Leathers and Mensah win gold at Grand Prix of Spain, five other Americans earn medals
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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
MADRID, Spain – Seven U.S. women won medals at the Grand Prix of Spain on Sunday, including gold medals from Becka Leathers (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC) and Tamyra Mensah (Katy, Texas/Titan Mercury WC).
Leathers, the 2017 U.S. World Team member and Pan American champion at 55 kg/121 lbs., was absolutely dominant in her bracket, tallying falls in three of her four wins. To open the tournament with back-to-back pins over Lenka Hockova of Czech Republic and Marina Simonyan of Russia. In the semifinals, she defeated Ramona Galambo of Hungary, 11-0, to earn a spot in the finals. Galambo finished fifth at the 2016 World Championships in her home country. In the finals, Leathers continued her championship run with a fall over Russia Nationals champion Maria Gurova.
Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix champion and World Team member Mensah won her second major international tournament of 2017, winning gold at 69 kg/152 lbs. In her first match, Mensah defeated Noelia Lalin of Spain, 11-0, before downing Canada Cup runner-up Olivia Dibacco in the quarterfinals with a fall. In the semis, she went head-to-head with fellow American Forrest Molinari and walked away with a 4-1 win. Mensah wrapped up the tournament with a 10-0 tech fall over Russia’s Galina Bulatova.
In her World Championships tune-up event, Victoria Francis (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC) finished with a silver medal. The 2014 Junior World bronze medalist defeated 2015 Junior World bronze medalist Iselin Solheim of Norway, 10-6, in the first round, before recording a 13-2 technical fall over Gracelynn Doogan of Canada. In the finals, she fell to Mae Epp of Estonia in a 10-0 match.
Four U.S. wrestlers won bronze, including World Team members Victoria Anthony (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC) and Mallory Velte (Sacramento, Calif./Titan Mercury WC), World Team Trials runner-up Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville, Ky./Sunkist Kids WC) and Forrest Molinari (Benicia, Calif./Titan Mercury WC).
Anthony earned a notable 8-3 win over Argentina’s Patricia Bermudez, who finished fifth at the 2016 Olympic Games, while Velte took out two-time Olympian and 2010 World bronze medalist Henna Johansson of Sweden for third place, 7-2.
As a squad, the United States won the team title with 57 team points, defeating Russia by two points.
GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN
July 15-16 at Madrid, Spain
Women’s freestyle final results
48 kg/106 lbs.
Gold – Anzhelika Vetoshkina (RUS)
Silver – Miglena Selishka (BUL)
Bronze – Elitsa Yankova (BUL)
Bronze – Victoria Anthony (USA)
53 kg/117 lbs.
Gold – Jessica Macdonald (CAN)
Silver – Jasmine Mian (CAN)
Bronze – Ekaterina Poleshchuk (RUS)
Bronze – Otgonjargal Ganbaatar (MGL)
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold – Becka Leathers (USA)
Silver – Maria Gurova (RUS)
Bronze – Ramona Galambos (HUN)
Bronze – Biliana Dudova (BUL)
58 kg/128 lbs.
Gold – Marwa Anri (TUN)
Silver – Michelle Fazzari (CAN)
Bronze – Uliana Tukurenova (RUS)
Bronze – Kayla Miracle (USA)
60 kg/132 lbs.
Gold – Liubov Ovcharova (RUS)
Silver – Anastasija Grigorjeva (LAT)
Bronze – Mimi Hristova (BUL)
Bronze – Johanna Mattsson (SWE)
63 kg/139 lbs.
Gold – Orkhon Purevdorj (MGL)
Silver – Taybe Yusein (BUL)
Bronze – Ilana Kratysh (ISR)
Bronze – Mallory Velte (USA)
69 kg/152 lbs.
Gold – Tamyra Mensah (USA)
Silver – Galina Bulatova (RUS)
Bronze – Forrest Molinari (USA)
Bronze – Elmira Syzdykova (KAZ)
75 kg/165 lbs.
Gold – Mae Epp (EST)
Silver – Victoria Francis (USA)
Bronze – Justine DiStasio (CAN)
Bronze – Iselin Solheim (NOR)
U.S. women’s freestyle results
48 kg/106 lbs. – Victoria Anthony, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids WC), bronze
WIN Ambar Wiebe (Canada), fall
WIN Patricia Bermudez (Argentina), 8-3
LOSS Anzhelka Vetoshkina (Russia), 13-8
WIN Julie Sabatie (France), 12-1
48 kg/106 lbs. – Cody Pfau, Brush, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Eugenia Bustabad (Spain), 10-0
LOSS Erin Golston (United States), 12-2
48 kg/106 lbs. – Erin Golston, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
WIN Aintzane Gorria (Spain), 10-0
WIN Cody Pfau (United States), 12-2
LOSS Nadezhda Fedorova (Russia), fall
53 kg/116.5 lbs. – Haley Augello, Lockport, Ill. (New York AC)
LOSS Otgonjargal Ganbaatar (Mongolia), fall
55 kg/121 lbs. – Becka Leathers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC), gold
WIN Lenka Hockova (Czech Republic), fall
WIN Marina Simonyan (Russia), fall
WIN Ramona Galambo (Hungary), 11-0
WIN Maria Gurova (Russia), fall
55 kg/121 lbs. – Dominique Parrish, Scotts Valley, Calif. (Sunkist Kids)
LOSS Mathilde Riviere (France), 10-0
58 kg/128 lbs. – Kayla Miracle, Campbellsville, Ky. (Sunkist Kids WC), bronze
LOSS Marwa Amri (Tunisia), 8-5
WIN Jacarra Winchester (United States), 7-3
58 kg/128 lbs. – Jacarra Winchester, Marshall, Mo. (Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Lydia Perez (Spain), 7-0
LOSS Marwa Amri (Tunisia), 11-9
LOSS Kayla Miracle (United States), 7-3
60 kg/132 lbs. – Alli Ragan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids WC)
LOSS Johanna Mattsson (Sweden), 5-2
60 kg/132 lbs. – Arian Carpio, Scottsdale, Ariz. (Sunkist WC)
LOSS Randi Beltz (United States), 10-0
60 kg/132 lbs. - Randi Beltz, Saint Clair, Mo. (Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Arian Carpio (United States), 10-0
LOSS Mimi Hristova (Bulgaria), 14-4
63 kg/139 lbs. – Mallory Velte, Sacramento, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC), bronze
WIN Laetitia Blot (France), 8-7
WIN Jessica Brouillette (Canada), 10-0
LOSS Orkhon Purevdorj (Mongolia), 14-7
WIN Henna Johansson (Sweden), 7-2
63 kg/139 lbs. – Maya Nelson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids WC)
WIN Adela Hanzlickova (Czech Republic), 12-2
WIN Z. Kunangaraeva (Kazakhstan), 8-4
LOSS Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria), 11-1
LOSS Ilana Kratysh (Israel), 10-2
63 kg/139 lbs. – Alexis Porter, Niskayuna, N.Y. (New York AC)
WIN Tayla Ford (New Zealand), 2-1
LOSS Orkhon Purevdorj (Mongolia), 10-0
LOSS Henna Johansson (Sweden), 9-4
63 kg/139 lbs. – Amanda Hendey, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Lilia Mejri (Tunisia), 10-0
WIN Moa Nygren (Sweden), fall
LOSS Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria), fall
LOSS Ilana Kratysh (Israel), 10-0
69 kg/152 lbs. – Tamyra Mensah, Katy, Texas (Titan Mercury WC), gold
WIN Noelia Lalin (Spain), 11-0
WIN Olivia Dibacco (Canada), fall
WIN Forrest Molinari (United States), 4-1
WIN Galina Bulatova (Russia), 10-0
69 kg/152 lbs. – Forrest Molinari, Benicia, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC), bronze
WIN Kayla Brodner (Canada), fall
WIN Viktoria Bobeva (Bulgaria), 6-1
LOSS Tamyra Mensah (United States), 4-1
WIN Olivia Dibacco (Canada), 7-4
75 kg/165 lbs. – Victoria Francis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC), silver
WIN Iselin Solheim (Norway), 10-6
WIN Gracelynn Doogan (Canada), 13-2
LOSS Mae Epp (Estonia), 10-0
