Team USA Women Third After Day 2 in Belgrade: Miracle Silver, Parrish in Finals
Team USA’s Kayla Miracle became a 2x world silver medalist in Belgrade. Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com
by Derek Levendusky
Twitter: @AWWderek
BELGRADE, SERBIA - The first day of women’s finals are in the books, as the 55 kg and 62 kg weights wrapped up in Belgrade. In the end, Team USA garnered their first medal as 62 kg Kayla Miracle earned a silver and 55 kg Jacarra Winchester landed in 5th place in a heartbreaking loss after holding a 12-4 lead late in the match.
Miracle earned her second straight silver medal at the World Championships, falling to Japan’s 2021 World bronze medalist Nonoka Ozaki in the finals 10-0. To reach the final, Miracl defeated a familiar opponent, Canada’s Ana Godinez-Gonzalez by first-period fall. Godinez-Gonzalez won a national title for Simon Fraser a few years ago. She and her sister Karla, who also won two national titles for SFU, both wrestled in bronze matches, with Karla winning a medal at 55 kg and Ana taking 5th at 62 kg with in a tight 4-3 loss. Miracle won her second Senior Worlds medal, earning the distinction of being a 2x world silver medalist.
Winchester scored early in her bronze match in unorthodox fashion, getting turns with double boots in, and at one point was awarded the 10-0 technical fall over China’s Mengyu Xie, but the scoring was overturned after Xie’s corner challenged. It seemed the American was about to the seal the win late in the match, holding a 12-4 lead, when she got caught on a turn after Xie stepped over. After fighting for close to a minute, the official called the fall and Winchester landed in fifth place.
Four other weights got started on Tuesday, and three U.S. women advanced to tomorrow’s medal matches, led by first-time world teamer Dominique Parrish punching her ticket to the finals at 53 kg, while 50 kg Sarah Hildebrandt and 65 kg Mallory Velte both advanced to the bronze match.
#1 seeded Hildebrandt had a hot start to her Worlds competition, gaining two straight tech falls with a script U.S. fans are used to seeing-–takedown and leg lace. But she ran into a brick wall in the semis when she faced 2021 World bronze medalist Otgonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia, an opponent that was ready for her as the returning American finalist lost 6-2. Hildebrandt will face the winner between Jasmina Immaeva of Uzbekistan and Emilia Vuc of Romania as she seeks to earn her third world medal.
After scoring two tech falls early Tuesday morning, first-time world teamer Dominique Parrish took out 2x World bronze medalist Maria Prevolaraki of Greece 3-1 in the semis. The SFU grad will face 2022 Asian runner-up Khulan Batkhuyag of Mongolia in the finals. Batkhuyag was losing in her semi and came back for the win with a shocking fall.
Velte lost in the quarters to Japan’s Miwa Morikawa, the 2021 World silver medalist, but was right in the match until the end, only losing 2-0. When Morikawa won her semi, it pulled Velte into the bronze match where she’ll square off with 2022 European champion Mimi Hristova of Bulgaria in one of the bronze matches tomorrow.
76 kg Dymond Guilford lost to Japan’s Yuka Kagami 3-0 in her first match, having been put on the shot clock twice even though there seemed to be no obvious reason for it. Kagami lost her next match 4-2 to Olympic bronze medalist Adar of Turkey, eliminating Guilford from the tournament.
Japan leads the team race after two weights are in the books with 50, with Team USA tied with China in the third spot with 30 points.