American Kayla Miracle has one of the most impressive resumes in U.S. history. She’s succeeded at every level, including two Senior World silver medals. 

Miracle is in the 62 kg field and fans can watch her compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on August 9-10 on NBC or Peacock. Wrestling takes place at Grand Palais Éphémère in Champ de Mars. FloWrestling will have on-the-ground coverage, and a live watch party during the Olympic wrestling competition.

Here's what to know about the 62 kg field. 

The Olympic Gold Medal Favorite: Aisuluu Tynybekova

The time is now for Kyrgyzstan’s Aisuluu Tynybekova. The 31-year-old had the best quad of any wrestler at 62 kg since winning a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics. She won World titles in 2019, 2021, and 2023 alongside a 2017 bronze medal. 

This weight is wide-open, though, with parity across the board. At least half the field has a legitimate shot at gold. 

Stylistically, Tynybekova is a low-volume shooter and a high-percentage finisher. She’s willing to stand toe-to-toe with an opponent, use a two-on-one or an underhook, and let her make mistakes. The Kyrgyz star will capitalize on an errant shot and can create scrambles if someone gets to her legs — and her flexibility can turn a predicament into a scoring opportunity. 

Her five-match 2023 World title run explains how Tynybekova wrestles: two falls, 2-2, 4-2, and 4-1 over Japan’s Sakura Motoki in the finals. She defeated Motoki again in this year’s Asian Championship finals but Tynybekova fell to 2022 World champion Nonoka Ozaki of Japan at the 2023 Asian Games. 

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Watch Aisuluu Tynybekova win the 2023 World Championships

Aisuluu Tynybekova At The Worlds And Olympics (2019-2023)

The American: Kayla Miracle

Miracle is at the top of her game despite a 14-10 loss to Mongolia’s Orkhon Purevdorj at the recent Budapest Ranking Series tournament. Her long and distinguished career includes four WCWA titles for Campbellsville, six World medals across multiple age categories, and a 2020 Olympic berth. 

She won her first Senior-level medal at the 2021 World Championships, falling to Tynbekova, 7-0, in the gold medal finals. The 28-year-old won another silver medal the following year but fell to Romania’s Kriszta Incze in the second round of the 2023 World Championships. 

Because she didn’t qualify the weight for the United States at the Worlds, Miracle had to take a lengthy path to the Olympics. 

She defeated World silver medalist Macey Kilty, two matches to one, at the Pan-Am Qualifier wrestle-off for the right to wrestle at the Pan-Am Olympic Qualifier. Then she won the Pan-Am Championships for the right to get seeded opposite Brazil’s Lais Nunes and Canada’s Ana Godinez a week before qualifying the weight for the United States. Then she defeated Kilty in straight matches at the Olympic Trials.

Ultimately, it took four tournaments over three months to make the 2024 Paris Olympic Team. 

“Everyone is in the same position,” Miracle said after the Pan-Am Olympic qualifier. “This position sucks having to qualify here. I did it last quad and it sucked. It sucked but everyone is in the same position. Everyone wants that (Olympic) spot. 

“Now, it’s whose preparation is better. Whose mindset is better? Who is going to take the spot, because it’s not going to be given.” 

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This match qualified the United States for the Olympic Games at 62 kg

Kayla Miracle At The Worlds And Olympics

The Canadian Olympian: Ana Godinez

Godinez has momentum entering the Olympic Games. The Canadian star recently won the Hungarian Ranking Tournament after Ukraine’s Iryna Koliadenko forfeited in the finals. The 24-year-old won gold and bronze at the 2021 and 2022 U23 World Championships; respectively, but hasn’t broken through with a medal at the Senior Worlds. 

The Olympics would be an ideal time to make that happen. Godinez was a college star for Simon Fraser, winning an NCWWC (NCAA) title in 2020. She has been on the cusp several times, taking Miracle to the wire, but has never defeated her continental rival. 

The Canadian star has heavy snaps and likes to score on go-behinds. She’s a gritty wrestler who can mount a comeback if she has to. Godinez was down 7-0 in her 2021 U23 Word finals match before storming back for a 10-7 victory. 

The Paris Olympic Games Wrestling Contenders

This weight is wide open. 

Japan won four of six weights at the 2020 Toyko Olympics — including Yukako Kawai at 62 kg — so it’s hardly a stretch to think it could win here. Sakura Motoki lost a tight match to Tynybekova in the 2023 World finals and is expected to represent Japan in Paris. 

Ukraine’s Iryna Koliadenko won bronze medals at the 2020 Olympics and 2023 World Championships but didn’t represent her country in 2021 and 2022. Her replacement — Ilona Prokopevniuk — won a bronze medal, a testament to the depth of the country. 

Norway’s Grace Bullen has ties to the United States. She wrestled a season for Campbellsville, winning a 2018 WCWA individual and team title alongside Miracle. The two have faced off a few times with each winning. Bullen has had more success lately, notching an 8-6 win over Miracle at the 2023 Zagreb Open and winning a bronze medal at last year’s Worlds. 

Bulgaria’s Bilyana Dudova is a 2021 World champion at 59 kg and a 2018 World silver medalist at 57. Mongolia’s Orkhon Purevdorg is a 2017 World champion at 63 kg and has a rare win over Japan's 14-time World/Olympic champion Kaori Icho. Germany's Luisa Niemesch hasn't won a Senior medal but she qualified outright at the World Championships by finishing fifth. 

The wild card is North Korea’s Hyon Gyong Mun. She won the 2023 Asian Games over Ozaki and Tynybekova. Could she be the breakout star of this bracket?

There is plenty of star power to go around in the deepest women’s freestyle field at the 2024 Olympic Games. 

2020 Through 2023 Olympic Quad

The 2024 Olympic Wrestling Field

These women's freestyle wrestlers qualified their countries for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Worlds
Gold - Aisuluu Tynybekova (KGZ)
Silver - Sakura Motoki (JPN)
Bronze - Iryna Koliadenko (UKR)
Bronze - Grace Bullen (NOR)
5th Place - Luisa Niemesch (GER)

Continentals Qualifiers
Pan-Ams - Kayla Miracle (USA)
Pam-Ams - Ana Godinez (CAN)
African & Oceania - Siwar Bouseta (TUN)
African & Oceania - Esther Kolawole (NGR)
Euros - Alina Kasabieva (RUS)
Euros - Bilyana Dudova (BUL)
Asians - Orkhon Purevdorg (MGL)
Asians - Hyon Gyong Mun (PRK)

Last Chance World Qualifier
Krszta Incze (ROU)
Nesrin Bas (TUR)
Veranika Ivanova (BLR)

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