Turner secures second U17 World title; Elison, Fernandez to go for women’s freestyle gold

ATHENS, Greece — The first batch of women’s freestyle finals took center stage on Wednesday, and Team USA bagged its first gold medal of the 2025 U17 World Championships.

Morgan Turner, now a three-time U17 world medalist, added a second U17 World title to her resume by capturing gold at 49 kg. She defeated Yu Kataoka of Japan with a commanding, 6-1, victory. Turner capitalized with three takedowns and timely defensive maneuvers to get the win.

Turner shared that her motivation was to upgrade her title from last year’s bronze in Amman, Jordan. “I didn’t want to be known as a world bronze medalist anymore,” she noted after the 49 kg medal ceremony. Turner is the first World champion for Team USA during the 2025 season across all age groups and styles.

Adding to the U.S. medal haul were Ella Poalillo (73 kg) and Madison Healey (43 kg), who each earned a bronze medal. Poalillo and Healy had tournaments to mirror one another. Each recorded three falls and looked sharp throughout, with their only losses coming in the semifinals. Both won by fall, courtesy of bar arms, in the pivotal bronze medal round.

In group two semifinal action, Epenesa Elison (53 kg) and Taina Fernandez (61 kg) remained undefeated and advanced to tomorrow’s gold medal round. Elison posted a dominant 10-0 technical fall against Farida Abdrakhmanova of Kazakhstan, while Fernandez secured a first-period pin on Miranda Kapanadze of Georgia, in the semis.

Maisie Elliott (40 kg) and Jaclyn Bouzakis (46 kg) both fell in semifinal bouts and will drop into the bronze medal round. Elliot came up nine points short against Shokhista Shonazarova of Uzbekistan. Bouzakis was narrowly edged by Japan’s Hanano Oya, 6-4

With five weight classes in the clubhouse, India holds the lead in the official team race with two champions and two silver medalists. The United States sits in second place, followed by China, Japan, and Kazakhstan.

The women’s freestyle tournament concluded on Friday with the group two repechage round at 10:30 a.m. local time, followed by the group two medal matches at 6 p.m. The first group of men’s freestyle athletes will also take the stage tomorrow morning in Athens.

For live results and ongoing updates from the tournament, follow USA Wrestling’s social media channels and coverage on TheMat.com. Results, brackets, and mat assignments from the U17 World Championships are available on UWW Arena.  Fans in the U.S. can stream the event on FloWrestling.com.

1. India, 105

2. United States, 59

3. China, 53

4. Japan, 51

5. Kazakhstan, 42

6. Turkey, 21

7. Uzbekistan, 20

8. Romania, 16

9. Germany, 15

10. Hungary, 12

Gold – Rachana (India)

Silver – Xin Huang (China)

Bronze – Madison Healey (United States)

Bronze – Inzhu Bakkozha (Kazakhstan)

5^th – Mareim Abdelaal (Egypt)

5^th – Raniia Rakhmanova (UWW)

7^th – Sayuki Hibarino (Japan)

8^th – Reka Teleki (Hungary)

9^th – Nurana Asadli (UWW)

10^th – Liva Nur Celik (Turkey)

Gold – Rachana (India) dec. Xin Huang (China), 3-0

Bronze – Madison Healey (United States) fall Mareim Abdelaal (Egypt), 3:29

Bronze – Inzhu Bakkozha (Kazakhstan) fall Raniia Rakhmanova (UWW), 2:46

Gold – Morgan Turner (United States)

Silver – Yu Kataoka (Japan)

Bronze – Komal Verma (India)

Bronze – Polina Bochkareva (UWW)

5^th – Anhelina Burkina (UWW)

5^th – Azema Kalidinova (Kyrgyzstan)

7^th – Xiaoqing Mo (China)

8^th – Electra Garaiacu (Romania)

9^th – Melike Koparan (Turkey)

10^th – Dimitra Skouvaki (Greece)

Gold – Morgan Turner (United States) dec. Yu Kataoka (Japan), 6-1

Bronze – Komal Verma (India) dec. Anhelina Burkina (UWW), 8-3

Bronze – Polina Bochkareva (UWW) dec. Azema Kalidinova (Kyrgyzstan), 6-6

Gold – Madkhiya Usmanova (Kazakhstan)

Silver – Moni (India)

Bronze – Sayuki Tanada (Japan)

Bronze – Alina Baroeva (UWW)

5^th – Sophie Ritter (Italy)

5^th – Marta Mankowska (Poland)

7^th – Yasmim Neper Oliveira Santos (Brazil)

8^th – Oana Dumitru (Romania)

9^th – Sofiya Zuyeva (UWW)

10^th – Ivanna Lukianenko (Ukraine)

Gold – Madkhiya Usmanova (Kazakhstan) dec. Moni (India), 6-5

Bronze – Sayuki Tanada (Japan) dec. Sophie Ritter (Italy), 4-4

Bronze – Alina Baroeva (UWW) dec. Marta Mankowska (Poland), 6-1

Gold – Ashvini Vishnoi (India)

Silver – Mukhayyo Rakhimjonova (Uzbekistan)

Bronze – Feenja Hermann (Germany)

Bronze – Lilia Ermokhina (UWW)

5^th – Alexandra Moisei (Moldova)

5^th – Anujin Erkhembaatar (Mongolia)

7^th – Anastasiya Komanava (UWW)

8^th – Emese Czegledi (Hungary)

9^th – Violette Lasure (United States)

10^th – Mitsuki Okawa (Japan)

Gold – Ashvini Vishnoi (India) dec. Mukhayyo Rakhimjonova (Uzbekistan), 3-0

Bronze – Feenja Hermann (Germany) dec. Alexandra Moisei (Moldova), 4-2

Bronze – Lilia Ermokhina (UWW) dec. Anujin Erkhembaatar (Mongolia), 9-2

Gold – Wenjin Qiu (China)

Silver – Kajal (India)

Bronze – Ella Poalillo (United States)

Bronze – Eylem Engin (Turkey)

5^th – Anna Godelashvili (Georgia)

5^th – Deborah Garcia Pacheco (Mexico)

7^th – Jolina Healey (Canada)

8^th – Ichine Tateshita (Japan)

9^th – Claudia Mantog (Romania)

10^th – Gulnur Maksatkyzy (Kazakhstan)

Gold – Wenjin Qiu (China) dec. Kajal (India), 8-5

Bronze – Ella Poalillo (United States) fall Anna Godelashvili (Georgia), 2:35

Bronze – Eylem Engin (Turkey) dec. Deborah Garcia Pacheco (Mexico), 9-1

WIN Mukhlisa Masharipova (Uzbekistan), fall, 0:44

WIN Sayuki Hibarino (Japan), fall, 3:29

LOSS Rachana (India), 1-1

WIN Mareim Abdelaal (Egypt), fall, 3:29

WIN Saniya Soltangali (Kazakhstan), fall, 0:30

WIN Komal Verma (India), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Anhelina Burkina (UWW), fall, 1:18

WIN Yu Kataoka (Japan), 6-1

LOSS Sayuki Tanada (Japan), 5-3

WIN Vasiliki Karavanou (Greece), 10-2

LOSS Alexandra Moisei (Moldova), fall, 2:29

WIN Uranzaya Tserennyam (Mongolia), fall, 3:06

WIN Jolina Healey (Canada), fall, 0:50

LOSS Kajal (India), tech. fall, 11-0

WIN Anna Godelashvili (Georgia), fall, 2:35

40 kg – An Nakanishi (Japan) vs. Shokhista Shonazarova (Uzbekistan)

46 kg – Hanano Oya (Japan) vs. Janka Sillei (Hungary)

53 kg – Jiaqing Jiang (China) vs. Epenesa Elison (United States)

61 kg – Taina Fernandez (United States) vs. Yashita (India)

69 kg – Ayla Sahin (Germany) vs. Min Zhao (China)

Shokhista Shonazarova (Uzbekistan) dec. Maisie Elliott (United States), 9-0

An Nakanishi (Japan) tech. fall Asema Asangaryeva (Kyrgyzstan), 11-0

Janka Sillei (Hungary) fall Maria Gkika (Greece), 4:00

Hanano Oya (Japan) dec. Jaclyn Bouzakis (United States), 6-4

Epenesa Elison (United States) tech. fall Farida Abdrakhmanova (Kazakhstan), 10-0

Jiaqing Jiang (China) dec. Rion Ogawa (Japan), 4-3

Taina Fernandez (United States) fall Miranda Kapanadze (Georgia), 0:35

Yashita (India) dec. Barbara Bager (Hungary), 5-0

Ayla Sahin (Germany) dec. Linda Martinez Armenta (Mexico), 6-0

Min Zhao (China) dec. Manisha (India), 6-4

WIN Preeti Yadav (India), 6-2

LOSS Shokhista Shonazarova (Uzbekistan), 9-0

VS Finja Strauch (Germany)

WIN Yuting Yuan (China), 7-4

WIN Kasish Gurjar (India), 12-4

LOSS Hanano Oya (Japan), 6-4

VS Anastasiya Bialuha (UWW) or Irina Tsydeeva (UWW)

WIN Kanita Spahija (Kosovo), tech. fall, 12-0

WIN Maria Vandoulaki Vandoula (Greece), fall, 1:04

WIN Mariia Zhytovoz (Hungary), 12-7

WIN Farida Abdrakhmanova (Kazakhstan), tech fall, 10-0

VS Jiaqing Jiang (China)

WIN Zichen Dong (China), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Zalina Totrova (UWW), 13-6

WIN Miranda Kapanadze (Georgia), fall, :35

VS Yashita (India)

WIN Gereltuya Amarsaikhan (Mongolia), tech. fall, 11-0

LOSS Manisha (India), fall 1:50