Mensah snags silver, Anthony wins bronze at Golden Grand Prix Final

Tamyra Mensah fends off an attack from Azerbaijan's Elis Manolova. Photo: Martin Gabor, United World Wrestling.

BAKU, Azerbaijan – The U.S. women picked up two medals on Friday at the Golden Grand Prix Final with Tamyra Mensah earning a silver at 69 kg/152 lbs. and Victoria Anthony grabbing a bronze at 48 kg/105.5 lbs.


Mensah started her day with three-straight wins over quality international foes. She opened with a second-period fall over Pan American runner-up Yudari Sanchez Rodriguez of Cuba and a 4-2 decision over two-time Junior World bronze medalist Elis Manolova of Azerbaijan. In the semifinals, Mensah dominated 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Elmira Syzdykova to the tune of 12-4.


Standing opposite Mensah in the championship bout was six-time Cadet and Junior World champion Masako Furuichi of Japan. Furuichi has been proclaimed the next big thing in Japanese women’s wrestling, and she held her own in Baku today. Furuichi topped Mensah 11-4 to win the 69 kg gold.


After earning a silver today, Mensah now owns six international medals this year. She earned bronze at the Olympic Test Event, 1st World Olympic Games Qualifier, 2nd World Olympic Games Qualifier, Canada Cup and Grand Prix of Spain. Mensah was the U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion at 69 kg.


Anthony also posted a 3-1 record on the day as she navigated to her bronze medal. She won three matches by technical fall while surrendering no points. Anthony’s only loss came to 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2013 World champion Yanan Sun of China, 8-2. The talented American topped World Military champion Emilia Vuc 11-0 in the 48 kg bronze-medal match.


Like Mensah, Anthony also earned her sixth international medal for 2016 today in Baku. She earned gold medals at the Dave Schultz Memorial International, Klippan Lady Open, Canada Cup and Bill Farrell International. In addition, Anthony was a bronze-medal winner at the Grand Prix of Spain. Anthony was runner-up at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at 48 kg.


Three other veteran wrestlers took the mat for Team USA on Friday. However, none were able to pull out a win in their respective brackets.


Two weeks prior to competing at the Non-Olympic Weight World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, 55 kg/121 lbs. U.S. World Team member Sarah Hildebrandt lost her opening bout to 2016 Olympian Katarzyna Krawczyk of Poland, 4-2.


Three-time U.S. World Team member Whitney Conder dropped a 6-2 decision to the up-and-coming Natalia Malysheva of Russia in her only match at 53 kg/116.5 lbs. Malysheva was a Junior World champion in 2014 and a European U23 champion this year.


2012 Olympian and 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion Kelsey Campbell ran into a tough Chinese opponent, Zhangting Zhou, in the first round at 58 kg/127.5 lbs. Campbell battled hard but was unable to secure the win, losing 4-2.


Competition from the Golden Grand Prix Final will conclude tomorrow with the Greco-Roman tournament. Action will begin in Baku at 10 a.m. local time, which translates to 1 a.m. Eastern Time. 


A live stream, brackets and complete match-by-match results for the Golden Grand Prix Final can be found at unitedworldwrestling.org.

Final Results

48 kg/105.5 lbs.

Gold – Yanan Sun (China)

Silver – Miho Igarashi (Japan)

Bronze – Victoria Anthony (United States)

Bronze – Valeriya Chepsarakova (Russia)

53 kg/116.5 lbs.

Gold – Momoka Kadoya (Japan)

Silver – Qianyu Pang (China)

Bronze – Nataliea Malysheva (Russia)

Bronze – Anzhela Dorogan (Azerbaijan)

55 kg/121 lbs.

Gold – Odunayo Adekuoroye (Nigeria)

Silver – Nina Menkenova (Russia)

Bronze – Tetyana Kit (Ukraine)

Bronze – Alyona Kolesnik (Azerbaijan)

58 kg/127.5 lbs.

Gold – Grace Bullen (Norway)

Silver – Yaquelin Estornell Elizastigue (Cuba)

Bronze – Veronika Chumikova (Russia)

Bronze – Zhangting Zhou (China)

60 kg/132 lbs.

Gold – Oksana Herhel (Ukraine)

Silver – Tetiana Omelchenko (Azerbaijan)

Bronze – Yingyan Han (China)

Bronze – Ayaka Ito (Japan)

63 kg/138.8 lbs.

Gold – Yuliia Tkach (Ukraine)

Silver – Rui Xu (China)

Bronze – Ayana Gempei (Japan)

Bronze – Marianna Sastin (Hungary)

69 kg/152 lbs.

Gold – Masako Furuichi (Japan)

Silver – Tamyra Mensah (United States)

Bronze – Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan)

Bronze – Anastasia Bratchikova (Russia)

75 kg/165 lbs.

Gold – Qiandegenchagan Qiandegenchagan (China)

Silver – Fengliu Zhang (China)

Bronze – Alena Perepelkina (Russia)

Bronze – Irina Kazyulina (Kazakhstan)

U.S. women’s freestyle results

48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Victoria Anthony, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids), Bronze

WIN Shafag Muradzade (Azerbaijan), 10-0

LOSS Yanan Sun (China), 8-2

WIN Viyaleta Chyryk (Belarus), 10-0

WIN Emilia Vuc (Romania), 11-0


53 kg/116.5 lbs. – Whitney Conder, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), 9th

LOSS Natalia Malysheva (Russia), 6-2


55 kg/121 lbs. – Sarah Hildebrandt, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC), 10th

LOSS Katarzyna Krawczyk (Poland), 6-4


58 kg/127.5 lbs. – Kelsey Campbell, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids), 8th

LOSS Zhangting Zhou (China), 4-2


69 kg/152 lbs. – Tamyra Mensah, Katy, Texas (Titan Mercury WC), Silver

WIN Yudari Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba), Fall 3:38

WIN Elis Manolova (Azerbaijan), 4-2

WIN Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan), 12-4

LOSS Masako Furuichi (Japan), 11-4