Leathers, Molinari, Miracle, Watters and Fowler receive draws for U23 World Championships
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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
Forrest Molinari of the USA celebrates a pin at the 2018 Senior World Championships. Photo by Robbert Wijtman.
BUCHAREST, Romania – Five more women’s freestyle wrestlers received their draws for the 2018 U23 World Championships in Bucharest, Romania.
Set to represent the USA on Thursday is Becka Leathers at 57 kg, Forrest Molinari at 65 kg, Kayla Miracle at 62 kg, Rachel Watters at 72 kg and Charlotte Fowler at 53 kg.
2017 Senior World bronze medalist Becka Leathers will open her tournament against Japan’s Akie Hanai, who was the 2018 Junior Asian champion and also secured bronze at the 2017 Senior Asian Indoor Games.
Just two weeks after a fifth-place finish at the 2018 Senior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Molinari is back on the World stage, competing at 65 kg, where she will take on 2017 U23 World bronze medalist and 2014 Junior World bronze medalist Danute Domikaityte of Lithuania.
This is Molinari’s second-straight U23 World Championships appearance.
Also making their second appearances at U23 Worlds are Miracle and Watters.
At 62 kg, Miracle will take on 2018 U23 European bronze winner Kathrin Mathis of Austria in the first round. Miracle is a 2012 Cadet World silver medalist, 2014 and 2016 Junior World bronze medalist, and last year, she was fifth at the U23 World Championships.
Watters will go head-to-head with 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist Kamile Gaucaite from Lithuania. Watters is a two-time U23 World Team member (2017, 2018) and a three-time Junior World Team member (2015-17). In all four of her Worlds appearances so far, she put together top-10 finishes in the World.
Two-time WCWA All-American Charlotte Fowler will make her Worlds debut against two-time Junior World medalist Kristina Bereza of Ukraine.
Action will begin Thursday at 10:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET) live on Trackwrestling.com.
2018 U23 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Bucharest, Romania, Nov. 12-18
U.S. women’s freestyle draws
53 kg: Charlotte Fowler (Katy, Texas/Campbellsville)
vs. Kristina Bereza (Ukraine), 2017 Junior World silver, 2016 Junior World bronze
57 kg: Becka Leathers (Choctaw, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/ Tarheel WC)
vs. Akie Hanai (Japan), 2018 Junior Asian gold, 2017 Asian Indoor Games bronze
62 kg: Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville, Ky./Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC)
vs. Kathrin Mathis (Austria), 2018 U23 European bronze
65 kg: Forrest Molinari (Benicia, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC)
vs. Danute Domikaityte (Lithuania), 2017 U23 World bronze, 2014 Junior World bronze
72 kg: Rachel Watters (Ankeny, Iowa/Aries WC)
vs. Kamile Gaucaite (Lithuania), 2016 Cadet World bronze
BUCHAREST, Romania – Five more women’s freestyle wrestlers received their draws for the 2018 U23 World Championships in Bucharest, Romania.
Set to represent the USA on Thursday is Becka Leathers at 57 kg, Forrest Molinari at 65 kg, Kayla Miracle at 62 kg, Rachel Watters at 72 kg and Charlotte Fowler at 53 kg.
2017 Senior World bronze medalist Becka Leathers will open her tournament against Japan’s Akie Hanai, who was the 2018 Junior Asian champion and also secured bronze at the 2017 Senior Asian Indoor Games.
Just two weeks after a fifth-place finish at the 2018 Senior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Molinari is back on the World stage, competing at 65 kg, where she will take on 2017 U23 World bronze medalist and 2014 Junior World bronze medalist Danute Domikaityte of Lithuania.
This is Molinari’s second-straight U23 World Championships appearance.
Also making their second appearances at U23 Worlds are Miracle and Watters.
At 62 kg, Miracle will take on 2018 U23 European bronze winner Kathrin Mathis of Austria in the first round. Miracle is a 2012 Cadet World silver medalist, 2014 and 2016 Junior World bronze medalist, and last year, she was fifth at the U23 World Championships.
Watters will go head-to-head with 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist Kamile Gaucaite from Lithuania. Watters is a two-time U23 World Team member (2017, 2018) and a three-time Junior World Team member (2015-17). In all four of her Worlds appearances so far, she put together top-10 finishes in the World.
Two-time WCWA All-American Charlotte Fowler will make her Worlds debut against two-time Junior World medalist Kristina Bereza of Ukraine.
Action will begin Thursday at 10:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET) live on Trackwrestling.com.
2018 U23 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Bucharest, Romania, Nov. 12-18
U.S. women’s freestyle draws
53 kg: Charlotte Fowler (Katy, Texas/Campbellsville)
vs. Kristina Bereza (Ukraine), 2017 Junior World silver, 2016 Junior World bronze
57 kg: Becka Leathers (Choctaw, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/ Tarheel WC)
vs. Akie Hanai (Japan), 2018 Junior Asian gold, 2017 Asian Indoor Games bronze
62 kg: Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville, Ky./Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC)
vs. Kathrin Mathis (Austria), 2018 U23 European bronze
65 kg: Forrest Molinari (Benicia, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC)
vs. Danute Domikaityte (Lithuania), 2017 U23 World bronze, 2014 Junior World bronze
72 kg: Rachel Watters (Ankeny, Iowa/Aries WC)
vs. Kamile Gaucaite (Lithuania), 2016 Cadet World bronze
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