wrestleOaxtepec

Four Different Countries Claim Junior Women’s Titles at #WrestleOaxtepec

By Taylor Miller

Photo of Nyla BURGESS (CAN). Photo by Osvaldo Aguilar. 

OAXTEPEC, Mexico – It was all women’s freestyle action today at the Cadet and Junior Pan American Championships, where 12 athletes claimed gold medals in Oaxtepec, Mexico.

This week, the top-eight in the Olympic weights of the Junior divisions will earn bids to the 2021 Junior Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia, in December.

Four different countries collected titles in the Junior women’s division. The champions included Amani JONES (USA) at 55 kg, Mayra PARRA ALVAREZ (VEN) at 57 kg, London HOUSTON (USA) at 59 kg, Yolanda CORDERO VARGAS (CUB) at 62 kg, Nyla BURGESS (CAN) at 68 kg and Yelena MAKOYED (USA) at 76 kg.

Parra’s win at 57 kg was the first gold for Venezuela since 2017.

In the Cadet division, USA won four of the six weights with gold medals from Brianna GONZALEZ (USA) at 46 kg, Faith COLE (USA) at 49 kg, Jaclyn DEHNEY (USA) at 53 kg and Marissa JIMENEZ (USA) at 61 kg.

Mexico picked up golds at the other two weights, with Bertha ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX) winning at 57 kg and Melanie JIMENEZ VILLALBA (MEX) emerging victorious at 65 kg.

En español
OAXTEPEC, México – 12 más atletas ganaron medallas de oro en la competencia de hoy en solo estilo libre femenino en los campeonatos panamericanos cadete y juvenil en Oaxtepec, México.

En los torneos juveniles, los ocho mejores luchadores en las clases de peso olímpico califican para los Juegos Panamericanos Juveniles en diciembre en Cali, Colombia.

Ganando títulos en la división juvenil fueron Amani JONES (USA) en 55 kg, Mayra PARRA ALVAREZ (VEN) en 57 kg, London HOUSTON (USA) en 59 kg, Yolanda CORDERO VARGAS (CUB) en 62 kg, Nyla BURGESS (CAN) en 68 kg y Yelena MAKOYED (USA) en 76 kg.

La victoria de Parra fue la primera medalla de oro para Venezuela desde 2017.

En la division cadete, USA ganó cuatro de los seis pesos. Las campeonas estadounidenses fueron Brianna GONZALEZ (USA) en 46 kg, Faith COLE (USA) en 49 kg, Jaclyn DEHNEY (USA) en 53 kg y Marissa JIMENEZ (USA) en 61 kg.

México capturó oros en los otros dos pesos, con Bertha ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX) ganando en 57 kg y Melanie JIMENEZ VILLALBA (MEX) superando en 65 kg.

JUNIOR WOMEN’S FREESTYLE RESULTS
55 kg
GOLD
- Amani JONES (USA)
SILVER- Victoria ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX)

57 kg
GOLD - Mayra PARRA ALVAREZ (VEN)
SILVER - Yailin JIMENEZ (DOM)
BRONZE - Bronwyn MACGREGOR (CAN)
BRONZE - Yaynelis SANZ VERDECIA (CUB)

59 kg
GOLD - London HOUSTON (USA)
SILVER - Jolie BRISCO (CAN)
BRONZE - Lucero SANCHEZ SILVA (MEX)

62 kg
GOLD - Yolanda CORDERO VARGAS (CUB)
SILVER - Astrid MONTERO CHIRINOS (VEN)
BRONZE - Aliyah YATES (USA)
BRONZE - Alejandra RIVERA ARRIAGA (MEX)

68 kg
GOLD - Nyla BURGESS (CAN)
SILVER - Sandra ESCAMILLA MENCHACA (MEX)
BRONZE - Jamilex CUMBICOS CASTILLO (ECU)
BRONZE - Gloria SEGURA FEBLES (DOM)

76 kg
GOLD - Yelena MAKOYED (USA)
SILVER - Linda Marilina MACHUCA (ARG)

BRONZE - Neirili BANGUERO MARTINEZ (VEN)
BRONZE - Gabriela CANALES HERRERA (MEX)

CADET WOMEN’S FREESTYLE RESULTS
46 kg
GOLD - Brianna GONZALEZ (USA)
SILVER - Yusneiry AGRAZAL WEST (PAN)
BRONZE- Jaren Avril Marcela OSORIO IXPATA (GUA)

49 kg
GOLD - Faith COLE (USA)
SILVER - Yorlenis MORAN SANCHEZ (PAN)
BRONZE - Danna Edelmira MARTINEZ ORDONEZ (MEX)

53 kg
GOLD - Jaclyn DEHNEY (USA)
SILVER - Jelissa Jocelyn HERNANDEZ GOMEZ (MEX)
BRONZE- Ashly Nicole IBOY ESCOBAR (GUA)

57 kg
GOLD - Bertha ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX)
SILVER - Alexis JANIAK (USA)
BRONZE - Leonela GRUEZO ORTIZ (ECU)

61 kg
GOLD - Marissa JIMENEZ (USA)
SILVER - Camila ROA ORTEGA (PER)
BRONZE - Makayla BROWNE (BAR)

65kg
GOLD - Melanie JIMENEZ VILLALBA (MEX)
SILVER - Madeline KUBICKI (USA)
BRONZE - Juliana NEPER OLIVEIRA SANTOS (BRA)

 

#UWWAwards

UWW Top Ranked Wrestlers of 2025: Verbina, Komarov, Aoyagi

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 17) -- United World Wrestling has announced the three Best Ranked Wrestlers in 2025. The three wrestlers earned the most ranking points in the year 2025.

The most ranking points in the year 2025 were earned by world champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) in Greco-Roman as he scored 83,500 points. In Women's Wrestling, world silver medalist Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) was the highest ranked wrestler as she earned 64,200 points.

In Freestyle, world champion Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) earned 76,900 points, the best among all wrestlers.

Verbina: Women's 55kg

Verbina may not have won the gold medal at the World Championships but she had a busy year, wrestling more often than others. That earned her more ranking points than many as she finished at the top of the rankings in Women's Wrestling.

Her first competition was the Zagreb Open Ranking Series in which she finished fifth for just 4,000 points. In the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in Tirana, Albania where she finished with a bronze medal that earned her 5,2000 points. She added 10,000 points for her gold medal at the European Championships. Another gold, at the Budapest Ranking Series, added 8,000 points.

Verbina entered the World Championships with 27,200 points. She jumped ahead of many with 37,000 points for her silver medal at 55kg. Her total went up to 64,200 points, taking her past the likes of world champions Sakura ONISHI (JPN) and Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN). Both finished 1,200 points less than Verbina.

Komarov: Greco 87kg

Komarov began his season with the Zagreb Open Ranking Series and finished fifth, giving him 9,000 points. A similar result at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series gave him 9,000 points.

A big boost came at the European Championships in which Komarov won a bronze medal at 87kg to earn 11,500 points. In June, another fifth place finish at the Budapest Ranking Series added 9,000 points to his name to take the total to 38,500 points before the World Championships.

In Zagreb at the Worlds, Komarov won the gold medal and earned a stunning 45,000 points to 83,500 points, the most among all wrestlers and 13,780 points more than second most -- Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB).

Aoyagi: Freestyle 70kg

World champion was the top ranked freestyle wrestler with 76,900 points, 9,600 points more than the second place wrestler.

His first competition was the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in which he bagged the gold medal to earn 11,000 points. He then added a bronze medal at the Asian Championships and earned 9,500 points for the same.

The Budapest Ranking Series gold gave him another 11,000 points, taking his total to 31,500 points before the World Championships. He became a world champion in Zagreb and that gold medal was worth 45,000 points, sending his total to 76,500 points.

Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK), with 66,900 points, is the second-best wrestler, 9,600 points less than Aoyagi.