17-year-old Tatiana Padilla captures bronze medal at World Championships
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by Craig Sesker
TOKYO, Japan - She's just 17 years old and is competing in her first World Championships.
But that hardly stopped American Tatiana Padilla from putting on an impressive display of grit and resiliency on Monday night.
Padilla rallied back in dominating fashion to record a fall over Romania's Ana Maria Paval in a bronze-medal match at 55 kg/121 lbs. Padilla becomes the youngest U.S. World medalist since Kristie Marano won her first of a record nine World women's freestyle medals as a 17-year-old in 1996.
"I just hated the feeling of losing the match the way I did in the semifinals," Padilla said. "I felt like I let myself down, I let my coaches down and I let my country down. I hate the feeling of letting people down. I decided to go out there and leave it all out on the mat in my last match. I had a lot of motivation to come back and win my last match. I didn't want to come all the way over to Japan and go home with nothing. I'm happy. That's not my goal, to take third, but I'm happy to come back from a tough loss and take third."
With her win, Padilla (Azusa, Calif./Sunkist Kids) kept her team in fourth place in the final team standings. Japan won the team title, followed by Canada and Russia.
"Give a lot of credit to our development system," U.S. National Coach Terry Steiner said. "Tatiana's 17 years old and has been on our last two Junior World Teams. We've had very little time to work with her as a Senior-level wrestler. To see her have success at this young of an age is a huge statement for our development system and the coaches we have had on the Junior World staff. Tatiana just fought and fought and fought. She wrestled her heart out. It was a great way for us to finish the tournament."
The U.S. finished with two medals in the three-day competition. American Clarissa Chun won a World title at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. on Sunday night.
Padilla won her first three matches, including a win over past World champion Sofia Pompouridou of Greece, before falling to Tetyana Lazareva of the Ukraine in the semifinals on Monday afternoon at Yoyogi National Stadium.
She then regrouped to beat Paval, who placed fifth in the 2008 Olympic Games. Padilla used a front headlock to turn Paval to her back and record the fall.
Padilla won a Junior World bronze medal earlier this year after winning a Junior World silver medal in 2007. She is a freshman in college at Lindenwood (Mo.) and doesn't turn 18 until December.
"Tatiana is such a true competitor," U.S. Assistant National Coach Izzy Izboinikov said. "She found a way to bring out her best at the right time. She just never gave up. She showed a lot of character out there."
American Stephany Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) suffered a first-round loss to five-time World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Lee was eliminated when Hamaguchi was upset by China's Yan Hong in the semifinals.
WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Team standings
Japan 65
Canada 40
Russia 40
United States 31
Ukraine 31
Monday's medalists
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan)
Silver - Tetyana Lazareva (Ukraine)
Bronze - Tatiana Padilla (United States)
Bronze - Anna Zwirydowska (Poland)
72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Gold - Stanka Zlateva (Bulgaria)
Silver - Yan Hong (China)
Bronze - Kyoko Hamaguchi (Japan)
Bronze - Ohenewa Akuffo (Canada)
U.S. results - Monday, Oct. 13, Tokyo, Japan
55 kg/121 lbs. - Tatiana Padilla, Azusa, Calif. (Sunkist Kids), 3rd
WIN Sofia Pompouridou (Greece), 1-1, 2-0
WIN E. Rivera Velazquez (Puerto Rico), 1-0, by fall
WIN T. Hryhoryeva (Belarus), by fall
LOSS Tetyana Lazareva (Ukraine), 2-1, 3-1
WIN Ana Maria Paval (Romania), 1-3, 3-2, by fall
72 kg/158.5 lbs. - Stephany Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
LOSS Kyoko Hamaguchi (Japan), 1-0, by fall
But that hardly stopped American Tatiana Padilla from putting on an impressive display of grit and resiliency on Monday night.
Padilla rallied back in dominating fashion to record a fall over Romania's Ana Maria Paval in a bronze-medal match at 55 kg/121 lbs. Padilla becomes the youngest U.S. World medalist since Kristie Marano won her first of a record nine World women's freestyle medals as a 17-year-old in 1996.
"I just hated the feeling of losing the match the way I did in the semifinals," Padilla said. "I felt like I let myself down, I let my coaches down and I let my country down. I hate the feeling of letting people down. I decided to go out there and leave it all out on the mat in my last match. I had a lot of motivation to come back and win my last match. I didn't want to come all the way over to Japan and go home with nothing. I'm happy. That's not my goal, to take third, but I'm happy to come back from a tough loss and take third."
With her win, Padilla (Azusa, Calif./Sunkist Kids) kept her team in fourth place in the final team standings. Japan won the team title, followed by Canada and Russia.
"Give a lot of credit to our development system," U.S. National Coach Terry Steiner said. "Tatiana's 17 years old and has been on our last two Junior World Teams. We've had very little time to work with her as a Senior-level wrestler. To see her have success at this young of an age is a huge statement for our development system and the coaches we have had on the Junior World staff. Tatiana just fought and fought and fought. She wrestled her heart out. It was a great way for us to finish the tournament."
The U.S. finished with two medals in the three-day competition. American Clarissa Chun won a World title at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. on Sunday night.
Padilla won her first three matches, including a win over past World champion Sofia Pompouridou of Greece, before falling to Tetyana Lazareva of the Ukraine in the semifinals on Monday afternoon at Yoyogi National Stadium.
She then regrouped to beat Paval, who placed fifth in the 2008 Olympic Games. Padilla used a front headlock to turn Paval to her back and record the fall.
Padilla won a Junior World bronze medal earlier this year after winning a Junior World silver medal in 2007. She is a freshman in college at Lindenwood (Mo.) and doesn't turn 18 until December.
"Tatiana is such a true competitor," U.S. Assistant National Coach Izzy Izboinikov said. "She found a way to bring out her best at the right time. She just never gave up. She showed a lot of character out there."
American Stephany Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) suffered a first-round loss to five-time World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Lee was eliminated when Hamaguchi was upset by China's Yan Hong in the semifinals.
WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Team standings
Japan 65
Canada 40
Russia 40
United States 31
Ukraine 31
Monday's medalists
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan)
Silver - Tetyana Lazareva (Ukraine)
Bronze - Tatiana Padilla (United States)
Bronze - Anna Zwirydowska (Poland)
72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Gold - Stanka Zlateva (Bulgaria)
Silver - Yan Hong (China)
Bronze - Kyoko Hamaguchi (Japan)
Bronze - Ohenewa Akuffo (Canada)
U.S. results - Monday, Oct. 13, Tokyo, Japan
55 kg/121 lbs. - Tatiana Padilla, Azusa, Calif. (Sunkist Kids), 3rd
WIN Sofia Pompouridou (Greece), 1-1, 2-0
WIN E. Rivera Velazquez (Puerto Rico), 1-0, by fall
WIN T. Hryhoryeva (Belarus), by fall
LOSS Tetyana Lazareva (Ukraine), 2-1, 3-1
WIN Ana Maria Paval (Romania), 1-3, 3-2, by fall
72 kg/158.5 lbs. - Stephany Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
LOSS Kyoko Hamaguchi (Japan), 1-0, by fall
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