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American Tatiana Padilla to wrestle for bronze medal at World Championships

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by Craig Sesker

TOKYO, Japan - American Tatiana Padilla is the final medal hope for the U.S. women's freestyle team at the World Championships.

Padilla won her first three matches before falling to Tetyana Lazareva of the Ukraine in the semifinals on Monday afternoon at Yoyogi National Stadium.

Padilla (Azusa, Calif./Sunkist Kids) fell 2-1, 3-1 to Lazareva in the semifinals at 55 kg/121 lbs. Lazareva placed fifth in the 2007 World Championships.

Padilla will wrestle for the bronze medal early Monday night against an opponent to be determined in the repechage rounds late Monday afternoon. Padilla was a Junior World bronze medalist in 2008 and a Junior World silver medalist in 2007.

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.

Lee won the first period 1-0 after finishing in the offensive position in the clinch against Hamaguchi, a bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympics. But Hamaguchi stormed back to record a second-period fall.

The U.S. is trying to add to its medal total after American Clarissa Chun won a gold medal on Sunday night.

WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

U.S. results - Monday, Oct. 13, Tokyo, Japan

55 kg/121 lbs. - Tatiana Padilla, Azusa, Calif. (Sunkist Kids)
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

72 kg/158.5 lbs. - Stephany Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
LOSS Kyoko Hamaguchi (Japan), 1-0, by fall

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