Villaescusa and Welker Advance to Bronze Medal Matches at World Championships

Women’s freestyle took center stage today in Albania at the 2024 Senior World Championships for non-Olympic weights. Although none of the four women who took the mat on Tuesday have clinched a medal, three of the four are still in contention for a bronze medal. 

Of the four Americans competing, Areana Villaescusa (55 kg) was the only first-time Senior World team member. The veteran, Villaescusa, took full advantage of her first Senior world team experience and advanced to the semifinals after a pair of dominating wins. Villaescusa pinned Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Yakhyarova in less than two minutes before posting an 11-4 win over Tukiye’s Elvira Kamaloglu in the quarterfinals. 

Villaescusa ran into a buzzsaw in the semifinals during her bout with China’s Jin Zhang. Earlier this year, Zhang had won gold medals at the U20 Asian Championships and U20 World Championships. Zhang put herself in a position to win U23 gold after a first-period fall over Villaescusa. Zhang got in on a single leg and spent an extended period of time trying to finish the maneuver. During the flurry, she was able to expose Villaescusa’s back three times. After the time time, Zhang readjusted her position and put Villaescusa on her back for a fall. 

In order to win a bronze medal, Villaescusa will have to wait for two rounds of repechage to determine an opponent in her medal match. 

Just a few days ago, Kylie Welker won a 72 kg U23 world championship in Albania. She tried to double up and win a second at the Senior level today. Like Villaescusa, Welker fell in the semifinals and will look to rebound with a bronze medal tomorrow. 

Welker tossed a pair of shutouts in her first two bouts and then was leading Qian Jiang (China) in the quarterfinals, before finishing with a fall. She also had her hands full in the semis with fellow U23 world champion (at 68 kg), Ami Ishii (Japan). The 2022 World silver medalist clinched her second career Senior World medal with a 12-1 tech over the American. 

Welker will sit in the bronze medal match waiting for a winner to emerge from the repechage bout between Alexandra Anghel (Romania) and Anastasiya Alpyeyeva (Ukraine). 

The other American with medal hopes still intact is Macey Kilty at 65 kg. Kilty advanced via forfeit in her opening match and then was stunned by Romania’s Kateryna Zelenykh, 11-4. Zelenykh picked up a bronze medal at U23’s last week - in this same weight class. 

Kilty led Zelenykh at the break 2-1 but was caught off guard by a double-leg at the edge of the mat for four points early in the second period. Shortly after that exchange, Zelenykh caught Kilty off-balance and drove through her for a second four-point hold. 

Kilty will face Azerbaijan’s Elis Manolova in a repechage bout tomorrow morning. If she wins, she’s square off with Valeriia Dondupova Suvorova (Russia) for the bronze medal. 

The other American competing on the day was Jacarra Winchester who fell in her initial bout at 59 kg to Mansi Ahlawat (India), 2-1. Ahlawat was beaten in the semifinals which eliminated Winchester. 

The lone American Greco-Roman wrestler in repechage action today was Ildar Hafizov at 63 kg. Hafizov was defeated by Bulgaria’s Abu Amaev, 7-1 in his first bout of the day. 
 

American results

Women’s Freestyle

55 kg

Round of 16: Areana Villaescusa over Zulfiya Yakhyarova (Kazakhstan)  Fall 1:45

Quarterfinals: Areana Villaescusa over Elvira Suleyman Kamaloglu (Turkiye)  11-4

Semifinals: Jin Zhang (China) over Areana Villaescusa  Fall 1:28

59 kg

Round of 32: Mansi Ahlawat (India) over Jacarra Winchester  2-1
 

65 kg

Round of 16: Macey Kilty over Alexis Gomez (Mexico)

Quarterfinals: Kateryna Zelenykh (Romania) over Macey Kilty  11-4

72 kg

Round of 32: Kylie Welker over Aleah Nickel (Canada)  10-0

Round of 16: Kylie Welker over Pauline Lecarpentier (France)  4-0

Quarterfinals: Kylie Welker over Qian Jiang (China)  Fall 5:30

Semifinals: Ami Ishii (Japan) over Kylie Welker  12-1

Greco-Roman

63 kg

Repechage: Abu Amaev (Bulgaria) over Ildar Hafizov