Women's freestyle finishes with three silver medals at the U17 World Championships
by Ellen Paddock, USA Wrestling
Valerie Hamilton at the U17 World Championships. Photo by United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan
ROME, Italy – U.S. Women’s freestyle wrapped up competition today at the U17 World Championships in Rome, leaving with three silver medals.
Gabriella Gomez, wrestling at 46 kg, fell to Koko Matsuda of Japan in the gold-medal match today, 13-0. Matsudo does not have previous international credentials, but made her mark in Rome as she didn’t surrender a single point all tournament.
Gomez, a 2021 USMC 16U National runner-up, recorded some notable wins this week. She defeated U17 European Champion Kornelia Laszlo of Hungary with a 3-3 win by criteria in the semifinals, won 8-2 over Yelyzaveta Kulakivska of Ukraine, a 2021 U15 European gold medalist, and beat U17 Nordic gold medalist Daniella Beky, 12-1.
Valerie Hamilton fell to 2022 U17 Asian Champion Savita from India in the 61 kg gold-medal match, 12-0. Savita defeated three of her four opponents this week by technical superiority.
Hamilton, a U15 World champion and 2021 USMC U16 National champion, had a dominant trek to the finals, sweeping 2022 U17 Asian bronze medalist Sevinch Sultonova of Uzbekistan 5-0 in the semifinals, pinning Petra Mrackova of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals and stopping 2019 U15 World Championships fifth place finisher Yen-Yi Li of Taipei in the round of 16.
On Friday, Erica Pastoriza won the 43 kg silver medal and Shelby Moore at 57 kg, Sydney Perry at 65 kg and Kaiulani Garcia at 73 kg finished in fifth place.
As a team, U.S. women’ freestyle took fourth with 107 points. Japan won the crown with 180 points, followed by India with 149 and Ukraine with 112. In 2021, U.S. women's freestyle finished first after winning three gold medals and four bronze medals.
Men’s freestyle will finish out the tournament. Four finalists wrestle tomorrow at noon U.S. ET. Domenic Munaretto (45 kg), Luke Lilledahl (51 kg), Kyler Larkin (60 kg), Joseph Sealey (71 kg) and Max McEnelly (92kg) make their debuts at 5:30 a.m. ET. Watch live on FloWrestling and follow along with live updates @USAWrestling on Twitter.
U17 World Championships
Rome, Italy | July 25-31
U17 women’s freestyle results
40 kg: Megan Valdez (San Jacinto, Calif.) – eliminated
LOSS Yagmur Karabacak (Turkey), 8-6
43 kg: Erica Pastoriza (Phoenix, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary WC) – SILVER
WIN Elvina Karimzada (Azerbaijan), 7-2
WIN Dominika Konkel (Poland), 10-0
WIN Arina Abdullina (Kazakhstan), 12-2
LOSS Ritika (India), fall
46 kg: Gabriella Gomez (Carol Stream, Ill.) - SILVER
WIN Yelyzaveta Kulakivska (Ukraine), 8-2
WIN Daniella Beky (Norway), 12-1
WIN Kornelia Laszlo (Hungary), 3-3
LOSS Koko Matsuda (Japan), 13-0
49 kg: Audrey Jimenez (Tucson, Ariz. /Sunkist Kids WC) – eliminated
LOSS Fabiana Rinella (Italy), 9-2
53 kg: Elena Ivaldi (Newcastle, Calif./MatTime) – eliminated
WIN Manar Elmasry (Egypt), 8-7
LOSS Khaliun Byambasuren (Mongolia), fall
57 kg: Shelby Moore (Buckley, Wash./Takedown Express WC) – fifth
WIN Michalina Ignaszak (Poland), 11-0
WIN Alina Flipovych (Ukraine), 11-8
LOSS Sowaka Uchida (Japan), 10-0
WIN Annatina Lippuner (Switzerland), 10-0
LOSS Ulmeken Esenbaeva (Uzbekistan), 4-2
61 kg: Valerie Hamilton (Gridley, Ill./SOT-C) - semifinals
WIN Yen-Yi Li (Taipei), 7-6
WIN Petra Mrackova (Czech Republic), fall
WIN Sevinch Sultonova (Uzbekistan), 5-0
LOSS Savita (India), 2022 U17 Asian Champion, 12-0
65 kg: Sydney Perry (Batavia, Ill./Batavia WC) – fifth
WIN Szonja Szabo (Hungary), 5-0
LOSS Anju Sato (Japan), 3-0
WIN Daria Konstantynova (Ukraine), 6-6
LOSS Zharkynai Nurlan (KGZ), 7-0
69 kg: Jasmine Robinson (Allen, Texas /Best Trained Wrestling) - eliminated
LOSS Veronika Vilk (Croatia), fall
73 kg: Kaiulani Garcia (Stockton, Calif./NorCal Queens WC) – fifth
LOSS Priya Priya (India), 3-1
WIN Dominika Pochowska (Poland), fall
LOSS Alina Yertostik (KAZ), fall
Women’s freestyle medals
40 kg
Gold – Muskan (India)
Silver – Mona Ezaka (Japan)
Bronze –Diana Voiculescu (Romania)
Bronze – Yevhenia Druzenko (Ukraine)
43 kg
Gold – Ritika (India)
Silver – Erica Pastoriza (USA)
Bronze – Anastasiia Polska (Ukraine)
Bronze – Elvina Karimzada (Azerbaijan)
46 kg
Gold – Koko Matsuda (Japan)
Silver – Gabriella Gomez (USA)
Bronze – Yelyzaveta Kulakivska (Ukraine)
Bronze – Alexandra Voiculescu (Romania)
49 kg
Gold – Ruzanna Mammadova (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Mihoko Takeuchi (Japan)
Bronze – Fabianna Rinella (Italy)
Bronze – Sevval Cayir (Turkey)
53 kg
Gold –Maria Yefremova (Ukraine)
Silver – Sakura Onishi (Japan)
Bronze – Lilya Cohen (France)
Bronze – Sevim Akbas (Turkey)
57 kg
Gold – Sowaka Uchida (Japan)
Silver – Gerda Terek (Hungary)
Bronze – Tuba Demir (Turkey)
Bronze – Ulmeken Esenbaeva (Uzbekistan)
61 kg
Gold – Savita (India)
Silver – Valeria Hamilton (USA)
Bronze – Sevinch Sultonova (Uzbekistan)
Bronze – Suzu Saski (Japan)
65 kg
Gold – Anju Sato (Japan)
Silver – Maria Pantiru (Romania)
Bronze – Reka Van Os (Netherlands)
Bronze – Zharkynai Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan)
69 kg
Gold – Harshita (India)
Silver – Chisato Yoshida (Japan)
Bronze – Veronika Vilk (Croatia)
Bronze – Gulnura Tashtanbekova (Kyrgyzstan)
73 kg
Gold – Priya (India)
Silver – Mariia Zenkina (Ukraine)
Bronze – Alina Yertostik (Kazakhstan)