Dias claims silver, Welker and Elor win bronze for third-place team finish at Cadet Worlds

SOFIA, Bulgaria – The USA secured a third-place team finish after winning one silver and two bronze medals in the final night of women’s action at the 2019 Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Sterling Dias picked up her second-consecutive World medal, a silver, at 40 kg, and Kylie Welker and Amit Elor scored bronze medals in their first World Championships.

In Dias’ gold-medal match at 40 kg, she faced 2019 Cadet Asian runner-up Komal Komal of India.

Dias, 2018 Cadet World bronze winner, struck first in the opening two minutes with a takedown while Komal was on the shot clock, and the American went on to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

An action-packed second period saw three takedowns scored between the two athletes with Komal picking up a pair, including a close one on the edge of the mat in the last 20 seconds of the bout.

Because she scored last, Komal took the win on criteria, 4-4, giving Dias a second-place finish.

Dias completes her 2019 Cadet World run with a 3-1 record. Her wins included two shutout technical falls and a decisive 4-1 semifinal win.

Welker and Elor had no intentions of letting their bronze-medal matches get out of the first period.

Bouncing back from a tough loss to returning Cadet World champion Nonoka Ozaki of Japan in the semifinals, Welker faced 2019 Cadet Asian silver medalist Laylokhon Sobirova of Uzbekistan in the bronze-medal match at 61 kg.

Welker attacked off the whistle, scoring a takedown and four exposure points before getting the fall in 58 seconds. It was her second pin of the tournament as she dominated in all of her wins.

For a medal at 69 kg, Elor collected her third tech fall of the week, using two throws and a takedown against two-time Cadet African champion and 2019 Junior African champion Zaineb Sghaier of Tunisia for a 10-0 win.

In Elor’s three wins, she did not surrender a single point, outscoring her opponents, 32-0.

Overall the USA scored 106 team points, thanks in part to Friday night’s medalists as well as silver medalists Cristelle Rodriguez at 49 kg and Skylar Hattendorf at 57 kg, who won on Thursday.

With three finalists, it was the most the USA has had in women’s freestyle at the Cadet World level since 2011.

Japan won the team race with six champions and 195 points, and China took second with 127 points.

The USA continues action tomorrow with Greco-Roman. Wrestling begins at 3:30 a.m. live on Trackwrestling.

2019 CADET WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Sofia, Bulgaria, July 28-Aug. 4

Team rankings
1. Japan – 195
2. China – 127
3. USA – 106
4. Russia – 101
5. India – 95
6. Uzbekistan – 71
7. Belarus – 70
8. Ukraine – 66
9. Kyrgyzstan – 44
10. Turkey - 43

Finals results

40 kg
GOLD: Komal KOMAL (IND) dec. Sterling DIAS (USA), 4-4
BRONZE: Mushtariy TOLIPBEKOVA (UZB) dec. Alina KURYLENKA (BLR), 4-2
BRONZE: Miu OBATA (JPN) df. Michela CHESSA (ITA), 10-0

46 kg
GOLD: Hanano SAKURAI (JPN) dec. Xueing LIANG (CHN), 6-4
BRONZE: Kumari HANNY (IND) df. Adriana HERNANDEZ SANCHEZ (USA), forfeit
BRONZE: Sitora TOLIPBEKOVA (UZB) df. Serena Rosa DI BENEDETTO (CAN), 11-0

53 kg
GOLD: Zhaojing SHI (CHN) df. Kalmira BILIMBEK (KGZ), fall 0:37
BRONZE: Seira NEMOTO (JPN) dec. Polina LUKINA (RUS), 4-3
BRONZE: Alesia HETMANAVA (BLR) dec. Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ), 6-1

61 kg
GOLD: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Yulia LESKOVETS (UKR), 10-0
BRONZE: Eva FORSBERG (SWE) dec. Bhagyashree FAND (IND), 5-0
BRONZE: Kylie WELKER (USA) df. Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB), fall 0:58

69 kg
GOLD: Honoka NAKAI (JPN) dec. Cun LIU (CHN), 3-0
BRONZE: Amit ELOR (USA) df. Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN), 10-0
BRONZE: Alina MAKSIMAVA (BLR) dec. Anastasia KOZLOVA (RUS), 3-1

Women’s freestyle results

40 kg: Sterling Dias (Las Vegas, Nev./Slam WC) – SILVER
WIN Alina Kurylenka (Belarus), 11-0
WIN Kamila Kasprow (Poland), 10-0
WIN Mushtariy Tolipbekova (Uzbekistan), 4-1
LOSS Komal Komal (India), 4-4

46 kg: Sage Mortimer (Mapleton, Utah/Champions WC) – 12TH
LOSS Serena DiBenedetto (Canada), 10-6

53 kg: Adriana Dorado Marin (Denver, Colo./Betterman Elite) – 13TH
LOSS Alessia Hetmanava (Belarus), 12-1

61 kg: Kylie Welker (Franksville, Wisc./Burlington WC) - BRONZE
WIN Yu Lin Lo (Taipei), 11-0
WIN Tatyana Kabanova (Russia), fall 0:33
LOSS Nonoka Ozaki (Japan), 10-0
WIN Laylokhon Sobirova (Uzbekistan), fall 0:58

69 kg: Amit Elor (Walnut Creek, Calif./Bay Area Titans WC/Titan Mercury WC) - BRONZE
WIN Karolina Povk (Ukraine), 12-0
WIN Lili Ujfalvi (Hungary), 10-0
LOSS Honoka Nakai (Japan), 3-1
WIN Zaineb Sghaier (Tunisia), 10-0