U.S. women freestyle wrestlers receive draws for Grand Prix of Spain
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
MADRID, Spain – A team of 15 U.S. women freestyle wrestlers have received their draws for the Grand Prix of Spain, where they will wrestle on Saturday.
This is a respected Senior-level competition, but the U.S. team is composed mostly of top age-group athletes, along with some experienced Senior athletes.
Among those competing is 2024 U.S. Olympian Kennedy Blades at 76 kg, who is using the Grand Prix of Spain as her tune-up event for the Olympic Games. Blades will open her competition against 2023 Pan American Games champion Milaimy Marin of Cuba. Blades has won three age-group World medals, including a 2021 U20 World title.
2021 Senior World Team member Kylie Welker is competing at 72 kg. Welker also boasts three age-group World medals, including a 2021 U20 World title. Welker has drawn into Group 2 of her weight class, which includes another past U.S. National Team member Skylar Grote, along with three-time Senior World medalist Zhamila Bakbergenova of Kazakhstan.
There are three other past age-group World medalists in the U.S. lineup, Cristelle Rodriguez at 52 kg, Alexis Janiak at 59 kg and Jasmine Robinson at 68 kg.
Rodriguez opens against Canada’s Kaura Coles, who lives in Montana and was a 2022 U17 Pan American runner-up. Janiak opens against Michaela Rankin of Canada, who was fifth in 2023 U23 World Championships. Robinson will battle 2023 Pan American Championships bronze medalist Aleah Nickel of Canada.
The U.S. women will be well tested, as the tournament includes a variety of strong wrestling nations including Kazakhstan, Canada, India, Cuba, France and many others.
Session times for women’s wrestling on Saturday are 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time, which is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone.
Full results from the Grand Prix of Spain are available at https://mobile.scorizer.com
GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN
At Madrid, Spain
U.S. Women’s freestyle first round draws
50 kg: Anaya Falcon (Yorba Linda, Calif./Walnut HS Wrestling)
Vs. Mariia Tiumerekova (Individual Neutral Athlete), 2021 U23 World bronze medalist, 2018 and 2019 U20 World bronze medalist
53 kg: Brianna Gonzalez (Baldwin, Calif./Iowa Womens WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Vs. Serena DiBenedetto (Canada), 7th 23 U23Worlds, 3rd 2023 U20 Pan American Championships
53 kg: Cristelle Rodriguez (Fresno, Calif./Titan Mercury WC)
Vs. Kaura Coles (Canada), 2nd in 2022 U17 Pan American Championships
Note: Coles lives in Montana, and is currently ranked No. 10 in the National Girls High School Rankings at 115 pounds.
55 kg: Carissa Qureshi (Irvine, Calif./Surfside RTC)
Group 2 round robin
Vs. Zuliya Yakhyarova (Kazakshtan), 5th 2024 Asian Championships, 2nd in 2019 Yasar Dogu
Vs. Kendall Dettloff (Canada). 4th in 2022 Pan American U20 Championships
57 kg: Ashley Whetzal (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam Mat Rats WC)
Vs. Laura Almaganbetova (Kazakhstan), 3rd in 2024 Asian Championships
59 kg: Alexis Janiak (Plainfield, Ill./Titan Mercury WC)
Vs. Michaela Rankin (Canada), 5th in 2023 U23 Worlds
62 kg: Cadence Diduch (Freeport, Ill./Alber Athletics WC)
Lydia Perez (Spain), 2019 Mediterranean U23 champion, 2023 City of Sassari champion (Italy)
65 kg: Reese Larramendy (Reno, Nev./Hawkeye WC)
Group 1 round robin
Vs. Manuela Noguerol de Souza (Spain), no information available
Vs. Irina Kazyulina (Kazakhstan), 2x Senior World Team member, 5th in 2024 Asian Championships
Vs. Marta Ojeda Navarro (Spain), 2x U23 World Team member, 5th in 2022 U23 Europeans
68 kg: Jasmine Robinson (Allen, Texas/Army WCAP)
Aleah Nickel (Canada), 7th in 2023 U23 Worlds, 3rd in 2023 Senior Pan American Championships
68 kg Caitlyn Davis (Hilton Head Island, S.C./Daughter of Zion Wrestling)
Linda Morais (Canada), 2019 World champion, 2022 World bronze medalist
72 kg: Aspen Barber (Monument, Colo./Army WCAP)
Group 1 round robin
Vs. Nyla Burgess (Canada), 2022 U20 Pan American silver medalist,
Vs. Pauline LeCarpentier (France), 2022 European silver medalist, 2023 European bronze medalist
72 kg: Skylar Grote (Newton, N.J./Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Group 2 round robin
Vs. Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan), 2021 and 2021 World silver medalist, 2023 World bronze medalist
Vs. Kylie Welker (USA)
72 kg: Kylie Welker (Franksville, Wis./Iowa Womens WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Group 2 round robin
Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan), 2021 and 2021 World silver medalist, 2023 World bronze medalist,
Vs. Skylar Grote (USA)
76 kg: Kennedy Blades (Chicago, Ill./Izzy Style Wrestling/Sunkist Kids WC)
Vs. Milaimy Marin (Cuba), 2023 Pan American Games champion, 5th in 2023 Senior Worlds
76 kg: Naomi Simon (Decorah, Iowa/Northeast Iowa WC)
Vs. Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan), 2023 Asian champion, 2020 Olympian, 5th in 2019 Worlds
Remaining Event Schedule
*Madrid, Spain is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone
Saturday, July 6
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Qualification Rounds (Women’s freestyle)
4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. - Repechage, Medal matches (Women’s freestyle)
Sunday, July 7
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Qualification Rounds (Men’s freestyle)4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. - Repechage, Medal matches (Men’s freestyle)
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