Reuters
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Wrestling – Freestyle – Women’s 76kg – Semifinal – Makuhari Messe Hall A, Chiba, Japan – August 1, 2021. Adeline Maria Gray of the United States celebrates after winning against Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan REUTERS/Leah Millis
Reuters
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Wrestling – Freestyle – Women’s 76kg – Semifinal – Makuhari Messe Hall A, Chiba, Japan – August 1, 2021. Adeline Maria Gray of the United States celebrates after winning against Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan REUTERS/Leah Millis
Adeline Gray, the five-time world champion, had a good first session at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games today, winning three matches and qualifying for the finals. This victory over Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy ensures her a medal in this year’s Olympics. This would be her first medal at the Olympics. She might feel redeemed in a way after having finished 7th in the 2016 edition of the Olympic Games.
About the matches: Adeline Gray prevails to victory
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Match 1
Gray, the top seed, got things started with a first-period pin of Tunisian Zaineb Sghaier, the runner-up in the African/Oceania Olympic qualifier for 2021. She went up 4-0 with a takedown and a gut wrench. As a result, Adeline Gray powered Sghaier on her back after another takedown and pinned her in 2:11.
Match 2
In the second match, the fight came much closer after Adeline Gray took a commanding lead in the first period. This match was against Turkey’s Yasemin Adar. After going 6-0 down to Gray, Adar fought back in the second period. She came back with a 2 and 2 late in the second. Adar’s last period takedown and ankle lace turn got the spectators at home on edge. Experts believed that this could’ve gone badly for Gray very easily. Yet she prevailed.
Adeline Gray outlasts a late scare, defeats Turkey's Yasmin Adar, 6-4. Gray led 6-0 after three takedowns. Adar came back with 2 and 2 late in the second, had a lace locked up near the edge. That could've been bad.
Adeline Gray to the semifinals at 76-kg. #wrestling
— Cody Goodwin (@codygoodwin) August 1, 2021
?I thought Adeline wrestled really well,? said her personal coach Nate Engel. ?She got to her shots and got to her offense. When Adeline gets her hands locked, she can score on anybody. We just talk about one match at a time because we don?t want to look past anybody. It?s important to go out there, get to her attacks and finish and get her hand raised.?
#WrestleTokyo Time runs out. @AdelineGray (USA) beats Aiperi Medet Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan), 3-2 and advances to Olympic gold medal finals at 76 kg. #Tokyo2020
— USA Wrestling (@USAWrestling) August 1, 2021
.@AdelineGray is headed to the 76 kg FINALS. @USAWrestling x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/xtyTSvKEOG
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 1, 2021
Match 3
In her third match (the semi-final), Gray surpassed Kyrgyzstan’s Kyzy with a score of 3-2. In the first period of this match, Gray only got 2 technical points, but led earlier in the second period with a shot clock point. She did not let Kyzy score any points in the first period. Expectedly, Kyzy attempted to come back in the second period with a late 2, but Adeline Gray held on till the end.
For the gold medal, Adeline Gray will face Germany’s Aline Rotter-Focken on August 2.
