead. At 16-12, Amine was happy to keep his distance from Nurmagomedov even if that meant giving up a takedown.

13:08: Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) pins Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) in the second period. What a win for Ramazanov and he moves into the semifinal at 86kg. He will face Aaron BROOKS (USA) for a spot in the final

13:06: Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) with a first-period fall of Giullia PENALBER (BRA) to book her spot in the women's 57kg semifinals. The former 59kg world champion will face Hong.

13:04: Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) gets a 4-point counter and three takedowns in a 12-5 victory over Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) and he's into the freestyle 57kg semifinal and a date with Lee.

13:00: Kexin HONG (CHN) wins a thriller in the women's 57kg quarterfinals over Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR), finishing off the Nigerian with a cradle for a fall with :44 left after she had just surrendered the lead. Adekuoroye strikes first with a pair of takedowns, but Hong responds with a takedown and three lace-lock rolls to go up 8-4. In the second period, Adekuoroye goes ahead on criteria with a takedown and lace lock, but Hong strikes back by getting her into a cradle and securing the fall.

12:55: Aaron BROOKS (USA) is on mission today! He takes out Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) 11-1 at 86kg. The pace of that bout was unreal and completely broke Ishiguro

12:51: Helen MAROULIS (USA) scores three takedowns and she's into the women's 57kg with a 7-4 victory over Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR). She will face Sakurai in a rematch of the semifinals at last year's worlds in Belgrade, which Sakurai won 6-0.

12:49: Spencer LEE (USA) gives up an early takedown to Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) in their freestyle 57kg quarterfinal, but then he gets to work. He twice gets a takedown-exposure combo, then finishes off a 12-2 win with a 4-point takedown with 58 seconds left in the first period.

12:45: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) has been spotted. He begins with a 10-0 win over Jayden LAWRENCE (AUS) who has scored two points over Yazdani at the World Championships.

12:41: AMAN (IND) earns a clash with Higuchi in the freestyle 57kg semis after using the lace lock to chalk up a 12-0 victory over Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB).

12:39: Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) is at her dominating best, piling up the points with both offensive and defensive takedowns and a pair of stepouts against Luisa VALVERDE (ECU). When it hits 11-0, she is in the middle of applying an arm bar that puts Valverde onto her back for a fall at 4:35.

12:28: Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) is coming in hot! He moves into the quarterfinals with an 11-0 win over Ethan RAMOS (PUR). His likely quarterfinal opponent -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)

12:33: Rio Olympic silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) takes the mat for the first time in the freestyle 57kg quarterfinals after his first-round opponent, Alireza SARLAK (IRI), failed to make weight. Higuchi dominates Darian CRUZ (PUR), scoring with some creative exposures to finish off a 12-2 victory early in the second period.

12:30: World silver medalist Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) easily gets past Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER) 9-0 to secure a place in the women's 57kg quarterfinals.

12:26: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) makes his Olympic debut with a win over Bat Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL) at 86kg. A top 12-2 win to advance to the quarterfinals.

12:22: Three-time world bronze medalist Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) grabs the final place in the freestyle 57kg quarterfinals with a 13-3 win over Roman BRAVO (MEX).

12:19: Giullia PENALBER (BRA) makes short work of Rckaela AQUINO (GUM), slamming to her back for a 4-point takedown and securing the fall in 1:02 to advance at women's 57kg.

12:16: Returning bronze medalist Myles AMINE (SMR) shows why he is a threat. Top defense as he beats Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) 7-4 to move into the quarterfinals at 86kg.

12:15: Kexin HONG (CHN), a winner this year in Budapest and Zagreb, wins a lively clash with Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN (MGL), advancing at women's 57kg with a 16-12 victory. Hong takes an 8-0 lead, but Boldsaikhan cuts the lead to 2 in the second period. Hong puts up 6 with a takedown-lace lock combination, only for Boldsaikhan to get 4 with a counter lift. But Hong gets a final 2-point exposure to notch the win.

12:11: Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) gets a 4-point throw in the first period, then gets a pair of exposures countering a front headlock roll in the second in an 11-4 win over Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) at freestyle 57kg.

12:04: World bronze medalist Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR), looking for her first Olympic medal in a thrid appearance, advances at women's 57kg by injury default when Chaimaa AOUISSI (ALG) suffers a head gash and is unable to continue.

12:02: Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) pulls out his 'A' game to beat Alexander MOORE (CAN) 12-2 in the opening round. He will face Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) who defeated Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) 5-2 in the other bout.

12:00: Spencer LEE (USA), competing on a top world stage for the first time since winning back-to-back world junior titles in 2015-16, scores a takedown and activity point in the first period, and holds on for a 3-2 win over Wanhao ZOU (CHN) at freestyle 57kg. Zou gets a pair of stepouts late in the second period but just ran out of time.

11:59: In a wild clash of 2022 world bronze medalists, Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) rallies out of an eight-point hold to defeat Anhelina LYSAK (POL) 16-13 at women's 57kg. Lysak had three 4-point moves and led 13-5 when Hrushyna Akobiia hit a 4-pointer of her own. In the final 30 seconds, she picked up a takedown and a stepout to go ahead, then added a late takedown. Whew!

11:47: Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) scores a second-period takedown with Asian bronze medalist Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) on the activity clock to take a 3-1 lead, then adds a stepout for a 4-1 victory at freestyle 57kg.

11:45: Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) has no trouble disposing of Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) via technical superiority and sets up a 86kg quarterfinal with Aaron BROOKS (USA).

11:41: Helen MAROULIS (USA), looking for her second Olympic gold and third medal overall, repeats her victory from the 2021 world final over ANSHU (IND) to advance to the women's 57kg quarterfinals 7-2. Maroulis uses an effective single-leg attack to score three takedowns

11:38: Aaron BROOKS (USA), who defeated David TAYLOR (USA) in the U.S. trials, gave up an early stepout but bounced back with two takedowns and beat top seed Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) 4-1 in the opening round at 86kg. 

11:36: Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS), only the third wrestler in Guinea-Bissau history to appear in the Olympics, looks like a seasoned pro in taking a 6-0 lead against world bronze medalist Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) at freestyle 57kg. But the match is six minutes, and Abakarov comes back with two takedowns, adding a lace lock after the second. An unsuccessful challenge adds a point as Abakarov advances 7-6.

11:33: An impressive start for Luisa VALVERDE (ECU), who opens with a 4-point takedown against Aurora RUSSO (ITA) at women's 57kg, then scores a takedown to the back and secures the fall at 2:34.  

11:27: Two-time reigning world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) opens her Olympic debut at women's 57kg with an activity point, then a slick ankle pick for a takedown against Hannah TAYLOR (CAN), but gets reversed going for a lace lock. She adds a stepout and another takedown in the second period for a hard-fought 6-1 win.

11:26: 2023 Asian champion AMAN (IND) uses a shrug-by to get behind Russian-born 2021 European champion Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) for the clinching takedown in a 10-0 win at freestyle 57kg.

11:17: Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) spots Dominique PARRISH (USA) a four-point lead in their women's 53k repechage, then storms back to go ahead 10-4 with a back trip before latching onto a cradle for a fall.

11:14: Darian CRUZ (PUR) picks up a big win for the Caribbean nation, locking up Gamal MOHAMED (EGY) in a cradle and securing the fall in their freestyle 57kg opener.

11:09: Luis ORTA (CUB), denied in his bid for a second straight Olympic gold, will get a chance for a bronze after storming to a 9-0 victory over Ishak GHAIOU (ALG) in the 67kg repechage.

11:08: Hyogyong CHOE (PRK) stays on track to give the DPR Korea its first-ever women's Olympic medal with an 11-0 repechage victory over European champion Andreea ANA (ROU) at 53kg. Choe will take on Annika WENDLE (GER).

11:04: In the opening match on Mat A, Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) uses an arm throw for a quick 4-pointer, then lifts and throws Mate NEMES (SRB) for 4 more and an 8-0 win in their Greco 67kg repechage. He will face Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) in a bid for Kyrgyzstan's third bronze medal in Greco later tonight.

10:45: We are beginning with Freestyle at Paris 2024 in two weight classes and women's wrestling will continue with 57kg.