Thursday Session II Live Blog: Elor wins another gold, Bruntil seeks bronze, Bey in the repechage in Greco-Roman

Final Women’s Freestyle Team Standings

1. Japan, 195

2. United States, 135

3. Mongolia, 80

4. China, 65

5. Ukraine, 59

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WFS 68 kg Olympic Playoff - Ami Ishii (Japan) dec. Emma Bruntil (USA), 2-0

Ishii gets the first takedown to lead 2-0. We go to the break with Ishii leading 2-0. Ishii took a number of shots that she could not finish. Bruntil tried some upper body trips and other attacks but could not score. Ishii wins, 2-0 and Japan gets the Olympic quota berth.

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62 kg Olympic playoff – Luisa Niemesch (Germany) dec. Bilyana Dudova (Bulgaria), 3-2

53 kg Olympic Playoff – Emma Malmgren (Sweden) pin Maria Prevolaraki (Greece), 1:03

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Emma Bruntil will wrestle Ami Ishii of Japan in an Olympic Playoff match at 68 kg. This is basically a “true fifth place” bout between the two fifth place finishers, with the winner qualifying their nation at this weight for the Paris Olympics. The three matches will begin at 9:00 local time, with Bruntil’s match last.

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68 kg Bronze - Irina Ringaci (Moldova) dec. Ami Ishii (Japan), 8-8

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WFS 68 kg bronze medal - Koumba Larroque (France) tech. fall Emma Bruntil (USA), 10-0

Larroque does an arm throw that scores four points, to lead 4-0. We go to the break with Larroque leading 4-0. Larroque gets an ankle pick takedown to extend the lead to 6-0. Double leg takedown for Larroque makes it 8-0. We stop for blood time with Larroque. Larroque spins behind for a takedown and a 10-0 technical fall victory.

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62 kg Gold - Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) dec. Sakura Motoki (Japan), 4-1

62 kg Bronze - Iryna Koliadenko (Ukraine) tech. fall Luisa Niemesch (Germany), 10-0

62 kg Bronze - Grace Bullen (Norway) dec. Bilyana Dudova (Bulgaria), 3-0

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53 kg Gold - Akari Fujinami (Japan) tech. fall Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Individual Neutral Athlete), 10-0

53 kg Bronze - Antim (UWW) tech. fall Emma Malmgren (Sweden), 16-6

53 kg Bronze - Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) dec. Maria Prevolaraki (Greece), 10-3

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WFS 72 kg Gold Medal - Amit Elor (USA) dec. Davaanasan Enkh Amar (Mongolia), 8-2

Elor opens the scoring with a step out, 1-0. Enkh Amar put on the shot clock and can not score in 30 seconds, 2-0 for Elor. Add in another step out to make it 3-0. We go to the break with Elor leading 3-0. Elor gets behind for a takedown and a 5-0 lead. Takedown for Enhk Amar makes it 5-2, but Elor reverses to make it 6-2. With 9 seconds left, Amit has some blood to clean up. Elor gets a counter takedown in the last seconds to win, 8-2. Amit Elor is now a 2x Senior World champion!!!!

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72 kg Bronze - Miwa Morikawa (Japan) dec. Kendra Dacher (France), 4-2

72 kg Bronze - Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) dec. Natalia Strzalka (Poland), 4-1

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#WrestleBelgrade

U.S. women’s freestyle Group Three medal matches

Bout 3 - WFS 72 kg gold medal – Amit Elor (USA) vs. Davaanasan Enkh Amar (Mongolia)

Bout 10 - WFS 68 kg bronze medal –Emma Bruntil (USA) vs. Koumba Larroque (France)

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Kamal Bey will open repechage on Friday morning with a match against Jonni Sarkinen of Finland at 77 kg. Bey must win three repechage matches on Friday morning to qualify for a bronze-medal match.

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130 kg

Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) dec. Lingzhe Meng (China), 3-1

Amin Mirzazadeh (Iran) dec. Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba), 1-1

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77 kg semifinals

Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) dec. Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia), 5-0

Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) dec. Nao Kusaka (Japan), 7-5

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When Saman Sulymanov of Azerbaijan defeated Amoyan of Armenia, 5-0 in the 77 kg semifinals tonight, he pulls Kamal Bey (USA) back into repechage on Friday morning.

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82 kg semifinals

Rafig Huseynov (Azerbaijan) dec. Burhan Akbudak (Turkey), 5-5

Alireza Mohmadipiani (Iran) dec.Mihail Bradu (Moldova), 5-1

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55 kg semifinals

Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) dec. Poya Soulat Dad Marz (Iran), 3-2

Nugzari Tsurtsumia (Georgia) Jasurbek Ortikboev (Uzbekistan), 7-4

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There are no USA athletes in the Group One Greco-Roman semifinals, which begins at 4:45 p.m. local time (10:45 U.S. Eastern time). We will post the results as they go. U.S. fans will root for Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) to pull Kamal Bey back into repechage at 77 kg. The weight class order for the semifinals is the following: 55 kg, 82 kg, 77 kg, 130 kg

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We head into the final session of women’s wrestling with Group Three finals. The USA has two wrestlers remaining, with 2022 World champion Amit Elor battling for another gold medal at 72 kg, and Emma Bruntil seeking a bronze medal at 68 kg. Bruntil is in an Olympic weight class, so a win in her bronze-medal bout against Koumba Larroque of France clinches the Olympic berth. Should Bruntil lose, she must compete in the true fifth-place match with an Olympic berth up for grabs.

Fans should stick around after the finals for the team awards, as the United States has nailed down second place behind Japan. The only drama today was which nation will end up third in the standings.

Group One of Greco-Roman started today, and its semifinals will be held prior to the women’s freestyle finals. All four USA wrestlers in Group One lost a match in the morning session. Still possible for repechage is Kamal Bey (77 kg), who needs Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) to win his semifinals bout tonight. The other three in Group One are eliminated: Brady Koontz (55 kg), Spencer Woods (82 kg) & Cohlton Schultz (130 kg)