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Gray beats Olympic champ Wiebe to qualify for World finals, Mensah-Stock to go for bronze in Budapest

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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling

Adeline Gray of the USA pumps her fist in celebration after beating Olympic champion Erica Wiebe of Canada in the 76 kg World semifinals. Photo by Larry Slater.


BUDAPEST, Hungary –Adeline Gray (Kingston, Pa./New York AC) is back and is in top form.


After taking the 2017 season off to heal from injuries and recharge her batteries, Gray has returned to a familiar place this year by making the finals of the World Championships for the fourth time in her career.


To get there, she had to beat 2016 Olympic champion Erica Wiebe of Canada, 3-1 in the 76 kg semifinals at the Papp Laszlo Arena this afternoon.


Wiebe scored first when Gray was put on the shot clock and could not score, giving the Canadian a 1-0 lead. But Gray came back with a big double leg takedown with just a few seconds left in the first period for a 2-1 lead at the break. In the second period, Wiebe was put on the shot clock and not able to score in 30 seconds, giving Gray another point and a 3-1 lead. Wiebe was unable to complete an attack the rest of the way, and when time ran out, it was Adeline Gray who thrust a fist in the air in celebration.


Gray has won three gold medals in three previous World finals. This year, she will face 2017 World champion Yasmin Adar of Turkey in the World gold-medal match.


By making the finals, Gray has locked in another World medal. She will have won her sixth World medal, with 2011 and 2013 bronze medals to go along with her 2012, 2014 and 2015 World gold medals. Gray was also a 2016 Olympian.


Tamyra Mensah-Stock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OTC) lost a puzzling 2-1 decision in her 68 kg semifinals to 2017 World bronze medalist Koumba Larroque of France.


No athlete scored a technique. Larroque got a first-period point when Mensah-Stock was put on the shot clock and could not score. In the second period, Larroque was put on the shot clock and did not score, giving Mensah-Stock a point and tying it at 1-1. Mensah-Stock had the tie-breaker at the time.


With just 50 seconds left in the match, officials put Mensah-Stock on the shot clock again. Mensah-Stock was unable to score in 30 seconds, Larroque received her second point, and then closed out the match with her defense.


Mensah-Stock will compete in a bronze-medal match on Wednesday, against an opponent to be determined in the repechage rounds.


At 65 kg, when Danielle Lappage of Canada earned a technical fall over Irina Netreba of Azerbaijan, 11-0, it brought Forrest Molinari, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/OTC) back into the repechage, which will be held on Wednesday morning. Lappage had beaten Molinari, 6-2, in the second round, and needed to become a finalist for Molinari to continue.


Molinari will face the winner of the repechage match between Mariia Kuznetsova of Russia and Bolortuya Khurelhhuu of Mongolia. If she wins that match, she qualifies for a bronze medal bout against Irina Netreba of Azerbaijan.


The finals for this group of women wrestlers is on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. Budapest time, which is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone. The entire World Championships is being broadcast on TrackWrestling.

WORLD WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Budapest, Hungary



Group Two U.S. women’s freestyle results



65 kg/143 lbs. - Forrest Molinari, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/OTC)

WIN Leidy Izquerdo Mendez (Colombia), 4-0

LOSS Danielle Lappage (Canada), 6-2

Repechage vs. winner of Mariia Kuznetsova (Russia) and Bolortuya Khurelhhuu (Mongolia)


68 kg/149.75 lbs. - Tamyra Mensah-Stock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OTC)

WIN Yudaris Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba), tech. fall 10-0

WIN Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia), tech. fall 10-0

LOSS Koumba Larroque (France), 2-1

Bronze medal bout – Oppnent to be determined


72 kg/158.5 lbs.- Erin Clodgo, Richmond, Vermont (Sunkist Kids)

WIN Anastasia Zimiankova (Belarus), 5-0

LOSS Tatiana Kolesnikova Morozova (Russia), 6-4


76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Adeline Gray, Kingston, Pa. (New York AC)

WIN Epp Mae (Estonia), 10-0 technical fall

WIN Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan), pin 4:49

WIN Erica Wiebe (Canada), 3-1

Gold Medal Finals – Vs. Yasmin Adar (Turkey)

Finals pairings

65 kg - Petra Olli (Finland) vs. Danielle Lappage (Canada)

68 kg - Alla Cherkasova (Ukraine) vs. Koumba Larroque (France)

72 kg - Justina Di Stasio (Canada) vs. Nasanburmaa Ochirbat (Mongolia)

76 kg - Yasmin Adar (Turkey) vs. Adeline Gray (USA)

Semifinal results


65 kg

Petra Olli (Finland) dec. Ayana Gempei (Japan), 6-6

Danielle Lappage (Canada) tech. fall Irina Netreba (Azerbaijan), 11-0


68 kg

Alla Cherkasova (Ukraine) dec. Feng Zhou (China), 12-8

Koumba Larroque (France) dec. Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA), 2-1


72 kg

Justina Di Stasio (Canada) dec. Samar Hamza (Egypt), 6-0

Nasanburmaa Ochirbat (Mongolia) pin Juan Wang (China), 3:45


76 kg

Yasmin Adar (Turkey) dec. Zsanett Nemeth (Hungary), 9-1

Adeline Gray (USA) dec. Erica Wiebe (Canada), 3-1

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