United World Wrestling has announced the squad for the 18th Annual Women’s Wrestling World Cup starting in Narita, Japan from November 16-17.
United World Wrestling extended invitations to the top-eight teams from the Nur-Sultan World Championships to attend the 2019 Women’s Wrestling World Cup, but this year’s dual meet showcase will only feature six teams after No. 6 Kazakhstan and No. 8 Azerbaijan withdrew from the competition. USA has been placed with Mongolia & Russia in Group2 of the world cup.
The United States has entered a star-studded ten-woman roster into the World Cup, with three of those ten wrestlers coming off title-winning performances in Nur-Sultan. Adeline GRAY (USA), Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) and Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA) are the trio of world champions that the USA will lean on to try to win their second World Cup team title and first since 2003.
Although Gray is looked at as a titan in women’s wrestling, she’ll certainly have her hands full in getting the USA back to title-winning glory. The newly-crowned five-time world champion’s biggest group stage test will come against Rio Olympic bronze medalist Ekaterina BUKINA (RUS) when the Stars and Stripes goes toe-to-toe with the Russian Federation on Saturday afternoon.
Reigning 55kg world champ Winchester will have a tough road in staying unbeaten in her pair of Group B matches. She’ll square off against a world bronze medalist in each of her two matches. Winchester’s first challenge will come against Russia’s Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA. The American will then wrestle her Nur-Sultan semifinals opponent, BAT OCHIR Bolortuya (MGL), who she beat 13-2 to insert herself into the world finals when the Americans wrestle the Mongolians on Saturday night.
Also Read: We will surely win medals at Tokyo 2020: Geeta Phogat
Mensah-Stock is the third American world champion that’ll compete at the Women’s Wrestling World Cup. Like Winchester, Mensah-Stock’s toughest test at 68kg in group play is likely to also come when the United States wrestles Mongolia on Saturday night.
Mensah-Stock will either wrestle OCHIRBAT Nasanburmaa (MGL) or ENKHSAIKHAN Delgermaa (MGL). Ochirbat is a four-time senior-level world medalist, while Enkhsaikan was a junior world silver medalist last year.
Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) and Allison RAGAN (USA) are also listed on USA’s roster. Both wrestlers have world finals experience under their belt, but each fell short of their gold-medal goal in those matches. Hildebrandt (53kg) finished in second place at the 2018 World Championships, while Ragan (59kg) dropped her 2017 world finals match.
50 kg: Conder, Whitney = 2019 World Championship representative / 2019 World Army Championship 2nd place
53 kg: Hildebrandt, Sarah Ann = 2018 World Championship 2nd place / 2019 World Championship 9th place
55 kg : Winchester, Jaccara Gwenisha = 5th in 2018 World Championship / 2019 World Championship winner
57kg: Campbell, Kelsey Ren = 2019 Pan American Championship 59kg class 4th
59kg: Allison Ragan = 2017 World Championships Silver medal
62kg: Miracle, Kayla-Colleen = 2019 Pan American Championship Winner / 2019 World Championship 8th place
65kg: Molinari, Forrest Ann = 2018 World Championship 5th place / 2019 World Championship 5th place
68kg: Mensah-Stock, Tamyra Mariama = 2018 World Championship 3rd / 2019 World Championship Win
72kg: Francis, Victoria Christine = 2019 World Championship 5th
76kg: Gray, Adeline Maria = 2018/19 World Championship Win
Group A – No. 1 JPN, No. 4 CHN, No. 5 UKR
Group B – No. 2 RUS, No. 3 USA, No. 7 MGL
