Miracle, Gray reach Klippan Lady Open finals, with six in bronze-medal bouts, and three more in repechage
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Kayla Miracle and Adeline Gray of the USA, shown after victories at the USA vs. Japan dual meet at BTS Los Angeles Benefit, advanced to the gold-medal finals at the Klippan Lady Open in Sweden. Photos by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors
KLIPPAN, Sweden – The 2018 Klippan Lady Open, as the first of the UWW Ranking Tournaments, was loaded with international stars. The United States, which entered 18 athletes in the tournament, will have a pair of top stars in the gold-medal finals.
Securing finals berths after winning their semifinal bouts were Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville, Ky. / Sunkist Kids) at 62 kg/136.6 lbs. and Adeline Gray (Kingston, Pa. / New York AC) at 76 kg/167.5 lbs.
Miracle won three matches to reach the finals, including a clutch 2-1 win over 2014 Junior World silver medalist Luisa Niemesch of Germany in the semifinals. She will battle 2014 World champion Yulia Tkach Ostapchuk of Ukraine in the finals on Sunday. Tkach has won three career Senior World medals
Last week, Miracle became only the fourth four-time WCWA national champion, claiming a title for Campbellsville at the 2018 WCWA Nationals in Oklahoma City. A Senior National Team member, Miracle has won two Junior World medals and a Cadet World medal coming up through the age-group system.
Gray had three strong wins to make her finals bout, including a 7-1 victory over 2015 World bronze medalist Epp Mae of Estonia in the semifinals. Gray avenged a loss to Mae in the Russia Cup in early December this season. Gray will battle 2017 World champion Yasemin Adar of Turkey in the finals. Gray has beaten Adar a number of times in the past.
Gray is a three-time World champion, five-time World medalist and 2016 Olympian, one of the most decorated American wrestlers in any style in our history. She missed the 2017 international season recovering from injuries and made her comeback this past fall.
Six other U.S. women have guaranteed themselves a bronze-medal bout on Sunday:
• Amy Fearnside (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC) at 50 kg/110 lbs.
• Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo. / New York AC) at 53 kg/116.5 lbs.
• Jacarra Winchester (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC) at 55 kg/121 lbs.
• Lauren Louive (Iowa City, Iowa / Hawkeye WC) at 59 kg/130 lbs.
• Tamyra Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC) at 68 kg/150 lbs.
• Victoria Francis (Colorado Springs, Colo./ Titan Mercury WC) at 72 kg/158.7 lbs.
Fearnside, Hildebrandt and Francis all powered through to the semifinals, where they were defeated and advanced directly into a bronze-medal bout. Fearnside lost to three-time Olympic medalist and 2009 World champion Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan in her semifinals. Hildebrandt, a 2016 World Team member, was stopped in the semifinals by 2015 Junior World champion Nanami Irie of Japan. Francis fell to 2012 World champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Fransson of Sweden in her semifinals.
Winchester, Louive and Stock were all beaten in the quarterfinals, wrestling in the top half-bracket at their weight classes. When the wrestler who defeated them reach the finals, they were all drawn back into repechage. In their cases, because of the number of athletes in the top bracket, all three were placed into bronze-medal matches.
The USA will have eight athletes guaranteed a medal match on Sunday. However, three others who were beaten on Saturday qualified for repechage bouts and could advance to the medal rounds with wins in repechage: Victoria Anthony (Tempe, Ariz./ Sunkist Kids) at 50 kg/110 lbs. , Forrest Molinari (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC) at 65 kg/143.3 lbs. and Rachel Watters (Ankeny, Iowa / Aires WC) at 72 kg/158.7 lbs.
“We had some good wins today, and a whole bunch of wrestling. Winning is a process we need to learn from every step along the way. We have a lot of wrestling left tomorrow. Tonight, we need to stay disciplined and get ready for some big matches,” said Steiner.
The Klippan Lady Open on the Senior level is a UWW Ranking tournament, which will help set the seeds for the 2018 World Championships in Hungary in October. Also held alongside the event was a Cadet division, which concluded on Saturday morning, where the USA won three medals. (An additional story on the Cadet competition will be posted later today).
“It is great to have the Cadet and Senior team together here,” said Steiner. “I think that they help each other in a lot of ways.”
United World Wrestling has provided a free live stream and complete results brackets on their website. The repechage round is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. local time (4:00 a.m. in U.S. Eastern time zone) and the finals will be held at 1:00 p.m. local time (7:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time zone)
Check out all the action at:
https://unitedworldwrestling.org/event/klippan-lady-open-4
KLIPPAN LADY OPEN
At Klippan, Sweden
Gold Medal Finals pairings
50 kg/110 lbs. – Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) vs. Yui Susaki (Japan)
53 kg/116.5 lbs. – Nanami Irie (Japan) vs. Umi Imai (Japan)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Bediha Gun (Turkey) vs. Stalvira Orshush (Russia)
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Sae Najo (Japan) vs. Tetyana Kit (Ukraine)
59 kg/130 lbs. – Grace Bullen (Norway) vs. Akie Hanai (Japan)
62 kg/136.6 lbs. – Kayla Miracle (USA) vs. Yulia Tkach Ostapchuk (Ukraine)
65 kg/143 lbs. – Petra Olli (Finland) vs. Miwa Morikawa (Japan)
68 kg/149.5 lbs. – Danielle Lappage (Canada) vs. Alla Cherkasova (Ukraine)
72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Jenny Fransson (Sweden) vs. Tatiana Kolesnikova Morozova (Russia)
76 kg/167 lbs. – Adeline Gray (USA) vs. Yasemin Adar (Turkey)
U.S. women’s freestyle performances
50 kg/110 lbs. – Victoria Anthony (Tempe, Ariz./ Sunkist Kids)
WIN Natasha Kramble (Canada)., tech fall 10-0
LOSS Yu Sasaki (Japan), 7-1
Repechage vs. winner of Malin Ljunstroem (Sweden) vs. Anzehilika Vetoshkina (Russia)
50 kg/110 lbs. – Erin Golston (Colorado Springs, Colo. / New York AC/ OTC), eliminated
WIN Romona Eriksen (Norway), tech. fall 10-0\
LOSS Amy Fearnside (USA), 11-3
50 kg/110 lbs. – Amy Fearnside (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Valeriya Chepsarakova (Russia), 7-4
WIN Erin Golston (USA), 11-3
LOSS Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan), tech. fall 10-0
Bronze medal bout – vs. winner of Emilia Vuc (Romania) vs. Jessica MacDonald (Canada)
53 kg/116.5 lbs. – Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo. / New York AC)
WIN Karalina Tjapko (Latvia), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Nina Hemmer (Germany), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Nanami Irie (Japan), tech. fall 11-0
Bronze medal bout vs. Aysun Erge (Turkey)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Jacarra Winchester (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC)
LOSS Bediha Gun (Turkey), 5-4
Bronze medal bout vs. Nina Menkenova (Russia)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.D. / Sunkist Kids), eliminated
WIN Liliana Juarez Andino (Sweden), 8-0
LOSS Sena Nagamoto (Japan), tech fall 12-2
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Michaela Beck (New York, N.Y.), eliminated
LOSS Cara Nania (Canada), tech. fall 10-0
59 kg/130 lbs. – Lauren Louive (Iowa City, Iowa / Hawkeye WC)
LOSS Grace Bullen (Norway), 7-0
Bronze medal bout vs. Kateryna Zhydachevska (Romania)
59 kg/130 lbs. – Koral Sugiyama (Pocatello, Idaho / Campbellsville), eliminated
LOSS Kateruna Zhydachevska (Romania),tech. fall 12-1
62 kg/136.6 lbs. – Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville, Ky. / Sunkist Kids)
WIN Naimi Ruike (Japan), 7-0
WIN Derya Bayhan (Turkey), pin 4:39
WIN Luisa Niemesch (Germany), 2-1
Gold medal finals vs. Yulia Tkach Ostapchuk (Ukraine)
65 kg/143.3 lbs. – Mallory Velte (Sacramento, Calif. / Titan Mercury WC), eliminated
WIN Kriszta Incze (Romania), 4-1
LOSS Malin Henna Johansson (Sweden), 2-2
65 kg/143.3 lbs. – Forrest Molinari (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC)
LOSS Petra Olli (Finland), 9-0
Repechage vs. Cesilie Magnussen (Norway)
65 kg/143.3 lbs. – Maya Nelson (Denver, Colo./ Sunkist Kids), eliminated
LOSS Gabriella Sleisz (Hungary), 5-2
68 kg/150 lbs. – Tamyra Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Buse Tosun (Turkey), 6-3
LOSS Danielle Lappage (Canada), 4-2
Bronze medal bout vs. Laura Skujina (Latvia)
68 kg/150 lbs. – Julia Salata (Bristol, Tenn. / New York AC), eliminated
WIN Umi Fukushima (Japan), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Olivia DiBacco (Italy), 2-0
72 kg/158.7 lbs. – Victoria Francis (Colorado Springs, Colo./ Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Naruha Matsuyuki (Japan), 3-2
LOSS Jenny Fransson (Sweden), tech. fall 10-0
Bronze medal bout vs. Alexandra Anghel (Romania)
72 kg/158.7 lbs. – Rachel Watters (Ankeny, Iowa / Aires WC)
LOSS Tatiana Kolesnikova (Russia), 7-1
Repechage vs. Kamile Gaucaite (Lithuania)
76 kg/167.5 lbs. – Adeline Gray (Kingston, Pa. / New York AC)
WIN Zsanett Nemeth (Hungary), 4-0
WIN Makotoa Stroe (Sweden), pin 4:10
WIN Epp Mae (Estonia), 7-1
Gold-medal finals vs. Yasemin Adar (Turkey)
KLIPPAN, Sweden – The 2018 Klippan Lady Open, as the first of the UWW Ranking Tournaments, was loaded with international stars. The United States, which entered 18 athletes in the tournament, will have a pair of top stars in the gold-medal finals.
Securing finals berths after winning their semifinal bouts were Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville, Ky. / Sunkist Kids) at 62 kg/136.6 lbs. and Adeline Gray (Kingston, Pa. / New York AC) at 76 kg/167.5 lbs.
Miracle won three matches to reach the finals, including a clutch 2-1 win over 2014 Junior World silver medalist Luisa Niemesch of Germany in the semifinals. She will battle 2014 World champion Yulia Tkach Ostapchuk of Ukraine in the finals on Sunday. Tkach has won three career Senior World medals
Last week, Miracle became only the fourth four-time WCWA national champion, claiming a title for Campbellsville at the 2018 WCWA Nationals in Oklahoma City. A Senior National Team member, Miracle has won two Junior World medals and a Cadet World medal coming up through the age-group system.
Gray had three strong wins to make her finals bout, including a 7-1 victory over 2015 World bronze medalist Epp Mae of Estonia in the semifinals. Gray avenged a loss to Mae in the Russia Cup in early December this season. Gray will battle 2017 World champion Yasemin Adar of Turkey in the finals. Gray has beaten Adar a number of times in the past.
Gray is a three-time World champion, five-time World medalist and 2016 Olympian, one of the most decorated American wrestlers in any style in our history. She missed the 2017 international season recovering from injuries and made her comeback this past fall.
Six other U.S. women have guaranteed themselves a bronze-medal bout on Sunday:
• Amy Fearnside (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC) at 50 kg/110 lbs.
• Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo. / New York AC) at 53 kg/116.5 lbs.
• Jacarra Winchester (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC) at 55 kg/121 lbs.
• Lauren Louive (Iowa City, Iowa / Hawkeye WC) at 59 kg/130 lbs.
• Tamyra Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC) at 68 kg/150 lbs.
• Victoria Francis (Colorado Springs, Colo./ Titan Mercury WC) at 72 kg/158.7 lbs.
Fearnside, Hildebrandt and Francis all powered through to the semifinals, where they were defeated and advanced directly into a bronze-medal bout. Fearnside lost to three-time Olympic medalist and 2009 World champion Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan in her semifinals. Hildebrandt, a 2016 World Team member, was stopped in the semifinals by 2015 Junior World champion Nanami Irie of Japan. Francis fell to 2012 World champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Fransson of Sweden in her semifinals.
Winchester, Louive and Stock were all beaten in the quarterfinals, wrestling in the top half-bracket at their weight classes. When the wrestler who defeated them reach the finals, they were all drawn back into repechage. In their cases, because of the number of athletes in the top bracket, all three were placed into bronze-medal matches.
The USA will have eight athletes guaranteed a medal match on Sunday. However, three others who were beaten on Saturday qualified for repechage bouts and could advance to the medal rounds with wins in repechage: Victoria Anthony (Tempe, Ariz./ Sunkist Kids) at 50 kg/110 lbs. , Forrest Molinari (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC) at 65 kg/143.3 lbs. and Rachel Watters (Ankeny, Iowa / Aires WC) at 72 kg/158.7 lbs.
“We had some good wins today, and a whole bunch of wrestling. Winning is a process we need to learn from every step along the way. We have a lot of wrestling left tomorrow. Tonight, we need to stay disciplined and get ready for some big matches,” said Steiner.
The Klippan Lady Open on the Senior level is a UWW Ranking tournament, which will help set the seeds for the 2018 World Championships in Hungary in October. Also held alongside the event was a Cadet division, which concluded on Saturday morning, where the USA won three medals. (An additional story on the Cadet competition will be posted later today).
“It is great to have the Cadet and Senior team together here,” said Steiner. “I think that they help each other in a lot of ways.”
United World Wrestling has provided a free live stream and complete results brackets on their website. The repechage round is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. local time (4:00 a.m. in U.S. Eastern time zone) and the finals will be held at 1:00 p.m. local time (7:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time zone)
Check out all the action at:
https://unitedworldwrestling.org/event/klippan-lady-open-4
KLIPPAN LADY OPEN
At Klippan, Sweden
Gold Medal Finals pairings
50 kg/110 lbs. – Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) vs. Yui Susaki (Japan)
53 kg/116.5 lbs. – Nanami Irie (Japan) vs. Umi Imai (Japan)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Bediha Gun (Turkey) vs. Stalvira Orshush (Russia)
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Sae Najo (Japan) vs. Tetyana Kit (Ukraine)
59 kg/130 lbs. – Grace Bullen (Norway) vs. Akie Hanai (Japan)
62 kg/136.6 lbs. – Kayla Miracle (USA) vs. Yulia Tkach Ostapchuk (Ukraine)
65 kg/143 lbs. – Petra Olli (Finland) vs. Miwa Morikawa (Japan)
68 kg/149.5 lbs. – Danielle Lappage (Canada) vs. Alla Cherkasova (Ukraine)
72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Jenny Fransson (Sweden) vs. Tatiana Kolesnikova Morozova (Russia)
76 kg/167 lbs. – Adeline Gray (USA) vs. Yasemin Adar (Turkey)
U.S. women’s freestyle performances
50 kg/110 lbs. – Victoria Anthony (Tempe, Ariz./ Sunkist Kids)
WIN Natasha Kramble (Canada)., tech fall 10-0
LOSS Yu Sasaki (Japan), 7-1
Repechage vs. winner of Malin Ljunstroem (Sweden) vs. Anzehilika Vetoshkina (Russia)
50 kg/110 lbs. – Erin Golston (Colorado Springs, Colo. / New York AC/ OTC), eliminated
WIN Romona Eriksen (Norway), tech. fall 10-0\
LOSS Amy Fearnside (USA), 11-3
50 kg/110 lbs. – Amy Fearnside (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Valeriya Chepsarakova (Russia), 7-4
WIN Erin Golston (USA), 11-3
LOSS Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan), tech. fall 10-0
Bronze medal bout – vs. winner of Emilia Vuc (Romania) vs. Jessica MacDonald (Canada)
53 kg/116.5 lbs. – Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo. / New York AC)
WIN Karalina Tjapko (Latvia), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Nina Hemmer (Germany), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Nanami Irie (Japan), tech. fall 11-0
Bronze medal bout vs. Aysun Erge (Turkey)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Jacarra Winchester (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC)
LOSS Bediha Gun (Turkey), 5-4
Bronze medal bout vs. Nina Menkenova (Russia)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.D. / Sunkist Kids), eliminated
WIN Liliana Juarez Andino (Sweden), 8-0
LOSS Sena Nagamoto (Japan), tech fall 12-2
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Michaela Beck (New York, N.Y.), eliminated
LOSS Cara Nania (Canada), tech. fall 10-0
59 kg/130 lbs. – Lauren Louive (Iowa City, Iowa / Hawkeye WC)
LOSS Grace Bullen (Norway), 7-0
Bronze medal bout vs. Kateryna Zhydachevska (Romania)
59 kg/130 lbs. – Koral Sugiyama (Pocatello, Idaho / Campbellsville), eliminated
LOSS Kateruna Zhydachevska (Romania),tech. fall 12-1
62 kg/136.6 lbs. – Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville, Ky. / Sunkist Kids)
WIN Naimi Ruike (Japan), 7-0
WIN Derya Bayhan (Turkey), pin 4:39
WIN Luisa Niemesch (Germany), 2-1
Gold medal finals vs. Yulia Tkach Ostapchuk (Ukraine)
65 kg/143.3 lbs. – Mallory Velte (Sacramento, Calif. / Titan Mercury WC), eliminated
WIN Kriszta Incze (Romania), 4-1
LOSS Malin Henna Johansson (Sweden), 2-2
65 kg/143.3 lbs. – Forrest Molinari (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC)
LOSS Petra Olli (Finland), 9-0
Repechage vs. Cesilie Magnussen (Norway)
65 kg/143.3 lbs. – Maya Nelson (Denver, Colo./ Sunkist Kids), eliminated
LOSS Gabriella Sleisz (Hungary), 5-2
68 kg/150 lbs. – Tamyra Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Buse Tosun (Turkey), 6-3
LOSS Danielle Lappage (Canada), 4-2
Bronze medal bout vs. Laura Skujina (Latvia)
68 kg/150 lbs. – Julia Salata (Bristol, Tenn. / New York AC), eliminated
WIN Umi Fukushima (Japan), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Olivia DiBacco (Italy), 2-0
72 kg/158.7 lbs. – Victoria Francis (Colorado Springs, Colo./ Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Naruha Matsuyuki (Japan), 3-2
LOSS Jenny Fransson (Sweden), tech. fall 10-0
Bronze medal bout vs. Alexandra Anghel (Romania)
72 kg/158.7 lbs. – Rachel Watters (Ankeny, Iowa / Aires WC)
LOSS Tatiana Kolesnikova (Russia), 7-1
Repechage vs. Kamile Gaucaite (Lithuania)
76 kg/167.5 lbs. – Adeline Gray (Kingston, Pa. / New York AC)
WIN Zsanett Nemeth (Hungary), 4-0
WIN Makotoa Stroe (Sweden), pin 4:10
WIN Epp Mae (Estonia), 7-1
Gold-medal finals vs. Yasemin Adar (Turkey)
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