#WrestleGuatemalaCity

Yepez Apunta a Volver a Lo Más Alto del Podio en #WrestleGuatemalaCity

By Taylor Miller

Hoy Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU) busca su primera medalla del Campeonato Panamericano Juvenil. Ella ya es finalista en la categoría de 50 kg en su primera competencia juvenil.

Con solo 18 años, Yépez ya tiene mucho éxito internacional.

En adición a sus cuatro medallas panamericanas, Yépez resultó dos veces entre las primeras cinco mejores del campeonato mundial. En 2017, ganó una medalla de bronce en el Campeonato Mundial de Cadetes.

Ya ha ganado títulos panamericanos en las categorías U15 y cadetes. Los dos vinieron en 2016. En 2017, ganó una medalla de plata, y el año pasado reclamó la medalla bronce.

Hoy en la competencia, Yépez tiene tres victorias por puesta espalda, derrotando a los oponentes de Brasil, Canadá y Panamá.

Esta noche se enfrentara a la Campeona Olímpica Juvenil y Campeona Mundial en la categoría cadetes Emily SHILSON (USA) por el oro.

“Como yo he siempre dicho, nunca hay que tener miedo a ningún rival y para la final lo que voy a hacer es caerle encima y dar lo mejor de mí. Que gane la mejor,” dijo Yepez.

Mira el torneo en vivo en unitedworldwrestling.org. Las finales comienzan a las 6 p.m. CST.

#development, #WrestleBirmingham

UWW-KIMBA partnership helps Ahinsa win Sri Lanka’s first CWG medal

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (August 17): The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which concluded on August 8, saw some thrilling wrestling action, with athletes from 10 countries finishing on the podium. New rivalries were established in the process and history was rewritten, the latter being true in the case of one wrestler in particular.

Nethmi AHINSA (SRI) won the bronze medal in the women’s freestyle 57kg category, sharing the podium with Hannah TAYLOR (CAN), who also won a bronze, silver medal winner Anshu MALIK (IND) and gold medallist from Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR).

For Ahinsa and her country, though, the medal will hold a special significance. The bronze, after all, was Sri Lanka’s first medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games. And Ahinsa, only 18 years old, was the youngest to win a medal.

Ahinsa’s medal is also a testimony to the success of the UWW’s developmental programs.

Ahinsa had been a part of the Crysbro Next Champ Program, which is run by the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka. As a part of the program, the schoolgirl from the country’s North Western Province was sent to Hungary, where she got exposure to training and competing with some of the top-level athletes.

AHINSANethmi AHINSA (SRI) won a bronze medal in the 57kg weight class in Birmingham.

The UWW funded and supported her three-month training program at its partner center in Hungary, the Kozma István Hungarian Wrestling Academy (KIMBA), in collaboration with the NOC of Sri Lanka, which expressed its gratitude towards UWW and KIMBA.

The partnership between UWW and KIMBA came to fruition during President Lalovic’s visit to Budapest, Hungary, last year in December. During his trip, a partnership was initiated with KIMBA for the global development of the sport. Under the agreement, it was decided that KIMBA would host several international wrestling events, training camps, seminars and other programs.

The positive impact of the collaboration is for all to see, and Ahinsa’s medal at the Commonwealth Games underlines the importance UWW places on such developmental programs.