By J.D. Rader (@rader_jd) - America went a combined 12-14, with one win coming by forfeit, and brought home two silver medals home from Budapest at the 2019 U23 World Championships.

Japan dominates women’s age-level World Championships. It’s what they do, and this year was no different. Japan outscored second-place China by more than double their team points and brought home a medal at every weight with a total of seven golds, two silvers, and one bronze. 

China was able to secure second place despite only wrestling six of their athletes because their coach showed up late to the draw. Yeah…reread that.

At 72 kg, Milaimys Marin Potrille of Cuba was the only wrestler to win gold not from Japan or Cuba. 

Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of what happened.

50 Kilograms

The American: Emily Shilson, 1-2

Right off the bat, Shilson drew stud and eventual champion Kika Kagata of Japan. In addition to now being a U23 World champion, Kagata is a Junior World champion and three-time Cadet World Champion. She also won the Yarygin in January. 

Shilson, who is a Cadet World champion herself, wrestled tough against Kagata, but dropped the match 8-3. In her first repechage match, she defeated 2017 U23 bronze medalist and last year’s fifth-place finisher Turkan Nasirova in an exciting 12-10 match. However, in her second repechage match she was outclassed by multiple-time age-level World medalist and 2019 Russian Nationals champion Nadeshda Sokolova, and lost 10-0.

Results:

GOLD: Kika Kagata (Japan)

SILVER: Ziqi Feng (China)

BRONZE: Nadezhda Sokolova (Russia)

BRONZE: Jade Dufour (Canada)

This gold medal didn’t come easy for Japan. After defeating Shilson, Kagata defeated Nasirova 10-0 before edging out Sokolova 2-1. In the finals, Kagata needed a takedown in the final minute to defeat Ziqi Feng of China 7-6.

53 Kilograms

The American: Felicity Taylor, 1-2

After beating 2018 U23 European bronze medalist Viktoria Vilhelm of Hungary in the opening round 4-3, Felicity Taylor was pinned by one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the World, Haruna Okuno of Japan.

In Taylor’s repechage match, she fell to Katsiaryna Pichkouskaya of Belarus 6-0.

Results:

GOLD: Haruna Okuno (Japan)

SILVER: Pooja Gehlot (India)

BRONZE: Anudari Nandintsetseg (Mongolia)

BRONZE: Zeynep Yetgil (Turkey)

Haruna Okuno was one of the biggest favorites — if not the biggest — to win this year’s U23s. Okuno is now a six-time World champion, owning two Senior World titles, two U23 World titles, a 2019 Junior World title and a 2016 Cadet World title. All by the age of 20. Truly incredible.

55 Kilograms

The American: Dominique Parrish, 1-2

Another American fell to a Japanese wrestler when Dominique Parrish was defeated in her second-round match by 2018 U23 World champion Sake Igarashi, 4-3.  

In her first repechage match, 2018 and now 2019 U23 bronze medalist Andreea Ana of Romania defeated Parrish 5-1.

Results:

GOLD: Lannuan Luo (China)

SILVER: Saki Igarashi (Japan)

BRONZE: Marina Sedneva (Kazakhstan)

BRONZE: Andreea Ana (Romania)

China got one of its two victories over Japan in the finals at 55 kg when Lannuan Luo beat Saki Igarashi 2-2. Luo scored a takedown in the first 25 seconds and was able to hold off Igarashi’s attacks for the remainder of the match to win on criteria. 

57 Kilograms

The American: Arian Carpio, 0-1

Arian Carpio had a rough go at her first-ever World Championships. She dropped her opening match to Pinka Pinka of India 5-0 and was then eliminated when Pinka lost in the next round 2-1 to eventual bronze medalist Hannah Taylor, who was also Canada’s Senior rep this year.

Results:

GOLD: Sae Nanjo (Japan)

SILVER: Alina Akobiia (Ukraine)

BRONZE: Hannah Taylor (Canada)

BRONZE: Valeryia Yarmola (Belarus)

Going pin, pin, tech, tech, Nanjo barely broke a sweat earning her third age-level World title (she already boasts two Junior World titles). Even against a solid finals opponent in Alina Akobiia of Ukraine, who holds several age-level World medals herself, Nanjo shut her out 10-0 in under two minutes.

59 Kilograms

The American: Abby Nette, 1-1/0-1

The reason for Abby Nette’s record being hyphenated is she picked up her first win by forfeit. It is unclear why Mongolia decided not to wrestle. 

In her second match, Nette was tied 1-1 in the second period with Yuliya Pisarenka of Belarus. She appeared to go feet to back on a step out for four points, but the call was overturned to a step out for Pisarenka after a challenge to make it 2-1 Belarus. A late takedown brought the final score to 4-2.

Nette was eliminated when Pisarenka dropped her next match to 2018 Junior World champion and 2019 Senior World fifth, Anastasia Nichita of Moldova.

Results:

GOLD: Yumeka Tanabe (Japan)

SILVER: Anastasia Nichita (Moldova)

BRONZE: Tianna Kennett (Canada)

BRONZE: Anhelina Lysak (Ukraine)

In her two matches that went the distance, two-time Cadet World champion Yumeka Tanabe of Japan blanked her opponents 7-0 and 4-0. After being defeated by Tanabe 18-8 in the quarterfinals, Anhelina Lysak, who took fifth at this year’s Senior World championships, battled back for bronze. 

62 Kilograms

The American: Kayla Miracle, 3-1 SILVER

Kayla Miracle had an outstanding U23 World Championships. The Hawkeye Wrestling Club athlete picked up three falls en route to the finals. 

Miracle’s semifinal match was a rematch of U23 World quarterfinals, where Ilona Prokopevniuk of Ukraine teched Miracle 11-0. After getting down 7-2 in the second period, Miracle hit several Peterson type rolls to expose Prokopevniuk and eventually pin her.

In the finals, Miracle was defeated 3-0 by 2017 Cadet World champion, 2019 Yarygin champion, 2019 Junior World champion, and 2019 Japan Senior Worlds rep Yuzaka Inagaki. 

Results: 

GOLD: Yuzuka Inagaki (Japan)

SILVER: Kayla Miracle (USA)

BRONZE: Irina Ringaci (Moldova)

BRONZE: Ilona Prokopevniuk (Ukraine)

After falling short of her goals at this year’s Senior World Championships, Inagaki got back on top of the World podium. Veranika Ivanova, who has competed on the Senior-level for Belarus for a handful of years, pushed her in the quarterfinals, but Inagaki came out on top 4-3.

Ivanova was then defeated by Irina Ringaci of Moldova, who still has at least one year of Junior eligibility left, in the bronze medal match 12-5.

65 Kilograms

The American: Maya Nelson, 1-2

After defeating Nisha Nisha of India 11-3 in the opening round, Maya Nelson lost to eventual champion, Misuzu Enocmoto of Japan, 7-0.

Down 3-0 in the first period of her repechage match, Nelson shot in on a double, but went down with a shoulder injury and did not continue the match. 

Results:

GOLD: Misuzu Enomoto (Japan)

SILVER: Purevsuren Ulziisaikhan (Mongolia)

BRONZE: Madina Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan)

BRONZE: Iryna Koliandenko (Ukraine)

After giving up two takedowns in her first match against eventual bronze medalist Iryna Koliandenko of Ukraine, Enomoto went unscored on for the rest of the tournament. Another weight Japan dominated.

68 Kilograms

The American: Macey Kilty, 3-1, SILVER

Macey Kilty added a fifth age-level World medal to her already impressive resume in Budapest.

Kilty was on a roll up until the finals, beating Canada, Ukraine, and China by a combined score of 31-0. However, in the finals Kilty took on one of Japan’s rising stars, Masako Furuichi. In addition to being a three-time Cadet World champion and three-time Junior World champion, Furuichi won a bronze medal at this year’s Senior World Championships. 

Although Kilty lost, she was able to hold Furuichi to her closest match of the tournament, losing just 7-2. Furuichi used three takedowns and a caution point to amass her seven points.

Results:

GOLD: Masako Furuichi (Japan)

SILVER: Macey Kilty (USA)

BRONZE: Natalia Strzalka (Poland)

BRONZE: Yingying Wang (China)

Unsurprisingly, Furuichi tore through the field, taking out her first two opponents 10-0 and 11-0 before beating Kilty in the finals 7-2. 

Bronze medalists Natalia Strzalka of Poland and Yingying Wang of China each picked up two falls en route to their bronze medals.

72 Kilograms

The American: Alyvia Fiske, 0-1

After getting down to 2018 U23 bronze medalist and two-time Kazakhstan Senior Worlds rep 9-0 in the first period, Fiske battle back to make the score 9-4, but ultimately lost 11-9. Fiske was eliminated when Zhamila Bakbergenova was pinned by eventual champion Milaimys Marin Potrille of Cuba.

Results:

GOLD: Milaimys Marin Potrille (Cuba)

SILVER: Xiaoqian Wang (China)

BRONZE: Mei Shindo (Japan)

BRONZE: Evgeniia Zakharchenko (Russia)

Marin Potrille was the one woman not from Japan or China to win a gold medal at this year’s U23 World Championships. After pinning her way to the finals, she defeated 2019 Senior World bronze medalist and 2018 U23 World bronze medalist Xiaoqian Wang of China 6-2. 

With a 2019 Junior World gold and 2018 Youth Olympic Games gold also on her resume, Marin Potrille could be a big future star. Of note, however, USA’s Kenya Sloan pinned Marin Potrille with a feet to back headlock at this year’s Junior Pan American Championships.

76 Kilograms

The American: Precious Bell, 1-1

After defeating her opening-round opponent, Pooja Pooja of India, 4-0, Precious Bell fell to 2019 U23 Asian champion and Junior World silver medalist Hui Tsz Chang of Taipei Chinese (more commonly known as Taiwan). One minute and thirty seconds into the match, Chang threw Bell to her back in a headlock. Bell fought for almost 40 seconds but was eventually pinned.

Bell was eliminated when Chang lost to 2019 Senior World bronze medalist, last year’s U23 champion, and now 2019 U23 champion Paliha Paliha of China 6-1.

Results:

GOLD: Paliha Paliha (China)

SILVER: Yka Kagami (Japan)

BRONZE: Hui Tsz Chang (Chinese Taipei)

BRONZE: Aiperi Medet Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan)

Paliha stopped Japan from winning eight gold medals when she defeated 2019 Junior World champion and 2018/2017 Cadet World champion Yuka Kagami 1-1. Kugami, however, still has Junior age-level eligibility and will be back.