Takedown Report

HISTORY! Adeline Gray becomes the first five-time Senior World champion in USA history

BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING | SEPT. 19, 2019
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Adeline Gray has made history, winning a U.S. record fifth Senior World Championships gold medal with a victory at 76 kg/167.5 lbs. at the World Wrestling Championships on Thursday night. Gray (Denver, Colo./New York AC) wrestled a smart match, defeating two-time World bronze medalist Hiroe Minagawa Suzuki of Japan in the gold-medal final, 4-2.
Suzuki scored first, when Gray was placed on the shot clock and did not score in the required 30 seconds. However, late in the first period, Gray converted a double leg takedown and added a two-point tilt, to lead 4-1 at the break. In the second period, Gray controlled the action and no points were scored until there was three seconds to go and Suzuki forced a step out. Time quickly went away, and Adeline Gary was World champion once again.
She has surpassed U.S. superstars John Smith, Tricia Saunders and Jordan Burroughs, who were tied with her with four Senior World golds going into this week. Burroughs will compete at the World Champoionships on Friday and Saturday, with a goal of winning his fifth and catching back up to Gray.
Gray has now won World titles in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019, and World bronze medals in 2011 and 2013.
On Wednesday, Gray had already qualified the United States for the 2020 Olympics at this weight class by reaching the semifinals. The top six athletes in each Olympic weight class qualify their nation for the Tokyo Games.
Gray reached the finals with four impressive wins on Wednesday. She opened with three dominant 10-0 technical falls, powering through Eleni Pjollaj of Italy, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Elmira Syzdykova of Kazakhstan and two-time Junior World medalist Hui Tsz Chang of Chinese Taipei. In the semifinals, she won a strategic battle against 2014 World champion Aline Rotter Focken of Germany, 5-2.
Gray is a native of the Denver, Colo. area and spent many years as a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. Rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/September/19/Gray-wins-fifth-World-title?mc_cid=86d95781f8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

September 26, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized