Morgan Turner (USA) and Piper Fowler (USA) with USA flag after winning U17 World titles in Istanbul, Turkey

Morgan Turner (USA) and Piper Fowler (USA) with USA flag after winning U17 World titles in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling

ISTANBUL, Turkey – The United States was golden again on Thursday night at the U17 World Championships. In fact, Team USA won gold medals twice.

Morgan Turner of Illinois scored an exciting last-second takedown to become the U17 World champion at 43 kg on Thursday night, giving the U.S. women’s freestyle program its first gold medal of the 2023 World Championship season.

In the final match of the medal round, Piper Fowler of Tennessee showed some clutch wrestling in her 5-2 gold medal victory over Lotta Englich of Germany at 73 kg, and U.S. fans in the arena were able to hear the American national anthem for the second time of the night.

Turner scored first in her match with Mona Ezaka of Japan, when Ezaka was put on the shot clock in the first period and could not score. In the second period, Turner was placed on the shot clock and did not score, making it 1-1. Then Ezaka forced a step out to take a 2-1 lead. As time was running out, Turner used her speed and agility to spin behind Ezaka, seemingly scoring the winning takedown. However, officials did not award it. The USA corner challenged the call, and after the jury reviewed the video, Turner was awarded the takedown and the gold medal.

Fowler jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first period over Lotta Englich of Germany, scoring a point on the shot clock and scoring a nice takedown. In the second period, Fowler was put on the shot clock. Fowler was able to secure a cradle to score a takedown, and shut off the shot clock, making it a 5-0 lead. Englich exposed Fowler during a scramble to close the gap to 5-2, but could not score again.

Heather Crull of Indiana came out with great aggressiveness in her bronze-medal match against Lonisa Reka of Kosovo at 49 kg. She scored multiple takedowns, then after her final takedown, she sunk in a half nelson and turned Reka to her back securing the fall in 1:28.

Crull bounced back strongly after losing her semifinal match on Wednesday to Svitlana Katenka an Individual Neutral Athlete, by a 10-1 m

All three U.S. medalists on Thursday were competing in an age-group World Championships for the USA for the first time.

Japan led the team standings after the first women’s freestyle weight classes with 105 points, followed by the United States with 65 points and host Turkey close behind in third with 61 points.

The final five women’s freestyle weight classes will be completed on Friday, with repechage matches at 10:00 a.m., and the medal matches at 6:00 p.m. Men’s freestyle also hosts its first day with five weight classes on Friday.

All of the action is live on FloWrestling.

U17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Istanbul, Turkey,

Women’s Freestyle Group One Final results

43 kg
Gold - Morgan Turner (USA)
Silver - Mona Ezaka (Japan)
Bronze -Aleksandra Berezovskaia (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Bronze - Nilufar Nurmukhammadova (Uzbekistan)
5th - Maria Louiza Gkika (Greece)
5th - Alina Mazharouskaya (Individual Neutral Athlete)
7th - Medina Kuanyshbek (Kazakhstan)
8th - Yagmur Karabacak (Turkey)
9th - Diana luminita Voiculescu (Romania)
10th - Kinga Jaroniek (Poland)

Gold – Turner dec. Ezaka, 3-2
Bronze – Berezovskaia dec. Gkika, 5-1
Bronze – Nurmukhammadova tech fall Mazharouskaya, 10-0

49 kg -
Gold - Rinka Ogawa (Japan)
Silver - Sviatlana Katenka (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Bronze - Heather Crull (USA)
Bronze - Tana Tiuliush (Individual Neutral Athlete)
5th - Lonisa Reka (Kosovo)
5th - Drishti Drischti (Indian)
7th - Lucja Dorota Korcz (Poland)
8th - Anna Koeblo (Hungary)
9th - Chloe Brewis (South Africa)
10th - Diana Amanturova (Kyrgyzstan)

Gold –Ogawa tech fall Katenka, 11-0
Bronze – Crull pin Reka, 1:28
Bronze – Tiuliush dec.Drishti, 4-4

57 kg
Gold - Sowaka Uchida (Japan)
Silver - Eylem Engin (Turkey)
Bronze - Neha (India)
Bronze - Viktoria Boynova (Bulgaria)
5th - YeoJin Min (Korea)
5th - Aziza Keldibekova (Kyrgyzstan)
7th - Durdona Saidova (Uzbekistan)
8th - Mariia Beliasova (Individual Neutral Athlete)
9th - Alina Kozhyna (Individual Neutral Athlete)
10th - Mirijam Lindaas Hansen (Norway)

Gold –Uchida tech fall Engin, 10-0
Bronze – Neha tech fall Min, 10-0
Bronze – Boynova dec. Keldibekova, 5-4

65 kg
Gold - Chisato Yoshida (Japan)
Silver - Duygu Gen (Turkey)
Bronze - Mouda Badawi Hamed Ahmed Hamdoun (Egypt)
Bronze - Margarita Salnazarian (Individual Neutral Athlete)
5th - Maryia Makarchanka (Individual Neutral Athlete)
5rh - Mukhayyo Rakhimjonova (Uzbekistan)
7th - Shiksha (India)
8th -Viktoria Foeldesiova (Slovakia)
9th - Meiramgul Makson (Kazakhstan)
10th - Marina Akhai (Mongolia)

Gold – Yoshida dec. Gen, 5-1
Bronze – Hamdoun pin Makarchanka, 3:47
Bronze – Salnazarian pin Rakhimjonova, 3:34

73 kg
Gold - Piper Fowler (USA)
Silver - Lotta Englich (Germany)
Bronze - Elmira Yasin (Turkey)
Bronze - Aliaksandra Kazlova (Individual Neutral Athlete)
5th - Asaloy Amangeldieva (Uzbekistan)
5th - Ako Uchiyama (Japan)
7th - Ionela Cojocaru (Romania)
8th - Diana Titova (Individual Neutral Athlete) -
9th - Laia Horta Gallardo (Spain)
10th - Akylai Abdrakhmanova (Kyrgyzstan)

Gold – Fowler dec.Englich, 5-2
Bronze – Yasin decAmangeldieva, 6-0
Bronze – Kazlova dec. Uchiyama, 2-0

Team Standings after first five weight classes
1 Japan 105
2 United States 65
3 Turkey 61
4 Uzbekistan 43
5 India 33
6 Germany 20
7 (tie) Bulgaria, Egypt 15
9 Kyrgyzstan 14
10 (tie) Kazakhstan, Romania 12

U.S. Women’s Freestyle Group One results

43 kg: Morgan Turner, Lockport, Illinois (Sunkist Kids), Gold Medal
WIN Saadat Guliyeva (Azerbaijan), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Alina Mazharouskaya (Individual Neutral Athlete), tech fall 10-0.
WIN Nilufar Nurmukhammadova (Uzbekistan), 4-2
WIN Mona Ezaka (Japan), 3-2

49 kg: Heather Crull, Richmond, Indiana (Northeastern WC), Bronze Medal
WIN Nil Aktas (Turkey), tech fall 10-0
WIN Lucja Korcz (Poland), 13-8
LOSS Svitlana Katenka (Individual Neutral Athlete), 10-1
WIN Lonisa Rika (Kosovo), pin 1:27

57 kg: Everest Leydecker, Phoenix, Arizona (Thorobred WC), dnp/20th
LOSS Neha (India), 5-0

65 kg: May Prado , Marietta, Georgia (Level Up Wrestling Center), dnp/14th
LOSS Mukhayyo Rakhimjonova (Uzbekistan), 8-0

73 kg: Piper Fowler, Cleveland, Tenn. (Higher Calling WC), Gold Medal
WIN Ako Uchiyama (Japan), 6-0
WIN Laia Horta Gallardo (Spain), tech fall, 13-0
WIN Alikaksandra Kazlova (Individual Neutral Athlete), 10-2
WIN Lotta Englich (Germany), 5-2

Turner and Fowler win U17 World titles, Crull gets bronze, U.S. women in second place after one day

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