Blades & Nwachukwo win golds, Beck gets bronze in women’s freestyle at Zagreb Open

ZAGREB, Croatia – Two U.S. women’s freestyler wrestlers won gold medals on Friday at the Zagreb Open Ranking Event, 2024 Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades (68 kg) and Adaugo Nwachukwu (62 kg). It was a three-medal performance for the USA women today.

Blades won a five-athlete round robin with a 4-0 record. In her final match, she hit a five-point back arch to finish off a 12-0 first period technical fall over 2024 U23 European Championships bronze medalist Karolina Pok of Hungary.

In the first session, Blades secured pins over two-time U23 World medalist Kendra Dacher of France in 35 seconds and over 2024 World bronze medalist Adela Hanzlickova of the Czechia in 2:51. She also scored a 10-0 technical fall over Noémi Szabados of Hungary.

Blades won her Olympic silver medal at 76 kg, but has dropped to 68 kg for this event. She is a current student-athlete at the University of Iowa, ranked No. 1 in the nation at her weight.

Nwachukwu clinched the 62 kg gold medal during the morning session, going 3-0 in her round robin.  She defeated 2024 Olympian and 2018 World silver medalist Bilyana Dudova of Bulgaria, 5-3 in her third match of the session. Also included was a tight 9-8 decision over 2023 U23 World silver medalist Amina Tandelova, an Individual Neutral Athlete, as well as a pin of Nikoletta Szabo of Hungary in 4:07

Nwachukwu was a 2022 U20 World bronze medalist, and was a three-time NAIA champion, competing for Iowa Wesleyan and William Penn. She is currently a member of the U.S. Army WCAP program and won a 2024 World Military Championships gold medal.

Michaela Beck won a bronze medal at 59 kg. She received an injury default victory of Mariana Cherdivara of Moldova in the bronze-medal round.

Beck went 1-1 in her Group competition, including a 5-2 win over Erika Bognar of Hungary and a loss by pin to seven-time Senior World Team member Alyona Kolesnik of Azerbaijan. This qualified her for the semifinals, where she fell to 2024 U17 World bronze medalist Hiunai Hurbanova of Azerbaijan, 6-0.

After two of the three-day women’s competition, including six weight classes, the United States leads the team standings with 80 points, with Hungary in second with 72 points and France in third with 52 points.

On Saturday, three U.S. women compete, as the women’s freestyle competition will conclude with action at 53 kg, 57 kg, 72 kg and 76 kg.

The tournament is streaming on FloWrestling, and the remaining schedule is below. Results and brackets are available on UWW Arena.

2025 Zagreb Open Ranking Event

At Zagreb, Croatia, February 5-9, 2025

U.S. Women's freestyle results

59 kg

Gold – Hiunai Hubanova (Azerbaijan)

Silver - Alyona Kolesnik (Azerbaijan), 4-2

Bronze - Michaela Beck (USA)

4^th - Mariana Cherdivara (Moldova)

5^th - Erika Bognar (Hungary)

6^th - Sofia Macaluso (USA)

Gold – Hiunai Hubanova (Azerbaijan) dec. Alyona Kolesnik (Azerbaijan), 4-2

Bronze - Michaela Beck (USA) inj. dft. Mariana Cherdivara (Moldova), 0:00

62 kg

Gold - Adaugo Nwachukwu (USA)

Silver - Amina Tandelova (AIN)

Bronze - Bilyana Dudova (Bulgaria)

4^th - Nikolett Szabo (Hungary)

Nwachukwu (USA) pin Szabo (HUN), 4:07

Nwachukwu (USA) dec. Tandelova (AIN), 9-8

Dudova (BUL) dec. Szabo (HUN), 2-0

Tandelova (AIN) tech fall Szabo (HUN), 11-0

Nwachukwu dec. Dudova (BUL), 5-3

Tandelova (AIN) dec. Dudova (BUL), 3-2

65 kg

Gold - Dinara Kudaeva (AIN)

Silver - Eniko Elikes (Hungary)

Bronze - Elizaveta Petliakova (AIN)

4^th - Milat Andelic (Croatia)

Kudaeva (AIN) pin Andelic (CRO), 1:56

Elekes (HUN) dec. Petliakova (AIN), 4-4

Petliakova (AIN) pin Andelic (CRO), 2:25

Kudaeva (AIN) dec. Elekes (HUN), 5-0

Kudaeva (AIN) dec. Petliakova (AIN), 3-2

Elekes (HUN) inj. dft. Andelic (CRO), 0:07

68 kg

Gold - Kennedy Blades (USA)

Silver - Adela Hanzlickova (Czech Republic)

Bronze - Noémi Szabados (Hungary)

4^th - Kendra Dacher (France)

5^th - Karolina Pok (Hungary)

Szabados (HUN) dec. Pok (HUN), 7-0

Hanzlickova (CZE) dec. Dacher (FRA), 6-2

Blades (USA) pin Dacher (FRA), 0:35

Hanzlickova (CZE) pin Pok (HUN), 3:31

Blades (USA) pin Hanzlickova (CZE), 2:51

Szabados (HUN) dec. Dacher (FRA), 10-10

Blades (USA) tech fall Szabados (HUN), 10-0

Dacher (FRA) tech fall Pok (HUN), 11-0

Blades (USA) tech fall Pok (HUN), 12-0

Hanzlickova (CZE) dec. Szabados (HUN), 3-2

U.S. Women's freestyle results

59 kg – Sofia Macaluso (Otisville, N.Y./West Point WC), 6^th place

LOSS Hiunai Hurbanova (Azerbaijan), fall 4:16

LOSS Mariana Cherdivara (Moldova), 5-0

59 kg – Michaela Beck (New York, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal

WIN Erika Bognar (Hungary), 5-2

LOSS Alyona Kolesnik (Azerbaijan), fall 3:32

LOSS Hiunai Hurbanova (Azerbaijan), 6-0

WIN Mariana Cherdivara (Moldova)

62 kg – Adaugo Nwachukwu (Fountain, Colo./Army WCAP), gold medal

WIN Nikoletta Szabo (Hungary), fall 4:07

WIN Amina Tandelova (AIN), 9-8

WIN Yasmine Soliman (Hungary), forf.

WIN Bilyana Dudova (Bulgaria), 5-3

68 kg – Kennedy Blades (Chicago, Ill./Izzy Style Wrestling/Titan Mercury WC), gold medal

WIN Kendra Dacher (France), fall 0:35

WIN Adela Hanzlickova (Czechia), fall 2:51

WIN Noémi Szabados (Hungary), tech fall 10-0

WIN Karolina Pok (Hungary), tech fall 12-0

Women’s freestyle team standings, after six weight classes

1. United States, 80

2. Hungary, 72

3. France, 52

4. Azerbaijan, 35

5. Canada, Czechia, Lithuania 20

(of 11 nations, plus AIN athletes who do not score points)