Realin, Drury, Robinson win golds; U.S. women are freestyle champs at U23 Pan American Championships

RIONEGRO, Colombia – The U.S. women’s freestyle team closed out the 2024 U23 Pan American Championships with a bang, winning three gold medals and capturing medals in all five weights contested on Saturday.

Capturing gold medals on the final day were Skye Realin (Mililani, Hawaii/Grapplers HI) at 59 kg, Aine Drury (Westminster, Calif.) at 65 kg and Jasmine Robinson (Allen, Texas/U.S. Army WCAP) at 72 kg. All three were dominant in their final matches.

Realin blasted open a competitive finals match against Alexa Cuero Cuadrado of Colombia, by scoring a pin in 3:16 of her finals match. Drury closed out her five-athlete round robin with a pin of Jonelle Clarke of Canada in 1:45, finishing with a perfect 4-0 record. Robinson scored a pin and a technical fall in her three-athlete round robin, ending it with a 10-0 technical fall over Maria Ceballos Cuenu of Colombia.

Montana Delawder (Gettysburg, Pa./Team Pennsylvania) secured a silver medal at 55 kg with a 3-1 record in her five-athlete round robin, securing two technical falls and a pin. Heather Crull (Richmond, Ind./Northeastern WC) added a bronze medal at 50 kg, pinning Vicky Leon Gomez of Ecuador in 1:18 of her bronze-medal match.

The women’s freestyle tournament took two days to complete, with half of the weight classes on Friday and the other half on Saturday.

The United States finished with nine medals in women’s freestyle. On Friday, medals were won by Tristan Kelly (gold at 76 kg), Adaugo Nwachukwu (silver at 62 kg), Brooklyn Hays (silver at 68 kg) and Elena Ivaldi (bronze at 53 kg).

This gave Team USA the team title in women’s freestyle with 200 points, ahead of runner-up Colombia with 142 points. Mexico finished third with 125 points. There were 12 nations that scored points in the tournament.

This was the first U23 Pan American Championships ever held. The United States won the team title in all three styles, with men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman also capturing the first-place trophy.

U23 PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Rionegro, Colombia, June 22

Women’s freestyle results

50 kg

Gold - Mariana Rojas Diaz (Venezuela)

Silver – Maia Cabrera (Argentina)

Bronze - Heather Crull (United States)

4^th - Vicky Leon Gomez (Ecuador)

5^th -  Antuaneth Casusol Casas (Peru)

6^th - Linda Castaneda Gaona (Mexico)

7^th - Laura Molano Anzola (Colombia)

55 kg

Gold - Zeltzin Hernandez Guerra (Mexico)

Silver - Montana Delawder (USA)

Bronze - Nohalis Loyo Jimenez (Venezuela)

4^th - Victoria Seal (Canada)

5^th - Ana Alvarez Fernandez (Peru)

59 kg

Gold - Skye Realin (USA)

Silver - Alexa Cuero Cuadrado (Colombia)

Bronze -  Gabriela Cross (Canada)

Bronze - Maria Fuentes Salinas (Venezuela)

5^th - Leonela Gruezo Ortiz (Ecuador)

5^th - Jacqueline Hernandez Gonzalez (El Salvador)

7^th – Arely Novelo Gomez (Mexico)

8^th -  Yajahira Ibarra Cedeno (Panama)

65 kg

Gold - Aine Drury (USA)

Silver - Andrea Lopez Martinez (Mexico)

Bronze - Anays Meza Valencia (Colombia)

4^th - Jonelle Clarke (Canada)

5^th - Jaell Llontop Vasquez (Chile)

72 kg

Gold -  Jasmine Robinson (USA)

Silver - Maria Ceballos Cuenu (Colombia)

Bronze - Melanie Sanchez Morales (Chile)

U.S. Women’s Freestyle results

50 kg: Heather Crull (Richmond, Ind./Northeastern WC), bronze medal

WIN Linda Castaneda Gaona (Mexico), tech fall 13-2

LOSS Mariana Rojas Diaz (Venezuela), 11-5

LOSS Maia Cabrera (Argentina), 7-0

WIN Vicky Leon Gomez (Ecuador), pin 1:18

55 kg: Montana Delawder (Gettysburg, Pa./Team Pennsylvania), silver medal

WIN Ana Alvarez Fernandez (Peru), pin 0:30

LOSS Zeltzin Hernandez Guerra (Mexico), 8-4

WIN Nohalis Loyo Jimenez (Venezuela), tech fall 10-0

WIN Victoria Seal (Canada), tech fall 10-0

59 kg: Skye Realin (Mililani, Hawaii/Grapplers HI), gold medal

WIN Maria Fuentes Salinas (Venezuela), tech fall 14-3

WIN Jacqueline Hernandez Gonzalez (El Salvador), pin, 0:42

WIN Alexa Cuero Cuadrado (Colombia), pin 3:16

65 kg: Aine Drury (Westminster, Calif.), gold medal

WIN Anays Meza Valencia (Colombia), 2-1

WIN Jaell Llontop Vasquez (Chile), tech fall, 10-0

WIN Andrea Lopez Martinez (Mexico), pin 0:17

WIN Jonelle Clarke (Canada), pin 1:45

72 kg: Jasmine Robinson (Allen, Texas/U.S. Army WCAP), gold medal

WIN Melanie Sanchez Morales (Chile), pin 0:40

WIN Maria Ceballos Cuenu (Colombia), tech fall, 10-0

Women’s Freestyle Team Standings

1. United States, 200

2. Colombia, 142

3. Mexico, 125

4. Venezuela, 122

5. Canada, 114

6. Argentina, 55

7. Peru, 50

8. Puerto Rico, 32

9. Ecuador, 31

10. Chile, 25

11. Panama, 23

12. Brazil 10

12. El Salvador, 10