UPDATED: Padilla and Rix place fifth and Pirozhkova is seventh at World Championships on Thursday
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by Craig Sesker
Deanna Rix works from the defensive position in the clinch against Marianna Sastin of Hungary in the 59 kg bronze-medal match. Tony Rotundo photo
Click here for World Championships Special Section
HERNING, Denmark - A day so full of promise ended with a disappointing finish for the U.S. women's freestyle wrestling team.
Tatiana Padilla (55 kg/121 lbs.) and Deanna Rix (59 kg/130 lbs.) both dropped their bronze-medal matches and finished in fifth place at the World Championships on Thursday night at the MesseCenter Herning.
Padilla fell to Alena Filipava of Belarus in the bronze-medal match. Filipava came out aggressively, scoring right away and taking command.
Padilla caught Filipava on her back briefly with a first-period headlock, but Filipava ended up bridging off her back and gaining two exposure points against Padilla to regain control.
Padilla, just 18 years old, was a World bronze medalist in 2008.
"It's pretty upsetting to lose like that," Padilla said. "I need to make some adjustments with my attacks. I need to attack more. I need to learn from this, and I am going to come back."
Rix dropped a controversial decision to Marianna Sastin of Hungary in the bronze-medal match.
The match went to the ball draw in all three periods, and Rix lost every draw. Rix won the first period from the defensive position and lost the second.
Rix pulled her leg free in the third-period clinch and looked poised to win. Sastin then fired in on a scoring attempt and Rix threw Sastin to her back. The referee gave Sastin a point for a takedown.
U.S. World Team Coach Kevin Black challenged the call. Officials looked at a video review and confirmed the point for Hungary.
Rix placed fifth in the World for the second straight year.
"I gave it all I had," Rix said. "I shouldn't let it come down to a ball draw. I thought I had it on the last clinch, but I didn't roll through fast enough, I guess."
The U.S. has come up short of winning a medal in the first five women's freestyle weight classes.
Gold medal winners on Thursday included superstar Saori Yoshida of Japan at 55 kg/121 lbs., who won her seventh World title to go along with two Olympic titles. Other individual champions were Yulia Ratkevich of Azerbaijan at 59 kg/130 lbs. and Mio Nishimaki of Japan at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. Nishimaki won her second straight World title.
The final two U.S. women's wrestlers - Adeline Gray (67 kg/147.5 lbs.) and Ali Bernard (72 kg/158.5 lbs.) - weighed in and received their draws for Friday's competition. The Greco-Roman competition will kick off with Spenser Mango (55 kg/121 lbs.) taking the mat on Friday.
The seven-day competition runs through Sunday in Herning.
U.S. WOMEN'S FREESTYLE RESULTS FROM WEDNESDAY'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
55 kg/121 lbs. - Tatiana Padilla, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) - 5th
WIN Gudrun Hoie (Norway), 3-0, 6-0
WIN Geeta Geeta (India), 3-0, 1-4, fall 1:51
LOSS Sona Ahmedli (Azerbaijan), 1-0, 2-1
LOSS Alena Filipava (Belarus), 5-2, 3-0
59 kg/130 lbs. - Deanna Rix, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) - 5th
WIN Taybe Usein (Bulgaria), 4-0, 1-0
LOSS Yulija Ratkevich (Azerbaijan), 1-0, 3-3
WIN Joice Silva (Brazil), 1-0, 2-1
LOSS Marianna Sastin (Hungary), 0-1, 1-0, 1-0
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Elena Pirozhkova, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) - 7th
WIN Aysel Can (Turkey), 7-0, 3-2
WIN Jin-Young Hang (South Korea), 0-7, 2-0, fall
LOSS Lubov Volosova (Russia), 5-2, 2-0
LOSS Justine Bouchard (Canada), 5-1, 3-0
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS FOR THURSDAY
Women's freestyle wrestling
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan)
Silver - Sona Ahmedli (Azerbaijan)
Bronze - Alena Filipava (Belarus)
Bronze - Tanya Verbeek (Canada)
5th - Tatiana Padilla (USA)
5th - Anna Gomis (France)
7th - Ana Maria Paval (Romania)
8th - Aiyim Abdildina (Kazakhstan)
9th - Yura Gandolgor (Mongolia)
10th - Geeta (India)
Gold - Yoshida dec. Ahmedli, 3-0, 6-0
Bronze - Verbeek dec. Gomez, 1-0, 6-2
Bronze - Filipava dec. Padilla, 5-2, 3-0
59 kg/130 lbs.
Gold - Yulia Ratkevich (Azerbaijan)
Silver - Agata Pietrzyk (Poland)
Bronze - Marianna Sastin (Hungary)
Bronze - Ganna Vasylenko (Ukraine)
5th - Deanna Rix (USA)
5th - Katherine Patroch (Canada)
7th - Olga Kalinina (Kazakhstan)
8th - Ludmila Cristea (Moldova)
9th - Aurora Fajardo (Spain)
10th - Olga Kiosova (Russia)
Gold - Ratkevich pin Pietrzyk, 3rd period
Bronze - Vasylenko pin Patroch, 1st period
Bronze - Sastin dec. Rix, 0-1, 1-0, 1-0
63 kg/138.75 lbs.
Gold - Mio Nishimaki (Japan)
Silver - Lubov Volosova (Russia)
Bronze - Elena Shalygina (Kazakhstan)
Bronze - Justine Bouchard (Canada)
5th - Olesja Zamula (Azerbaijan)
5th - Monika Michalik (Poland)
7th - Elena Pirozkhova (USA)
8th - Elina Vaseva (Bulgaria)
9th - Martina Zyklova (Czech Republic)
10th - Yuliya Ostapchuk (Ukraine)
Gold - Nishamaki dec. Volosova, 1-0, 8-1
Bronze - Bouchard dec. Michalik, 2-0, 1-0
Bronze - Shalygina pin Zamula,
Click here for World Championships Special Section
HERNING, Denmark - A day so full of promise ended with a disappointing finish for the U.S. women's freestyle wrestling team.
Tatiana Padilla (55 kg/121 lbs.) and Deanna Rix (59 kg/130 lbs.) both dropped their bronze-medal matches and finished in fifth place at the World Championships on Thursday night at the MesseCenter Herning.
Padilla fell to Alena Filipava of Belarus in the bronze-medal match. Filipava came out aggressively, scoring right away and taking command.
Padilla caught Filipava on her back briefly with a first-period headlock, but Filipava ended up bridging off her back and gaining two exposure points against Padilla to regain control.
Padilla, just 18 years old, was a World bronze medalist in 2008.
"It's pretty upsetting to lose like that," Padilla said. "I need to make some adjustments with my attacks. I need to attack more. I need to learn from this, and I am going to come back."
Rix dropped a controversial decision to Marianna Sastin of Hungary in the bronze-medal match.
The match went to the ball draw in all three periods, and Rix lost every draw. Rix won the first period from the defensive position and lost the second.
Rix pulled her leg free in the third-period clinch and looked poised to win. Sastin then fired in on a scoring attempt and Rix threw Sastin to her back. The referee gave Sastin a point for a takedown.
U.S. World Team Coach Kevin Black challenged the call. Officials looked at a video review and confirmed the point for Hungary.
Rix placed fifth in the World for the second straight year.
"I gave it all I had," Rix said. "I shouldn't let it come down to a ball draw. I thought I had it on the last clinch, but I didn't roll through fast enough, I guess."
The U.S. has come up short of winning a medal in the first five women's freestyle weight classes.
Gold medal winners on Thursday included superstar Saori Yoshida of Japan at 55 kg/121 lbs., who won her seventh World title to go along with two Olympic titles. Other individual champions were Yulia Ratkevich of Azerbaijan at 59 kg/130 lbs. and Mio Nishimaki of Japan at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. Nishimaki won her second straight World title.
The final two U.S. women's wrestlers - Adeline Gray (67 kg/147.5 lbs.) and Ali Bernard (72 kg/158.5 lbs.) - weighed in and received their draws for Friday's competition. The Greco-Roman competition will kick off with Spenser Mango (55 kg/121 lbs.) taking the mat on Friday.
The seven-day competition runs through Sunday in Herning.
U.S. WOMEN'S FREESTYLE RESULTS FROM WEDNESDAY'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
55 kg/121 lbs. - Tatiana Padilla, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) - 5th
WIN Gudrun Hoie (Norway), 3-0, 6-0
WIN Geeta Geeta (India), 3-0, 1-4, fall 1:51
LOSS Sona Ahmedli (Azerbaijan), 1-0, 2-1
LOSS Alena Filipava (Belarus), 5-2, 3-0
59 kg/130 lbs. - Deanna Rix, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) - 5th
WIN Taybe Usein (Bulgaria), 4-0, 1-0
LOSS Yulija Ratkevich (Azerbaijan), 1-0, 3-3
WIN Joice Silva (Brazil), 1-0, 2-1
LOSS Marianna Sastin (Hungary), 0-1, 1-0, 1-0
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Elena Pirozhkova, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) - 7th
WIN Aysel Can (Turkey), 7-0, 3-2
WIN Jin-Young Hang (South Korea), 0-7, 2-0, fall
LOSS Lubov Volosova (Russia), 5-2, 2-0
LOSS Justine Bouchard (Canada), 5-1, 3-0
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS FOR THURSDAY
Women's freestyle wrestling
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan)
Silver - Sona Ahmedli (Azerbaijan)
Bronze - Alena Filipava (Belarus)
Bronze - Tanya Verbeek (Canada)
5th - Tatiana Padilla (USA)
5th - Anna Gomis (France)
7th - Ana Maria Paval (Romania)
8th - Aiyim Abdildina (Kazakhstan)
9th - Yura Gandolgor (Mongolia)
10th - Geeta (India)
Gold - Yoshida dec. Ahmedli, 3-0, 6-0
Bronze - Verbeek dec. Gomez, 1-0, 6-2
Bronze - Filipava dec. Padilla, 5-2, 3-0
59 kg/130 lbs.
Gold - Yulia Ratkevich (Azerbaijan)
Silver - Agata Pietrzyk (Poland)
Bronze - Marianna Sastin (Hungary)
Bronze - Ganna Vasylenko (Ukraine)
5th - Deanna Rix (USA)
5th - Katherine Patroch (Canada)
7th - Olga Kalinina (Kazakhstan)
8th - Ludmila Cristea (Moldova)
9th - Aurora Fajardo (Spain)
10th - Olga Kiosova (Russia)
Gold - Ratkevich pin Pietrzyk, 3rd period
Bronze - Vasylenko pin Patroch, 1st period
Bronze - Sastin dec. Rix, 0-1, 1-0, 1-0
63 kg/138.75 lbs.
Gold - Mio Nishimaki (Japan)
Silver - Lubov Volosova (Russia)
Bronze - Elena Shalygina (Kazakhstan)
Bronze - Justine Bouchard (Canada)
5th - Olesja Zamula (Azerbaijan)
5th - Monika Michalik (Poland)
7th - Elena Pirozkhova (USA)
8th - Elina Vaseva (Bulgaria)
9th - Martina Zyklova (Czech Republic)
10th - Yuliya Ostapchuk (Ukraine)
Gold - Nishamaki dec. Volosova, 1-0, 8-1
Bronze - Bouchard dec. Michalik, 2-0, 1-0
Bronze - Shalygina pin Zamula,
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