Pictured: Forrest Molinari photo by Kadir Caliskan. Jacarra Winchester photo by Tony Rotundo.
Official release courtesy of Gary Abbott / USA Wrestling.
ISTANBUL, Turkey – The United States claimed two gold medals, a silver medal and three bronze medals during a successful Saturday at the Yasar Dogu, a UWW Ranking event.
2019 World champion Jacarra Winchester (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) used some last-second heroics to edge 2021 World bronze medalist Katarzyna Krawczyk of Poland, 7-4 to claim the gold at 55 kg in women’s freestyle.
Winchester led 1-0 at the break after Krawczyk did not score on a shot clock. Winchester was put on the shot clock in the second then hit a double leg takedown before the time limit to stretch her lead to 3-0. Late in the second period, Krawczyk got behind Winchester and hit a back souplesse for four points and a 4-3 lead. However, with about two seconds left, Winchester dumped Krawczyk to her back near the edge for an apparent 5-4 win. Poland challenged the call, and the officials changed the score in favor of Winchester for the 7-4 victory.
Winchester opened with an 11-0 technical fall over Aisha Kappar of Kazakhstan, then beat Ekatarina Isakova of the Russian Wrestling Federation in the quarterfinals, 9-5. She pinned Vinesh Phogat of India with just five seconds on the clock in the semifinals.
The 65 kg weight class finals was an all-USA battle between 2021 World bronze medalist Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids) and 2018 World bronze medalist Mallory Velte (Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC), a close battle which went to Molinari at the end, 7-4.
Velte scored first with a high single leg takedown and added a step out on another high single for a 3-0 lead. Molinari scored a counter tilt late in the first period to close the gap to 3-2 at the break. Velte extended the lead to 4-2 on another step out on a high single. Molinari took over from there, scoring a takedown and ankle lace turn for a 6-4 lead, then added a step out point with 26 seconds left for the final 7-4 margin.
Molinari opened with a pair of pins, stopping Ilayda Isliyen of Turkey in 57 seconds, and Emma Bruntil of the USA in 5:37. She also scored a 5-3 win in the semifinals over Elis Manolova of Azerbaijan, 5-3.
Velte did not give up a point in her first three wins. She won her first two matches with 10-0 technical falls over Madina Bakbergenova of Kazakhstan and Khadija Jlassi of Tunisia. In the semifinals, she secured a 7-0 win over Uliana Tukerenova of the Russian Wrestling Federation.
Bronze medals went to Dom Parrish (Sunkist Kids) at 53 kg and Emma Bruntil (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) at 65 kg in women’s freestyle, plus Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC) at 97 kg in men’s freestyle.
Parrish looked sharp all day and finished it off with a pin over U23 World silver medalist Pooja Gehlot of India in 4:20 in bronze-medal round. The match was tied at 2-2 at the break, but Parrish hit a blast double for four points, putting Gehlot on her back and she held her there until she secured the fall. Parrish finished 4-1 for the day, and her only loss came in the semifinals when she was ahead by eight points before she got pinned.
Bruntil edged 2019 World bronze medalist Elis Manolova of Azerbaijan in her bronze-medal bout, 3-2. Manolova could not score on a first-period shot clock, putting Bruntil up 1-0. Bruntil scored a clutch leg attack takedown with six seconds left in the first period for a 3-0 lead at the break. Manolova scored the only takedown of the second period off a high single leg but could not get to Bruntil late in the bout. Bruntil’s win gave the USA a medal of each kind at 65 kg, to go along with Molinari’s gold and Velte’s silver.
Bruntil also scored 10-0 technical falls over Dinara Salikhova of the Russian Wrestling Federation in the first round, and over Karaduman of Turkey in the repechage. Her only loss came in the quarterfinals to Molinari by fall.
Moore broke a 1-1 tie and scored a clutch duck under takedown with a minute left in the match to beat Bilal Sahin of Turkey, 3-1 for his bronze medal. Moore won his first match over Satywart Kadian of India in a 12-1 technical fall. He was beaten in the semifinals by Aliikhan Zhabrailov of Russia, 8-2.
Placing fifth for Team USA was Amy Fearnside (Titan Mercury WC) at 50 kg. Fearnside was defeated in the bronze-medal bout by 2021 World bronze medalist Otonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia, who scored a pin in 3:40. The first period was wide open, with Dolgorjav leading 8-4 at the break. Early in the second period, Dolgorjav tossed Fearnside and secured the fall. Fearnside finished with a 2-2 record on the day.
Macey Kilty secured a silver medal on Friday, and Team USA has now won seven medals in Istanbul. The competition completes on Sunday, with the final eight men’s freestyle weight classes.
The USA will have 12 more men’s freestylers battling for medals on Sunday. Qualification rounds begin at 10:30 a.m. local time (2:30 a.m. ET) and medal matches are set for 6 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET).
Fans can watch all the action live on FloWrestling and find brackets on United World Wrestling’s website. Follow @USAWrestling on Twitter for live updates throughout the tournament.
2022 YASAR DOGU INTERNATIONAL – UWW RANKING SERIES EVENT
Feb. 24-27, 2022 | Istanbul, Turkey
U.S. women’s freestyle performances
50 kg: Amy Fearnside (Titan Mercury WC), 5th place
WIN Weronika Sikora (Poland), 14-4
LOSS Emilia Vuc (Romania), 10-5
WIN Evin Demirhan (Turkey), 14-12
LOSS Otonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia), pin 3:40
50 kg: Erin Golston (Wisconsin RTC/New York AC)
LOSS Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia), tech. fall 10-0
53 kg: Dom Parrish (Sunkist Kids WC), Bronze Medal
WIN Ellada Makhyaddinova (Kazakhstan), 6-2
WIN Leila Karymova (RWF), 6-4
WIN Katsiaryna Pichkouskaya (Belarus), 5-0
LOSS Bolortuya Bat Ochir (Mongolia), pin 1:20
WIN Pooja Gehlot (India), pin 4:20
55 kg: Jacarra Winchester (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC), Gold Medal
WIN Aisha Kappar (Kazakhstan), tech. fall 11-0
WIN Ekatarina Isakova (RWF), 9-5
WIN Vinesh (India), pin 4:55
WIN Katarzyna Krawczyk (Poland), 7-4
59 kg: Michaela Beck (Wisconsin RTC/Sunkist Kids)
LOSS Anastasiia Iakovleva (RWF), 3-2
59 kg: Sophia Mirabella (Team Tornado WC)
LOSS Elif Yanik (Turkey), pin 2:06
65 kg: Emma Bruntil (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC), Bronze Medal
WIN Dinara Kudaeva Salikhova (RWF), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Forrest Molinari (USA), pin 5:37
WIN Karaduman (Turkey), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Elis Manolova (Azerbaijan), 3-2
65 kg: Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids WC), Gold Medal
WIN Karaduman (Turkey), pin 0:57
WIN Emma Bruntil (USA), pin 5:37
WIN Elis Manolova (Azerbaijan), 5-3
WIN Mallory Velte (USA), 7-4
65 kg: Mallory Velte (Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC), Silver Medal
WIN Madina Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Khadija Jlassi (Tunisia), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Uliana Tukerenova (RWF), 7-0
LOSS Forrest Molinari (USA), 7-4
U.S. men's freestyle performances
97 kg: Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC), Bronze Medal
WIN Satywart Kadian (India), tech. fall 12-1
LOSS Aliikhan Zhabrailov (Russian Wrestling Federation), 8-2
WIN Burak Sahin (Turkey), 3-2
125 kg: Nick Gwiazdowski (Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Hayden Zillmer (USA), 3-0
LOSS Atsamaz Tebloev (RWF), 6-4
125 kg: Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC RTC)
LOSS Nick Gwiazdowski (USA), 3-0
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