Victories over two world champs not enough as USA falls to Mongolia 6-4 in Bronze Medal bout of Women's World Cup
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by Ryan Johnson, USA Wrestling
UWW Highlight Video: USA vs. Mongolia
Photo of Mallory Velte of the USA competing at the Women's World Cup. Velte had a big win in the Mongolia dual meet. Photo by Takao Yubuki.
TAKASAKI, Japan – The United States was beaten by Mongolia, 6-4 in the third place dual meet, and placed fourth at the Women’s World Cup on Sunday
.
Mongolia presented a formidable lineup for the bronze medal bout of the 2018 Women’s Freestyle World Cup, anchored by two world champions; Orkhon Purevdorj at 62kg (2017) and Battsetseg Soronzonbold at 65kg (2012, 2015, 2016 Olympic bronze).
A pin to start the dual at 50kg by Victoria Anthony was the only victory for the USA in the first five matches and all the momentum was leaning in Mongolia’s favor as the dual reached the 62kg match.
It looked all but over for the U.S. with the two world champs on deck for Mongolia. But the USA defeated not just one but both world champs in back to back matches to stage a late rally that ultimately fell just short.
Mallory Velte has faced Purevdorj twice before, losing at the Spanish Grand Prix as well as at the 2017 Women’s Freestyle World Cup. Since the 2017 World Cup in December Velte has prioritized sharpening her focus.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with my coaches on staying in the moment in matches and not worrying too much about the time or the score and just staying relaxed,” says Velte. “When I’m focused I can get to my offense better and I avoid those lapses in matches.”
Velte’s body and mind would both be tested against Purevdorj as the two battled back and forth. A takedown by Purevdorj with 30 seconds left gave her a 7-7 lead over Velte. Needing to score late did not phase the 23 year old as Velte came right back for a quick two and a trapped arm gut wrench to go up 11-7 and win the match by a final score of 11-9.
Forrest Molinari was up next at 65kg with her own world champ to face in Battsetseg Soronzonbold. Soronzonbold. Ignorance is bliss, as Molinari had no idea her opponent was a two-time world champion and an Olympic bronze medalist.
Molinari moved well right out of the gate and scored a takedown for an early 2-0 lead. “Coach Steiner told me she would try and elevate me off of my shots so I just focused on staying low and turning the corner hard when I got in on my double,” says Molinari.
Soronzonbold came right back for two of her own and tried to turn her on her back.
“I wasn’t sure how to defend it but I could tell she was falling off to the side and I just felt my way through it. Once I got her on her back I knew I had to end it right there.” Two world champs up for Mongolia, two world champs down, and the USA had closed to within one match of Mongolia in the team score.
With the comeback on, Tamyra Mensah-Stock took the mat at 68kg and opened up a 5-0 lead before getting caught in a body lock and pinned to stifle the USA’s momentum.
Victoria Francis battled valiantly for six minutes but was not able to generate enough offense to keep pace with Nasanburmaa Ochirbat at 72kg as she fell 11-3 and clinched the dual in Mongolia’s favor. In the last match Adeline Gray put a bow on her impressive World Cup performance with a first period 10-0 tech over Chantsalnyamaa Amgalanbaatar at 76kg. Gray finished 4-0 in Takasaki.
While the team results fell short of expectations, Women’s Freestyle Team Leader Jim Bennett was very pleased with the effort of the team overall as well as the individual efforts of some newcomers to the world stage.
“It was great to see some solid performances and some wins from some of the athletes that haven’t been on a world team before,” says Bennett. “Sarah Hildebrandt, Kayla Miracle, and Forrest Molinari all put on great performances here and that bodes well for the future of the program.” This is the second consecutive fourth place finish for the women’s freestyle team at the World Cup, a ranking they are anxious to improve upon and feel like it is within their grasp. “We had some great matches this weekend and I believe we’re capable of competing with and beating Japan and Mongolia,” continued Bennett. “We had some missed opportunities this time around but we’re not far off from where we want to be.”
With the loss, the USA finished with a 2-2 record for the weekend. The USA was second in its pool competition on Saturday, losing to Japan, but scoring victories over Canada and Sweden.
Three-time World Champion Adeline Gray finished unbeaten in her four dual meets at 76 kg for Team USA.
A complete report will be updated by Ryan Johnson
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
At Takasaki, Japan, March 19
Third Place – Mongolia 6, United States 4
50 kg - Victoria ANTHONY (United States) over Narangerel ERDENESUKH (Mongolia) Fall 2:11
53 kg - Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG (Mongolia) over Sarah HILDEBRANDT (United States) Dec 10-6
55 kg - Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR (Mongolia) over Jacarra G WINCHESTER (United States) Dec 9-6
57 kg - Battsetseg ALTANTSETSEG (Mongolia) over Alli RAGAN (United States) TF 10-0
59 kg - Shoovdor BAATARJAV (Mongolia) over Kayla MIRACLE (United States) Dec 5-4
62 kg - Mallory VELTE (United States) over Orkhon PUREVDORJ (Mongolia) Dec 11-9
65 kg - Forrest MOLINARI (United States) over Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD (Mongolia) Fall 2:40
68 kg - Tumentsetseg SHARKHUU (Mongolia) over Tamyra STOCK (United States) Fall 4:06
72 kg - Nasanburmaa OCHIRBAT (Mongolia) over Victoria FRANCIS (United States) Dec 11-3
76 kg - Adeline GRAY (United States) over Chantsalnyamaa AMGALANBAATAR (Mongolia) TF 10-0
Other Medal Matches
Championship match – Japan 6, vs. China 4
50 kg Yuki IRIE (JPN) df. Yanan SUN (CHN), tech. fall 10-0
53 kg Haruna OKUNO (JPN) df. Junling OUYANG (CHN)4-0
55 kg Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) df. Mengyu XIE (CHN), tech fall 10-0
57 kg Ningning RONG (CHN) df. Katsuki SAKAGAMI (JPN) tech fall 15-4
59 kg Yukako KAWAI (JPN) df. Xingru PEI (CHN) 3-1
62 kg Risako KAWAI (JPN) df. Xiaojuan LUO (CHN) 10-4
65 kg Ayana GEMPEI (JPN) df. Chuying TANG (CHN) 6-3
68 kg Feng ZHOU (CHN) df. Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) 9-0
76 kg Qian ZHOU (CHN) df. Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI (JPN) 7-1
72 kg Yue HAN (CHN) df. Masako FURUICHI (JPN) 10-7
Fifth Place – Canada 5, Belarus 5
(Canada wins dual on classification points, 24-21)
50 kg - Jessica Anne MACDONALD (Canada) over Kseniya STANKEVICH (Belarus) Fall 2:48
53 kg - Diana Mary WEICKER (Canada) by forfeit
55 kg - Iryna KURACHKINA (Belarus) over Jade Mariah PARSONS (Canada) Dec 10-4 1 3.00
57 kg - Samantha L STEWART (Canada) over Zalina SIDAKOVA (Belarus) Dec 7-0 3.00 0
59 kg - Katsiaryna HANCHAR YANUSHKEVICH (Belarus) over Emily Suzanne SCHAEFER (Canada) TF 12-2
62 kg - Veranika IVANOVA (Belarus) over Jessica Lise BROUILLETTE (Canada) Fall 0:25
65 kg - Krystsina FEDARASHKA (Belarus) by forfeit
68 kg - Olivia Grace DI BACCO (Canada) over Hanna SADCHANKA (Belarus) Dec 5-2
72 kg - Erica E WIEBE (Canada) by forfeit
76 kg - Vasilisa MARZALIUK (Belarus) over Justina R DI STASIO (Canada) Dec 6-4
Seventh place Romania 5, Sweden 5
(Romania wins dual on classification points, 24-21)
50 kg - Emilia Alina VUC (Romania) over Malin Lovisa LJUNGSTROEM (Sweden) Fall 2:03
53 kg - Estera TAMADUIANU DOBRE (Romania) over Linn Matilda LUNDSTROEM (Sweden) TF 10-0
55 kg - Simona PRICOB (Romania) over Liliana JUAREZ ANDINO (Sweden) TF 10-0
57 kg - Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (Romania) over Sara J LINDBORG (Sweden) Fall 3:36
59 kg - Emma Margareta JOHANSSON (Sweden) forfeit
62 kg - Kriszta Tunde INCZE (Romania) over Therese Lina PERSSON (Sweden) Inj 0:00
65 kg - Moa Lena NYGREN (Sweden) over Adina Elena POPESCU (Romania) Fall 4:24
68 kg - Alexandra SANDAHL (Sweden) over Alexandra N ANGHEL (Romania) Dec 9-2
72 kg - Anna Jenny FRANSSON (Sweden) over Catalina AXENTE (Romania) TF 10-0
76 kg - Denise Sabina MAKOTA STROEM (Sweden) forfeit
Photo of Mallory Velte of the USA competing at the Women's World Cup. Velte had a big win in the Mongolia dual meet. Photo by Takao Yubuki.
TAKASAKI, Japan – The United States was beaten by Mongolia, 6-4 in the third place dual meet, and placed fourth at the Women’s World Cup on Sunday
.
Mongolia presented a formidable lineup for the bronze medal bout of the 2018 Women’s Freestyle World Cup, anchored by two world champions; Orkhon Purevdorj at 62kg (2017) and Battsetseg Soronzonbold at 65kg (2012, 2015, 2016 Olympic bronze).
A pin to start the dual at 50kg by Victoria Anthony was the only victory for the USA in the first five matches and all the momentum was leaning in Mongolia’s favor as the dual reached the 62kg match.
It looked all but over for the U.S. with the two world champs on deck for Mongolia. But the USA defeated not just one but both world champs in back to back matches to stage a late rally that ultimately fell just short.
Mallory Velte has faced Purevdorj twice before, losing at the Spanish Grand Prix as well as at the 2017 Women’s Freestyle World Cup. Since the 2017 World Cup in December Velte has prioritized sharpening her focus.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with my coaches on staying in the moment in matches and not worrying too much about the time or the score and just staying relaxed,” says Velte. “When I’m focused I can get to my offense better and I avoid those lapses in matches.”
Velte’s body and mind would both be tested against Purevdorj as the two battled back and forth. A takedown by Purevdorj with 30 seconds left gave her a 7-7 lead over Velte. Needing to score late did not phase the 23 year old as Velte came right back for a quick two and a trapped arm gut wrench to go up 11-7 and win the match by a final score of 11-9.
Forrest Molinari was up next at 65kg with her own world champ to face in Battsetseg Soronzonbold. Soronzonbold. Ignorance is bliss, as Molinari had no idea her opponent was a two-time world champion and an Olympic bronze medalist.
Molinari moved well right out of the gate and scored a takedown for an early 2-0 lead. “Coach Steiner told me she would try and elevate me off of my shots so I just focused on staying low and turning the corner hard when I got in on my double,” says Molinari.
Soronzonbold came right back for two of her own and tried to turn her on her back.
“I wasn’t sure how to defend it but I could tell she was falling off to the side and I just felt my way through it. Once I got her on her back I knew I had to end it right there.” Two world champs up for Mongolia, two world champs down, and the USA had closed to within one match of Mongolia in the team score.
With the comeback on, Tamyra Mensah-Stock took the mat at 68kg and opened up a 5-0 lead before getting caught in a body lock and pinned to stifle the USA’s momentum.
Victoria Francis battled valiantly for six minutes but was not able to generate enough offense to keep pace with Nasanburmaa Ochirbat at 72kg as she fell 11-3 and clinched the dual in Mongolia’s favor. In the last match Adeline Gray put a bow on her impressive World Cup performance with a first period 10-0 tech over Chantsalnyamaa Amgalanbaatar at 76kg. Gray finished 4-0 in Takasaki.
While the team results fell short of expectations, Women’s Freestyle Team Leader Jim Bennett was very pleased with the effort of the team overall as well as the individual efforts of some newcomers to the world stage.
“It was great to see some solid performances and some wins from some of the athletes that haven’t been on a world team before,” says Bennett. “Sarah Hildebrandt, Kayla Miracle, and Forrest Molinari all put on great performances here and that bodes well for the future of the program.” This is the second consecutive fourth place finish for the women’s freestyle team at the World Cup, a ranking they are anxious to improve upon and feel like it is within their grasp. “We had some great matches this weekend and I believe we’re capable of competing with and beating Japan and Mongolia,” continued Bennett. “We had some missed opportunities this time around but we’re not far off from where we want to be.”
With the loss, the USA finished with a 2-2 record for the weekend. The USA was second in its pool competition on Saturday, losing to Japan, but scoring victories over Canada and Sweden.
Three-time World Champion Adeline Gray finished unbeaten in her four dual meets at 76 kg for Team USA.
A complete report will be updated by Ryan Johnson
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
At Takasaki, Japan, March 19
Third Place – Mongolia 6, United States 4
50 kg - Victoria ANTHONY (United States) over Narangerel ERDENESUKH (Mongolia) Fall 2:11
53 kg - Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG (Mongolia) over Sarah HILDEBRANDT (United States) Dec 10-6
55 kg - Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR (Mongolia) over Jacarra G WINCHESTER (United States) Dec 9-6
57 kg - Battsetseg ALTANTSETSEG (Mongolia) over Alli RAGAN (United States) TF 10-0
59 kg - Shoovdor BAATARJAV (Mongolia) over Kayla MIRACLE (United States) Dec 5-4
62 kg - Mallory VELTE (United States) over Orkhon PUREVDORJ (Mongolia) Dec 11-9
65 kg - Forrest MOLINARI (United States) over Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD (Mongolia) Fall 2:40
68 kg - Tumentsetseg SHARKHUU (Mongolia) over Tamyra STOCK (United States) Fall 4:06
72 kg - Nasanburmaa OCHIRBAT (Mongolia) over Victoria FRANCIS (United States) Dec 11-3
76 kg - Adeline GRAY (United States) over Chantsalnyamaa AMGALANBAATAR (Mongolia) TF 10-0
Other Medal Matches
Championship match – Japan 6, vs. China 4
50 kg Yuki IRIE (JPN) df. Yanan SUN (CHN), tech. fall 10-0
53 kg Haruna OKUNO (JPN) df. Junling OUYANG (CHN)4-0
55 kg Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) df. Mengyu XIE (CHN), tech fall 10-0
57 kg Ningning RONG (CHN) df. Katsuki SAKAGAMI (JPN) tech fall 15-4
59 kg Yukako KAWAI (JPN) df. Xingru PEI (CHN) 3-1
62 kg Risako KAWAI (JPN) df. Xiaojuan LUO (CHN) 10-4
65 kg Ayana GEMPEI (JPN) df. Chuying TANG (CHN) 6-3
68 kg Feng ZHOU (CHN) df. Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) 9-0
76 kg Qian ZHOU (CHN) df. Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI (JPN) 7-1
72 kg Yue HAN (CHN) df. Masako FURUICHI (JPN) 10-7
Fifth Place – Canada 5, Belarus 5
(Canada wins dual on classification points, 24-21)
50 kg - Jessica Anne MACDONALD (Canada) over Kseniya STANKEVICH (Belarus) Fall 2:48
53 kg - Diana Mary WEICKER (Canada) by forfeit
55 kg - Iryna KURACHKINA (Belarus) over Jade Mariah PARSONS (Canada) Dec 10-4 1 3.00
57 kg - Samantha L STEWART (Canada) over Zalina SIDAKOVA (Belarus) Dec 7-0 3.00 0
59 kg - Katsiaryna HANCHAR YANUSHKEVICH (Belarus) over Emily Suzanne SCHAEFER (Canada) TF 12-2
62 kg - Veranika IVANOVA (Belarus) over Jessica Lise BROUILLETTE (Canada) Fall 0:25
65 kg - Krystsina FEDARASHKA (Belarus) by forfeit
68 kg - Olivia Grace DI BACCO (Canada) over Hanna SADCHANKA (Belarus) Dec 5-2
72 kg - Erica E WIEBE (Canada) by forfeit
76 kg - Vasilisa MARZALIUK (Belarus) over Justina R DI STASIO (Canada) Dec 6-4
Seventh place Romania 5, Sweden 5
(Romania wins dual on classification points, 24-21)
50 kg - Emilia Alina VUC (Romania) over Malin Lovisa LJUNGSTROEM (Sweden) Fall 2:03
53 kg - Estera TAMADUIANU DOBRE (Romania) over Linn Matilda LUNDSTROEM (Sweden) TF 10-0
55 kg - Simona PRICOB (Romania) over Liliana JUAREZ ANDINO (Sweden) TF 10-0
57 kg - Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (Romania) over Sara J LINDBORG (Sweden) Fall 3:36
59 kg - Emma Margareta JOHANSSON (Sweden) forfeit
62 kg - Kriszta Tunde INCZE (Romania) over Therese Lina PERSSON (Sweden) Inj 0:00
65 kg - Moa Lena NYGREN (Sweden) over Adina Elena POPESCU (Romania) Fall 4:24
68 kg - Alexandra SANDAHL (Sweden) over Alexandra N ANGHEL (Romania) Dec 9-2
72 kg - Anna Jenny FRANSSON (Sweden) over Catalina AXENTE (Romania) TF 10-0
76 kg - Denise Sabina MAKOTA STROEM (Sweden) forfeit
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