U.S. women’s freestyle team receives draws for World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
BELGRADE, Serbia – The draws were done for all 10 weight classes in women’s freestyle for the 2023 Senior World Championships. The women’s competition begins on Monday, and the U.S. women’s freestyle team is ready to compete.
2016 Olympic champion and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Helen Maroulis (57 kg) is the No. 2 seed at 57 kg. Also a three-time World champion, Maroulis opens against two-time Pan American runner-up Nesmarie Rodriguez of Puerto Rico. Her half-bracket includes No. 3 seed Tsugumi Sakurai of Japan, a two-time World champion. 2022 World bronze medalist Anhelina Lysak of Poland is also on her side.
2020 Olympic silver medalist and six-time World champion Adeline Gray (76 kg) came into the event unseeded. She drew Jimin Baek of Korea in the opening round. Should she win, she will battle No. 3 seed multiple World medalist Epp Maee of Estonia, who Gray has beaten in the World finals, in her second match. The No. 2 seed is also on her side, Genesis Reasco of Ecuador. 2022 World bronze medalist Yuka Kagami of Japan is also on her side.
2020 Olympic bronze medalist and three-time World medalist Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg) received the No. 2 seed. Hildebrandt received a bye, then faces the winner of the preliminary between Miseon Kwon of Korea and Emma Wangila of Kenya. She could run into Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan, a three-time Olympic medalist and six-time World medalist, in the quarterfinals. N0. 3 seed and 2022 World silver medalist Otgonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia is also on her half of the bracket.
2022 World champion Dominique Parrish (53 kg) received the No. 2 seed and opens against Antim, an India wrestler competing under UWW, and a 2023 U20 World champion. She could face past World medalist Roxana Zasina of Poland in the second round. The No. 3 seed is Jonna Malmgren of Sweden, who was fifth in the 2022 Worlds.
2019 World champion Jacarra Winchester (55 kg) is the No. 2 seed, and battles India’s Sharma, who wrestles under UWW, in the first round. No. 3 seed Marina Sedneva of Kazakhstan is also on her side.
2022 World champion Amit Elor (72 kg) is seeded No. 2, and opens against 2022 U23 World champion Nesrin Bas of Turkey. She could face another Senior World champion, Japan’s Miwa Morikawa, in the second round. Morikawa is moving up from 65 kg. No. 3 seed Dalma Caneva of Italy is also in this half-bracket.
2020 Olympian and two-time World silver medalist Kayla Miracle (62 kg) is the top seed, and opens with Subeen Jo of Korea. No. 4 seed and 2021 World champion Bilyana Dudova of Bulgaria is on her side. Grace Bullen of Norway, a 2022 World silver medalist, and 2022 World bronze medalist Sakura Motoki of Japan are also in the half-bracket.
Three members of the team will be competing in their first Senior World Championships, although all three have extensive age-group and Senior-level resumes: Jennifer Page (59 kg), Macey Kilty (65 kg) and Emma Bruntil (68 kg).
Page awaits the winner of two-time Pan American champion Laurence Beauregard of Canada and 2023 Asian U23 champion Anjli, from India wrestling under the UWW banner. Page drew into the top half-bracket, with No. 1 seed and 2023 World bronze medalist Jowita Wrzesien of Poland and No. 4 seed Qi Zhang of China. Unseeded Sae Nanjo of Japan, a Senior World medalist and U23 World champion, drew Wrzesien in the first round and could disrupt this bracket.
Kilty, a multiple World medalist at the age-group level, faces Individual Neutral Athlete Valeriia Dondupova Suvorova of Russia in her first bout. She has drawn into the top bracket, which features No 1 seed and 2023 European champion Mimi Hristova of Bulgaria.
Bruntil starts off with 2022 World bronze medalist Alexandra Anghel of Romania right off the bat. Bruntil is in the top bracket, and could face No. 1 seed and two-time World medalist Feng Zhou of China in the second round. Also in her half-bracket are No. 4 seed and three-time World medalist Koumba Larroque of France, plus 2020 Olympic silver medalist Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria.
The Olympic weight classes in women’s freestyle (with the days of their finals) are: 50 kg (finals Sept. 20), 53 kg (finals Sept. 21), 57 kg (finals Sept. 20), 62 kg (finals Sept. 21), 68 kg (finals Sept. 21) and 76 kg (finals Sept. 20).
Group One, which starts on Monday, includes Winchester (55 kg) and Page (59 kg). Group Two has four weight classes starting on Tuesday, Hildebrandt (50 kg), Maroulis (57 kg), Kilty (65 kg) and Gray (76 kg). Group Three, which starts Wednesday, includes Parrish (53 kg), Miracle (62 kg), Bruntil (68 kg) and Elor (72 kg).
The USA placed second in the 2022 World Championships, and is expected to challenge again among the top nations in the world.
The entire event will be broadcast live on FloWrestling at the following link:
https://flosports.link/42Kg0JY
WORLD WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Belgrade, Serbia, September 16-24
U.S. Senior Women’s Freestyle first round draws
50 kg – Sarah Hildebrandt (New York AC/USOPTC)
Vs. winner of Miseon Kwon (Korea) and Emma Wangila (Kenya)
Kwon – no information available
Wangila – 3rd in 2022 African Championships, 4th in 2021 African Championships
53 kg – Dominique Parrish (Sunkist Kids)
Vs. Antim (UWW), 2023 U20 World champion, 2022 U20 Asian champion
55 kg –Jacarra Winchester (Titan Mercury WC/USOPTC)
Vs. Sharma (UWW), no information available
57 kg – Helen Maroulis (Sunkist Kids)
Vs. Nesmarie Rodriguez (Puerto Rico), 2nd in 2017 and 2020 Pan American Championships, 3rd in 2019 Pan American Games
59 kg –Jennifer Page (Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC)
Vs. winner of Laurence Beauregard (Canada) and Anjli (UWW)
Beauregard – 2019 and 2022 Pan American champion, 2018 University World champion
Anjli – 2023 Asian U23 champion
62 kg – Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids)
Vs. Subeen Jo (Korea), 9th in 2023 Asian Championships, 5th in 2016 Asian U20 Championships
65 kg –Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids)
Vs. Valeriia Dondupova Suvorova (Individual Neutral Athlete), 2nd in 2020 Yarygin Grand Prix (Russia), 2017 Medved Prizes champion (Belarus)
68 kg –Emma Bruntil (Titan Mercury WC/USOPTC)
Vs. Alexandra Anghel (Romania), 2023 European champion, 2022 World bronze medalist, 5th in 2019 World Championships
72 kg – Amit Elor (Titan Mercury WC/NYC RTC)
Vs. Nesrin Bas (Turkey), 3rd in 2023 European Championships, 2023 European U23 champion, 2022 U23 World champion
76 kg –Adeline Gray (New York AC)
Vs. Jimin Baek (Korea), no information available