Mensah-Stock wins gold at World Championships; USA has three women World champions for the first time
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Tamyra Mensah-Stock of the USA jumps for joy with the American flag after winning her World gold medal. Photo by Sandy Slater.
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – It was another historic night for the U.S. women’s freestyle program, as Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OPTC) claimed the gold medal at 68 kg/149.5 lbs. at World Wrestling Championships.
Mensah-Stock showed skill, power and poise in the gold-medal finals, where she defeated 2012 World champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Fransson of Sweden in the gold-medal finals on Friday night, 8-2.
This is the first time that USA Wrestling has had three World Champions in women’s freestyle the same year. Mensah-Stock joined five-time World champion Adeline Gray at 76 kg and Jacarra Winchester at 55 kg at the top of the podium this year.
Three previous times, the USA had a pair of World champions in women’s freestyle the same year. They were in 1999 (Tricia Saunders and Sandra Bacher), 2012 (Adeline Gray and Elena Pirozhkova) and 2015 (Helen Maroulis and Adeline Gray).
Mensah-Stock’s final was typical of the kind to high-caliber wrestling she had done all of 2019, where she has been unbeaten all year.
Her offense was excellent in the first period, as she scored on three different takedown attacks to take a 6-0 lead into the break. In the second period, when Fransson hit a headlock for two points, Mensah-Stock came out with a reversal. Sweden challenged the call, hoping for more points, but it was denied on video review, giving Mensah-Stock her final point. Fransson’s attempts for an upper body throw in the closing moments were blocked effectively.
Mensah-Stock punched her ticket to the finals with a dominant 10-0 technical fall over Anna Schell of Germany in the semifinals on Thursday night.
In the quarterfinals, Mensah-Stock was in command the entire match on the way to a 10-1 victory over 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 World champion Sara Dosho of Japan. She also defeated nine-time African champion Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria, 6-1 and Oceania champion Michelle Yvonne Montague of New Zealand by a 10-0 technical fall on Thursday.
By winning her quarterfinal bout, Mensah-Stock guaranteed a top six position, and qualified the USA for the 2020 Olympic Games at her weight class.
Mensah-Stock now owns two career Senior World medals, along with a 2018 World bronze medal.
A native of Katy, Texas, Mensah-Stock won two WCWA national titles for Wayland Baptist University. She is currently a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The other U.S. woman in Group 3, Kayla Miracle (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC) finished in eighth place at 62 kg/136.5 lbs., with a 2-1 record in Thursday’s competition.
The women’s competition completed on Friday, and the United States placed third in the team standings with 105 points. Japan won the team title with 137 points, Russia was second with 108 points. Mensah-Stock's win in the finals gave the USA five additional points, which allowed the team to pass China, which finished fourth with 102 points.
The United States has won a team trophy each year of this Olympic cycle, placing second in 2017, and third in 2018 and 2019.
It was a second straight night of history making for the USA women’s team. On Thursday, Adeline Gray became the first U.S. wrestler to win five career World Championships gold medals, with her victory at 76 kg.
WORLD WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, September 19
Women's freestyle Group 3 results
62 kg/136.5 lbs.
Gold - Aisuluu Tynbekova (Kyrgyzstan)
Silver - Taybe Mustafa Yusein (Bulgaria)
Bronze - Yukako Kawai (Japan)
Bronze - Henna Johansson (Sweden)
5th - Marianna Sastin (Hungary)
5th - Jong Sim Rim (North Korea)
7th - Yuliia Tkach Ostapchuk (Ukraine)
8th - Kayla Miracle (USA)
9th - Kriszta Tunde Incze (Romania)
10th - Mariana Cherdivara Esanu (Moldova)
Gold – Tynbekova dec. Yusein, 5-3
Bronze – Kawai tech. fall Rim, 12-1
Bronze – Johansson dec. Sastin, 4-1
68 kg/149.75 lbs. –
Gold - Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA)
Silver - Anna Jenny Fransson (Sweden)
Bronze - Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia)
Bronze - Anna Carmen Schell (Germany)
5th - Alla Cherkasova (Ukraine)
5th - Sara Dosho (Japan)
7th - Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria)
8th - Agnieszka Wieszcek (Poland)
9th - Danielle Lappage (Canada)
10th - Koumba Larroque (France)
Gold – Mensah-Stock dec. Fransson, 8-2
Bronze – Soronzonbold dec. Cherkasova, 2-2
Bronze – Schell dec. Dosho, 4-1
U.S. Women's Group 3 freestyle performances
62 kg/136.5 lbs. - Kayla Miracle, Iowa City, Iowa (Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC), 8th place
WIN Nabria Esenbaeva (Uzbekistan), tech. fall 11-0
WIN Lais Nunes de Oliveira (Brazil), tech. fall 15-4
LOSS Jong-Sim Rim (North Korea), 6-6
68 kg/149.75 lbs. - Tamyra Mensah-Stock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OPTC), gold medal
WIN Michelle Yvonne Montague (New Zealand), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria), 6-1
WIN Sara Dosho (Japan), 10-1
WIN Anna Schell (Germany), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Jenny Fransson (Sweden), 8-2
Women's Team Standings
1. Japan, 137
2. Russia, 108
3. USA, 105
4. China, 102
5. Ukraine, 92
6. Kazakhstan, 53
7. Mongolia, 49
8. Azerbaijan, 48
9. Germany, 42
10. Sweden, 41
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – It was another historic night for the U.S. women’s freestyle program, as Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OPTC) claimed the gold medal at 68 kg/149.5 lbs. at World Wrestling Championships.
Mensah-Stock showed skill, power and poise in the gold-medal finals, where she defeated 2012 World champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Fransson of Sweden in the gold-medal finals on Friday night, 8-2.
This is the first time that USA Wrestling has had three World Champions in women’s freestyle the same year. Mensah-Stock joined five-time World champion Adeline Gray at 76 kg and Jacarra Winchester at 55 kg at the top of the podium this year.
Three previous times, the USA had a pair of World champions in women’s freestyle the same year. They were in 1999 (Tricia Saunders and Sandra Bacher), 2012 (Adeline Gray and Elena Pirozhkova) and 2015 (Helen Maroulis and Adeline Gray).
Mensah-Stock’s final was typical of the kind to high-caliber wrestling she had done all of 2019, where she has been unbeaten all year.
Her offense was excellent in the first period, as she scored on three different takedown attacks to take a 6-0 lead into the break. In the second period, when Fransson hit a headlock for two points, Mensah-Stock came out with a reversal. Sweden challenged the call, hoping for more points, but it was denied on video review, giving Mensah-Stock her final point. Fransson’s attempts for an upper body throw in the closing moments were blocked effectively.
Mensah-Stock punched her ticket to the finals with a dominant 10-0 technical fall over Anna Schell of Germany in the semifinals on Thursday night.
In the quarterfinals, Mensah-Stock was in command the entire match on the way to a 10-1 victory over 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 World champion Sara Dosho of Japan. She also defeated nine-time African champion Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria, 6-1 and Oceania champion Michelle Yvonne Montague of New Zealand by a 10-0 technical fall on Thursday.
By winning her quarterfinal bout, Mensah-Stock guaranteed a top six position, and qualified the USA for the 2020 Olympic Games at her weight class.
Mensah-Stock now owns two career Senior World medals, along with a 2018 World bronze medal.
A native of Katy, Texas, Mensah-Stock won two WCWA national titles for Wayland Baptist University. She is currently a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The other U.S. woman in Group 3, Kayla Miracle (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC) finished in eighth place at 62 kg/136.5 lbs., with a 2-1 record in Thursday’s competition.
The women’s competition completed on Friday, and the United States placed third in the team standings with 105 points. Japan won the team title with 137 points, Russia was second with 108 points. Mensah-Stock's win in the finals gave the USA five additional points, which allowed the team to pass China, which finished fourth with 102 points.
The United States has won a team trophy each year of this Olympic cycle, placing second in 2017, and third in 2018 and 2019.
It was a second straight night of history making for the USA women’s team. On Thursday, Adeline Gray became the first U.S. wrestler to win five career World Championships gold medals, with her victory at 76 kg.
WORLD WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, September 19
Women's freestyle Group 3 results
62 kg/136.5 lbs.
Gold - Aisuluu Tynbekova (Kyrgyzstan)
Silver - Taybe Mustafa Yusein (Bulgaria)
Bronze - Yukako Kawai (Japan)
Bronze - Henna Johansson (Sweden)
5th - Marianna Sastin (Hungary)
5th - Jong Sim Rim (North Korea)
7th - Yuliia Tkach Ostapchuk (Ukraine)
8th - Kayla Miracle (USA)
9th - Kriszta Tunde Incze (Romania)
10th - Mariana Cherdivara Esanu (Moldova)
Gold – Tynbekova dec. Yusein, 5-3
Bronze – Kawai tech. fall Rim, 12-1
Bronze – Johansson dec. Sastin, 4-1
68 kg/149.75 lbs. –
Gold - Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA)
Silver - Anna Jenny Fransson (Sweden)
Bronze - Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia)
Bronze - Anna Carmen Schell (Germany)
5th - Alla Cherkasova (Ukraine)
5th - Sara Dosho (Japan)
7th - Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria)
8th - Agnieszka Wieszcek (Poland)
9th - Danielle Lappage (Canada)
10th - Koumba Larroque (France)
Gold – Mensah-Stock dec. Fransson, 8-2
Bronze – Soronzonbold dec. Cherkasova, 2-2
Bronze – Schell dec. Dosho, 4-1
U.S. Women's Group 3 freestyle performances
62 kg/136.5 lbs. - Kayla Miracle, Iowa City, Iowa (Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC), 8th place
WIN Nabria Esenbaeva (Uzbekistan), tech. fall 11-0
WIN Lais Nunes de Oliveira (Brazil), tech. fall 15-4
LOSS Jong-Sim Rim (North Korea), 6-6
68 kg/149.75 lbs. - Tamyra Mensah-Stock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OPTC), gold medal
WIN Michelle Yvonne Montague (New Zealand), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria), 6-1
WIN Sara Dosho (Japan), 10-1
WIN Anna Schell (Germany), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Jenny Fransson (Sweden), 8-2
Women's Team Standings
1. Japan, 137
2. Russia, 108
3. USA, 105
4. China, 102
5. Ukraine, 92
6. Kazakhstan, 53
7. Mongolia, 49
8. Azerbaijan, 48
9. Germany, 42
10. Sweden, 41
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