#Fortaleza2018

Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and USA Boasts Multiple Finalists at #Fortaleza2018

Saturday, August 18, 2018 - 18:58 By Taylor Miller

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FORTALEZA, Brazil – The first session of the women’s freestyle tournament of the 2018 Junior Pan American Championships wrapped up with three 2017 Junior Pan American runners-up turning in undefeated performances, setting themselves up to reach the top of the podium.

All three of those wrestlers hail from Canada, including Jayd DAVIS at 53 kg, Hannah TAYLOR at 57 kg and Dejah SLATER at 68 kg.

Davis has rolled through the 53 kg bracket so far with two early falls and a 12-2 technical fall, which came against 2017 Cadet World athlete Vayle BAKER (USA).

Tonight, Davis will face Fatima ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX), who is a 2018 Senior Central American and Caribbean Championships runner-up and Senior Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalist.

At 57 kg, Taylor pinned 2018 Senior Pan American bronze medalist Michaela BECK (USA) at the final buzzer. The Canadian continued on with another pin in 5:44 against 2017 Cadet Pan Am silver medalist Susana LOZANO (MEX).

To open her tournament at 68 kg, Slater defeated 2015 Cadet World bronze medalist Kayla MARANO (USA) with a 15-4 technical fall. She followed it up with a 10-0 win against Grabriela PEDRO (BRA).

The 50 kg bracket saw Mariela ESCALANTE (MEX) and Greidy ESTUPINAN (COL) advance to the finals. This tournament marks their Pan American debuts.

There are three head-to-heads tonight that will determine the round-robin winner. Those weights include 59 kg, 62 kg and 76 kg.

At 59 kg, Brenda REYNA (USA) will face Katherine CUERO (COL), while the 62 kg deciding match also features USA vs. Colombia with Brianna CSONTOS (USA) taking on Paula MONTOYA (COL) for gold.

With only two people in the bracket, Beatriz RODRIGUES (BRA) and Miriam OLVERA (MEX) will wrestle their first matches of the day, going for the 76 kg title.

At 72 kg, Thais DE LUCAS (BRA) went 2-0 in the first half of the day. Should she win her last match tonight, she will take home the crown.

At 65 kg, there are four wrestlers tied with 2-1 records going into tonight’s session, counting Megan FENDELET (CAN), Andrea GARCIA (COL), Atzimba LANDAVERDE (MEX) and Ashlynn ORTEGA (USA). The winner will be determined after the last two matches are wrestled.

The medal matches are set for 5 p.m. ET live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

#UWWAwards

UWW Breakout Wrestlers of 2025: Hidlay, Farokhi, Onishi

Monday, December 15, 2025 - 12:24 By Eric Olanowski

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 14) -- The 2025 Breakout Wrestlers of the Year were not the ones anyone circled heading into the season. They weren’t the favorites, or the ones analysts picked to walk away from the season as world medalists.

They were the outsiders, largely unproven and underestimated. But that all changed in a single season when they smashed expectations, catapulting themselves into world-wide stardom with world-title runs that nobody saw coming.

Freestyle Breakout Performer of the Year: Trent HIDLAY (USA)

Before 2025, Hidlay had never climbed to the top of a podium at an international event. His  2025 season even began with more doubt than promise, dropping his second match of the year to rising Azeri phenom Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) at the Zagreb Open. But that loss lit a fuse. From that moment on, the 26-year-old didn’t just improve -- he transformed.

Hidlay unleashed a stunning 13-match win streak and collected gold medals at the Pan-American Championships, the Budapest Ranking Series and the World Championships. Along the way, he knocked off giants -- Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE), Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), and Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), just to name a few.

Then came the finale: a world finals comeback for the ages. Down and all but finished, Hidlay stormed back to defeat Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW). In one year, Hidlay didn’t just win -- he arrived.

Greco-Roman Breakout Performer of the Year: Gholemreza FAROKHI (IRI)

When opportunity knocked, Farokhi wasn’t just there to answer it, he was there to kick the door off its hinges. The 23-year-old stepped into Iran’s senior lineup for the first time in his career and tore through anyone in front of him -- whether it was at 82kg or 87kg.

Farokhi bulldozed his way to gold medals at the two World Championships he participated in. He racked up a perfect 17-0 record, including 11 technical superiority wins and six decisions, sweeping gold at the World Championships, U23 World Championships, the Islamic Solidarity Games, and the Zagreb Open Ranking Series.

Women’s Wrestling Breakout Performer of the Year: Sakura ONISHI (JPN)

At 19 years old, Onishi entered the senior circuit with massive goals but had zero experience and zero fear. In mere months, she became a problem no one had an answer for.

Onishi tore through the season with a flawless 15-0 record, capturing titles at the Senior and U20 World Championships, the Asian Championships, and the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series. Her dominance wasn’t subtle -- it was exactly what you’d expect from a Japanese women’s wrestler -- 11 tech falls, three pins, and a decision, outscoring opponents 158-17.