Kylie Welker works to defend a single leg in the 72 kg semifinals.

Kylie Welker works to defend a single leg in the 72 kg semifinals.

USAWInternationalWomen2024 U23 + Senior Worlds

Villaescusa, Welker to bronze match, Kilty in repechage at Senior World Championships

by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling

TIRANA, Albania – The U.S. women suffered a pair of semifinal defeats on Tuesday evening at Tirana’s Feti Borova Sports Hall. Areana Villaescusa and Kylie Welker came one win shy of the finals and drop into bronze medal matches at the 2024 Senior World Championships as a result.


Both Villaescusa and Welker were defeated by tough international opponents from Asia. Villaescusa was pinned by 2024 U20 World champion Jin Zhang of China in 1:28 at 55 kg. Welker battled hard against 2022 World silver medalist Ami Ishii of Japan but fell prey to a low-level single leg to the back in the first period, which changed the entire complexion of the match. She wound up losing the 72 kg semifinal by technical fall, 12-1.


2023 World silver medalist Macey Kilty was presented good news with Kateryna Zelenykh of Romania making the finals. The win pulled Kilty into tomorrow morning’s repechage round. Kilty will face 2019 World bronze medalist and Tokyo Olympian Elis Manolova of Azerbaijan for a place in the 65 kg bronze medal match.


On the other side of the repechage coin was two-time World finalist and 2019 World champion Jacarra Winchester, who was eliminated from the 59 kg tournament once Mansi Mansi of India fell in the semifinals. This is the first time in five trips to the World Championships that Winchester will not wrestle in a medal match.


The Senior World Championships continue at 10:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday with the women’s freestyle repechage and men’s freestyle qualification rounds. For those planning to follow along live, Tirana, Albania, is located five hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.


Updated brackets and match-by-match results are available on UWW Arena. A live broadcast of the event is available for the U.S. market at FloWrestling.com.


Revisit the details of each U.S. match from today in our day two match notes article.

2024 Senior World Championships | Tirana, Albania, October 29


Women’s Freestyle Results

Gold Medal Match Pairings
55 kg

Jin Zhang (China) vs. Moe Kiyooka (Japan)


59 kg

Tserenchimed Sukhee (Mongolia) vs. Risako Kinjo (Japan)


65 kg

Kateryna Zelenykh (Romania) vs. Jia Long (China)


72 kg

Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) vs. Ami Ishii (Japan)


Semifinal Results
55 kg

Jin Zhang (China) fall Areana Villaescusa (United States), 1:28

Moe Kiyooka (Japan) dec. Iryna Kurachkina (Individual Neutral Athlete), 4-0


59 kg

Tserenchimed Sukhee (Mongolia) dec. Mansi Mansi (India), 4-1

Risako Kinjo (Japan) dec. Svetlana Lipatova (Individual Neutral Athlete), 9-0


65 kg

Kateryna Zelenykh (Romania) fall Valeriia Dondupova Suvorova (Individual Neutral Athlete), 1:58

Jia Long (China) tech. fall Miwa Morikawa (Japan), 11-1


72 kg

Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) dec. Bolortungalag Zorigt (Mongolia), 8-6

Ami Ishii (Japan) tech. fall Kylie Welker (United States), 12-1

U.S. Women’s Freestyle Results

55 kg – Areana Villaescusa (Fountain, Colo./Army WCAP), bronze medal match

WIN Zulfiya Yakhyarova (Kazakhstan), fall, 1:45

WIN Elvira Suleyman Kamaloglu (Turkey), 11-4

LOSS Jin Zhang (China), fall, 1:28


59 kg – Jacarra Winchester (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC), awaiting repechage

LOSS Mansi Mansi (India), 2-1


65 kg – Macey Kilty (Stratford, Wis./Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC), awaiting repechage

WIN Alexis Gomez (Mexico)

LOSS Kateryna Zelenykh (Romania), 11-4


72 kg – Kylie Welker (Franksville, Wis./Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal match

WIN Aleah Nickel (Canada), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Pauline Lecarpentier (France), 4-0

WIN Qian Jiang (China), fall, 5:30

LOSS Ami Ishii (Japan), tech. fall, 12-1

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