#WrestleTirana Wednesday Session I Live Blog: Flynn, Hardy in repechage, Women’s freestyle qualification rounds
by Savannah Asmann, USA Wrestling
U.S. Women's Freestyle Session One Results
50 kg – Audrey Jimenez (Tucson, Arizona/Sunkist Kids WC)
WIN Rubio Torres (Spain), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Neelam Neelam (UWW), tech. fall 12-2
Semifinals - Elnura Mammadova (Azerbaijan)
55 kg – Alisha Howk (River Falls, Wis./Sunkist Kids WC)
WIN Immaculata Danise (Italy), pin 4:44
LOSS Aryna Martynava (AIN), tech. fall 10-0
59 kg – Nichole Moore (Lebanon, Ill./LMRC)
WIN Wiktoria Karwowska (Poland), dec. 9-0
LOSS Michaela Rankin (Canada), dec. 7-0
68 kg – Katerina Lange (Sherburn, Minn., Minnesota Storm)
LOSS Vusala Parfianovich (AIN), dec. 7-1
76 kg – Kennedy Blades (Chicago, Ill./Sunkist Kids WC)
WIN Patrycja Slomska (Poland), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Inkara Zhanatayeva (Kazakhstan), tech. fall 10-0
Semifinals - Kamile Gaucaite (Lithuania)
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U.S. Men's Freestyle Group Two Results
57 kg – Cooper Flynn (Seymour, Tenn./Southeast RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Vasyl Ilnytskyi (Poland), dec. 4-1
LOSS Manvel Khndzrtsyan (Armenia), tech. fall 11-0
LOSS Niklas Stechele (Germany), dec. 3-2
65 kg – Brock Hardy (Brigham City, Utah/Nebraska WTC)
WIN Sammy Alvarez (Puerto Rico), dec. 12-7
WIN Artem Kryvenko (Ukraine), tech. fall 11-0
LOSS Ziraddin Bayramov (Azerbaijan), dec. 14-11
WIN Pavel Graeur (Moldova), dec. 7-4
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That's two in the semifinals in Audrey Jimenez (50 kg) and Kennedy Blades (76 kg). Brock Hardy (65 kg) advanced and will wrestle for bronze tonight at 6 p.m. local time. Cooper Flynn fell in his repechage match, ending his tournament run.
Alisha Howk (55 kg), Nichole Moore (59 kg) and Katie Lange (68 kg) await their repechage fate following the semifinals this afternoon at 4:45 p.m. local time.
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50 kg - Audrey Jimenez (United States) tech. fall Neelam Neelam (UWW), 12-2
Neelam strikes first for two, but it's Jimenez's match as she leads 4-2 after the first, then uses a takedown and ties the lace to win by 12-2 technical fall. Jimenez is headed to the semifinals!
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59 kg - Michaela Rankin (Canada) dec. Nichole Moore (United States), 7-0
Moore falls behind early and is unable to rally, she falls in the quarters 7-0 to Rankin.
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55 kg - Aryna Martynava (AIN) tech. fall Alisha Howk (United States), 10-0
Martynava gets the takedown and the lace to lead 6-0. She repeats the action and Howk falls in the quarters by 10-0 technical fall.
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50 kg - Audrey Jimenez (United States) tech. fall Rubio Torres (Spain), 10-0
Jimenez goes behind for two and ties up a leg lace. She ends this one in the blink of an eye and it's on to the quarters.
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76 kg - Kennedy Blades (United States) tech. fall Inkara Zhanatayeva (Kazakhstan), 10-0
Blades is unstoppable in her quarterfinal match, picking up quick points that lead to a 10-0 technical fall at 1:30. She's been on the mat for a total of 129 seconds today.
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59 kg - Nichole Moore (United States) dec. Wiktoria Karwowska (Poland), 9-0
Moore gets a step out point, a takedown and ties up the lace to jump ahead 7-0. Another takedown pushes it to 9-0 and gives Moore the win.
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65 kg - Brock Hardy (United States) dec. Pavel Graur (Moldova), 7-4.
Trailing 4-3, two late takedowns push Hardy ahead and he wins 7-4. Hardy will wrestle for bronze tonight!
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55 kg - Alisha Howk (United States) pin Immaculata Danise (Italy), 4:44
Danise leads 2-0 with a takedown after the first period, but Howk doesn't let off the gas. The pair go back-and-forth and Danise leads 6-4, but it's Howk that gets the positioning for a pin and ends the match at 4:44 after trailing. She moves on to the quarterfinals.
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57 kg - Niklas Stechele (Germany) dec. Cooper Flynn (United States), 3-2
Flynn gets one point as Stechele is put on the clock, but Stechele gets one right back. A few stepout points from each side, but it's Stechele that wins 3-2 in a close battle, ending Flynn's tournament run.
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76 kg - Kennedy Blades (United States) tech. fall Patrycja Slomska (Poland), 10-0
Blades gets a quick takedown and turns Slomska to lead 4-0. She puts Slomska to her back for four, then turns her again to win 10-0 in just 39 seconds.
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68 kg - Vusala Parfianovich (AIN) dec. Katie Lange (United States), 7-1
Lange falls in her first match after she is unable to get her offense going. Two late takedowns sealed the win for Parfianovich.
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We're back at Sports Hall "Feti Borova" in Tirana, Albania for the U23 World Championships. We'll get started in about 15 minutes, beginning with repechage for Cooper Flynn (57 kg) and Brock Hardy (65 kg), and qualification rounds for the first group of women's freestyle: Audrey Jimenez (50 kg), Alisha Howk (55 kg), Nichole Moore (59 kg), Katie Lange (68 kg) and Kennedy Blades (76 kg).