Blades Silver, Team USA Women Second With 4 Medalists

76 kg silver medalist Kennedy Blades. Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com

by Derek Levendusky

PARIS, FRANCE - Kennedy Blades finished the competition for Team USA women with a silver medal, adding to the three already won by her teammates, enough for the U.S. Olympic Team to finish second in the team race to Japan.

In the end, it was Japan 130, United States 93, and China 45. Blades just fell short in the finals, losing a 3-1 battle to Yuka Kagami of Japan. 76 kg Blades made the finals after a gritty performance on her first day of competing, earning a 4-3 quarterfinal win over Milaimys Marin Portillo of Cuba and an 8-6 semifinal win over Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan.

U.S. women have never won more than one gold medal at the Olympics, and only had two previous gold medalists total (Maroulis in 2016 & Mensah-Stock in 2020). But this time, the women’s program is bringing home two gold medals, Hildebrandt at 50 kg and Elor at 68 kg, and four total medals—both marks are records for the women’s program. (The four medal count ties the previous record set by the Tokyo team.)

Final results from all six U.S. women competing at the Olympics.

50 kg Sarah Hildebrandt - GOLD
53 kg Dominique Parrish - DNP (L in Repechage)
57 kg Helen Maroulis - BRONZE
62 kg Kayla Miracle - DNP (L in Quarterinals)
68 kg Amit Elor - GOLD
76 kg Kennedy Blades - SILVER