Audrey Jimenez and Lillian Freitas advance to the Cadet World semifinals
by Mike Willis, USA Wrestling
Feature photo courtesy of Martin Gabor/United World Wrestling.
Budapest, Hungary – Two Americans punched their tickets to this afternoon’s semifinals on the first day of women’s freestyle competition at the Cadet World Championships. Both did so in impressive fashion, obliterating their competition.
At 49 kg, Audrey Jimenez, picked up three-straight 10-0 technical fall victories. In all three matches, Jimenez showcased her lethal leg lace. First she downed India’s Neha Chougale, only needing one takedown before picking up four turns with the lace. Next, she took out Kazakhstan’s Laura Ganikyzy, a 2019 Cadet World seventh-place finisher. Jimenez scored two takedowns, transitioning the second into her lace for three turns and the victory. Her third opponent was Austria’s Sarah Lins. Once again, Jimenez got her lace rolling, scoring a takedown and two turns to take a 6-0 lead. She closed the match out with two more takedowns.
In the semifinals, Jimenez faces Switzerland’s Svenja Jungo, a two-time Cadet European medalist (2019 silver, 2021 bronze).
Lillian Freitas, one of two 2019 Cadet World Team members on this year’s team, was equally impressive at 73 kg. In her opening match, Freitas picked up a 33 second pin over Poland’s Patrycja Cuber, a 2021 Cadet European silver medalist. She followed it up with a 10-0 technical fall over Uzbekistan’s Valentina Toreniyazova in the quarterfinals, hitting two four-point point takedowns and icing the match with a two-point go behind.
Her next opponent is Kseniya Patapovich of Belarus.
Angie Dill went 1-1 in her opening matches at 43 kg. Dill pinned Poland’s Julia Dolna in 49 seconds, executing a beautiful chin whip for the fall to start her tournament. In the quarterfinals, she fell to India’s Tannu Tannu, 13-0. If Tannu wins her next match, Dill will be pulled into repechage.
At 57 kg, Savannah Cosme dropped her opening match to Turkey’s Selvi Ilyasoglua, a 2021 Junior European fifth-place finisher, 6-0. Ilyasoglua won her quarterfinal match and will compete in this afternoon’s semifinals. Should she advance to the finals, Cosme will be pulled into repechage.
Grace Stem dropped a heart-breaking opening bout to Turkey’s Duygu Gen, 6-6. Stem held a 6-2 lead with ten seconds remaining in the match, when Gen executed a well-time headlock, earning four points and the win. Gen lost her quarterfinal match, eliminating Stem from the tournament.
The semifinals begin at 11:45 EST and stream live on FloWrestling.
2021 Cadet World Championships
at Budapest, Hungary, July 19-25
Women’s Freestyle Results
43 kg: Angie Dill (Eagle Bridge, N.Y.)
WIN Julia Dolna (Poland), FALL :49
LOSS Tannu Tannu (India), 13-0
49 kg: Audrey Jimenez (Tucson, Ariz.)
WIN Neha Chougale (India), 10-0
WIN Laura Ganikyzy (Kazakhstan), 10-0
WIN Sarah Lins (Austria), 10-0
vs. Svenja Jungo (Switzerland)
57 kg: Savannah Cosme (Denver, Colo.)
LOSS Selvi Ilyasoglu (Turkey), 6-0
65 kg: Grace Stem (Snow Shoe, Pa.)
LOSSDuygu Gen (Turkey), 6-6
73 kg: Lillian Freitas (Modesto, Calif.)
WIN Patrycja Cuber (Poland), FALL :33
WIN Valentina Toreniyazova (Uzbekistan), 10-0
vs. Kseniya Patapovich (Belarus)