By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling
OSLO, Norway – The U.S. women’s wrestling program closed out a memorable Senior World Championships with two more medals, including a spectacular performance by the legendary Helen Maroulis to win her third career World title, and a strong second place finish as a team.

Maroulis, a 2016 Olympic champion and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, added a 2021 World title to her 1995 and 1995 World titles, with a pin over Anshu of India in the 57 kg finals

Maroulis went into the break trailing a 1-0 match to Anshu on an activity clock point but wasted no time in the second period. After scoring a spin-behind takedown, Maroulis ran an arm bar and put Anshu on her back. Maroulis got Anshu flat with two minutes left on the clock.

Anshu is a 2021 Asian champion, who placed ninth in the 2020 Olympic Games and was a 2107 Cadet World champion.

Maroulis has now won seven career World and Olympic medals, with three World titles, an Olympic title, a World silver medal, an Olympic bronze medal and a World bronze medal.

2020 Olympic champion and 2019 World champion Tamyra Mensah Stock bounced back after a stunning loss in the 68 kg finals on Wednesday to bring home a bronze medal, with a 10-1 victory over 2017 U23 World bronze medalist Adele Hanzlickova of the Czech Republic.

Hanzlickova got to a leg and forced Mensah Stock out of bounds for the first point of the match for a 1-0 lead, but the Tokyo 2020 champion dominated the rest of the way. In total, Mensah Stock scored five takedowns, mixing sweep singles and counter takedowns for a commanding victory.

Mensah Stock now boasts four career World and Olympic medals, an Olympic gold, a World gold and two World bronze medals.

2017 Junior World champion Maya Nelson lost a close 4-3 battle in the 59 kg bronze-medal bout to Shoovdor Baatarjav of Mongolia and finished fifth in her first Senior World Championships.

Nelson took the early lead, with a step out and a takedown in the first period for a 3-0 lead at the break. Nelson sustained a shoulder injury which may have affected the outcome. Nelson returned to the mat after receiving medical attention, but Baatarjav scored a pair of takedowns and held on late for the 4-3 win.

Team USA placed second in the team standings with 147 points, behind team champion Japan with 196 points. Mongolia placed third with 78 points.

The USA won a record seven medals in Oslo, matching the most ever won by a U.S. Women’s World Team, which was first achieved by the 2003 World Team which competed in Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Winning gold medals were Maroulis and Adeline Gray at 76 kg, with silver medals from Sarah Hildebrandt at 50 kg and Kayla Miracle at 62 kg, plus bronze medals from Mensah Stock, Jenna Burkert at 55 kg and Forrest Molinari at 65 kg.

SENIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Oslo, Norway, October 7

Group Three women’s freestyle final results

57 kg
Gold – Helen Maroulis (USA)
Silver – Anshu (India)
Bronze – Sae Nanjo (Japan)
Bronze – Davaachimeg Erkhembayar (Mongolia)
5th – Veronika Chumikova (Russian Wrestling Federation)
5th – Solomiia Vynnyk (Ukraine)
7th – Giullia Rodrigues Penalber De Oliveira (Brazil)
8th – Eveline Nikolova (Bulgaria)
9th – Nilufar Raimova (Kazakhstan)
10th – Alma Valencia Escoto (Mexico)
Gold – Maroulis fall Anshu, 4:00
Bronze – Nanjo dec. Chumikova, 7-3
Bronze – Erkhembayar dec. Vynnyk, 11-8

59 kg
Gold – Bilyana Dudova (Bulgaria)
Silver – Akie Hanai (Japan)
Bronze – Sarita (India)
Bronze – Shoovdor Baatarjav (Mongolia)
5th – Sara Lindborg (Sweden)
5th – Maya Nelson (USA)
7th – Linda Morais (Canada)
8th – Sandra Paruszewski (Germany)
9th – Krystsina Sazykina (Belarus)
10th – Alyona Kolesnik (Azerbaijan)
Gold – Dudova dec. Hanai, 6-4
Bronze – Baatarjav dec. Nelson, 4-3
Bronze – Sarita dec. Lindborg, 8-2

68 kg
Gold – Meerim Zhumanazarova (Kyrgyzstan)
Silver – Rin Miyaji (Japan)
Bronze – Tamyra Mensah Stock (USA)
Bronze – Khanum Velieva (Russian Wrestling Federation)
5th – Adela Hanzlickova (Czech Republic)
5th – Olivia Di Bacco (Canada)
7th – Anastasiia Lavrenchuk (Ukraine)
8th – Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria)
9th – Danute Domikaityte (Lithuania)
10th – Ambar Garnica Flores (Mexico)
Gold – Zhumanazarova pin Miyaji, 2:11
Bronze – Mensah Stock dec. Hanzlickova, 10-1
Bronze – Velieva fall Di Bacco, 5:33

72 kg
Gold – Masako Furuichi (Japan)
Silver – Zhamila Bakberhenova (Kazakhstan)
Bronze – Buse Cavusoglu Tosun (Turkey)
Bronze – Anna Schnell (Germany)
5th – Cynthia Vescan (France)
5th – Davaanasan Enkh Amar (Mongolia)
7th – Divya Kakran (India)
8th – Anastasiya Zimiankova (Belarus)
9th – Sofiya Georgieva (Bulgaria)
10th – Kylie Welker (USA)
Gold – Furuichi dec. Bakberhenova, 3-0
Bronze – Cavusoglu Tosun no contest Vescan
Bronze – Medet Kyzy tech fall Osniach Shustova, 12-1 1:35

U.S. women’s freestyle Group Three final results

57 kg – No. 4 seed Helen Maroulis (Rockville, Md./Sunkist Kids), gold medal
WIN Jeannie Kessler (Austria), pin 2:34
WIN Veronika Chumikova (Russian Wrestling Federation), 10-1
WIN Sae Nanjo (Japan), 6-4
WIN Anshu (India), pin 4:00

59 kg – No. 4 seed Maya Nelson (Denver, Colo., Sunkist Kids), 5th place
WIN Ebru Dagbasi (Turkey), 7-0
WIN Krystsina Sazykina (Belarus), pin 5:56
LOSS Akie Hanai (Japan), 4-1
LOSS Shoovdor Baatarjav (Mongolia), 4-3

68 kg – No. 1 seed Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal
WIN Anastasia Lavenchuk (Ukraine), 8-0
LOSS Rin Miyagi (Japan), pin 0:21
WIN Adele Hanzlickova (Czech Republic), 10-1

72 kg – Kylie Welker (Waterford, Wis./Titan Mercury WC), 10th place
LOSS Buse Cavusoglu Tosun (Turkey), 8-1

Final team standings
1. Japan, 196
2. USA, 147
3. Mongolia, 78
4. Ukraine, 73
5. India, 67
6. Kyrgyzstan, 65
7. Russian Wrestling Federation, 64
8. Bulgaria, 49
9. Canada, 47
10. (tie) Moldova and Germany, 45
12. (tie) Sweden and Turkey, 31
14. (tie) Kazakhstan and Belarus, 30
16. Estonia, 20
17. Poland, 19
18. (tie) Brazil, France, Romania, 18