Kennedy Blades wrestles Adeline Gray (not pictured) in the 76 kilograms freestyle Championship Final during day two of the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials. – Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Preliminary matches
The semifinals are now set in the men’s freestyle 65kg, men’s freestyle 97kg, and women’s freestyle 76kg weight classes. Here’s how it all went down Saturday in Paris.
Men’s freestyle 65kg eliminations
FULL RESULTS
American Zain Retherford did not make it past 2-seed Rahman Amouzad of Iran in the Round of 16. Amouzad beat Retherford, 8-0, then dominated Islam Dudaev of Albania, 11-0, in the quarterfinals.
Amouzad is set to face Iszmail Muszukajev out of Hungary in the semifinal at 12:25 p.m. ET.
The first semifinal will pit Japan’s Kotaro Kiyooka against Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur-Ochir at 12:15 p.m. ET. Tumur-Ochir upset Armenia’s Vazgen Tevanyan, the top-ranked wrestler in this weight class, 7-5 in the quarterfinal round.
Men’s freestyle 97kg eliminations
FULL RESULTS
The top seed in the class, Azerbaijan’s Magomedkhan Magomedov, eliminated the Dominican Republic’s Luis Perez Sosa, 9-0 in the Round of 16. Magomedov won silver at last year’s world championships and, after a 7-2 quarterfinal win over Poland’s Zbigniew Mateusz Baranowski, he is set to face Georgia’s Givi Matcharachvili in the first semifinal bout at 12:35 p.m. ET.
American Kyle Snyder headlines the second semifinal against Bahrain’s Akhmed Tazhudinov at 12:45 p.m. ET. Snyder won his first matchup, 9-5, against China’s Awusayiman Habila, and then dominated Arturo Silot Torres of Cuba in the quarterfinal, 5-0.
Women’s freestyle 76kg eliminations
FULL RESULTS
In her Olympic debut, Kennedy Blades of the U.S. upset the fourth seed in the weight class, Romania’s Catalina Axente, 11-0 to reach Saturday’s quarterfinal. Blades ended the match with a heavy throw that left Axente down for some time. The Romanian was taken off the mat on a stretcher.
Blades’ quarterfinal contest against Cuba’s Milaimys Marin was much closer, but the American came out victorious, 4-3.
Blades will meet top-seeded Aiperi Medet Kyzy out of Kyrgyzstan in the first 76kg semifinal at 12:55 p.m. ET.
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