Helen & Haley are Rio Bound
/Two of the four Women's representatives punched their ticket to the 2016 Olympics by making the finals of the qualifier in Mongolia on Saturday. Helen Maroulis cruised through the tournament continuing her tear through competition. Haley Augello punched her ticket with three tech falls to make the finals eventually taking the silver medal.
In the all important semis, Helen hit her arm tie/foot sweep to pin the girl from Ukraine in just 28 seconds to qualify for her first Olympics. Haley also faced a Ukranian woman and started the match with a "cheap" hip tip for two. She then scored on three great double legs and finally a go behind to finish off the tech fall. Haley is also off to her first Olympics.
Tamyra Mensah & Kelsey Campbell will have to go to the last qualifier in Turkey to make the 2016 Olympics. Tamyra fell just short in the semis. Many Americans felt the slip call was just a desperate attempt off Tamyra's takedown and a slip should not be warranted. I'm almost more upset about her opponent being allowed to run for a solid two minutes more than slip. She finished with a bronze showing promise that she's a favorite to qualify in Istanbul. Kelsey failed to get any offense going in her first match and lost 1-1.
This tournament means four of six Women's weights are now qualified. Greco is still at three. Men's Freestyle will try to qualify their last two with Frank Molinaro & J'Den Cox. United World Wrestling will have the live streams going Saturday night at 8pm Eastern which is somehow 9am Sunday Mongolian time.
U.S. women’s freestyle performances
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Haley Augello, Lockport, Ill. (New York AC/OTC), Silver
WIN Viyaleta Chyryk (Belarus), 12-1
WIN Sarianne Savola (Finland), 10-0
WIN Mariya Livach (Ukraine), 10-0
LOSS Hyon-Gyong Kim (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), 9-2
53 kg/116.5 lbs. – Helen Maroulis, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Sunkist Kids), Gold
WIN Alma Jane Valenica Escoto (Mexico), 8-2
WIN Kumari Babita (India), 10-0
WIN Lilya Horishna (Ukraine), Fall 0:28
WIN Maria Prevolaraki (Greece), 10-0
58 kg/128 lbs. – Kelsey Campbell, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids), DNP
LOSS Emese Barka (Hungary), 1-1
69 kg/152 lbs. – Tamyra Mensah, Katy, Texas (Titan Mercury WC/OTC), Bronze
WIN Kaur Navjot (India), 10-0
WIN Gozal Zutova (Azerbaijan), 10-7
LOSS Ilana Kratysh (Israel), 6-5
WIN Diana Paulina Miranda Gonzales (Mexico), 7-0
