Kennedy Blades of the University of Iowa won gold at 68kg at the Zagreb Open Ranking Event in Zagreb, Croatia.
In the first round Blades pinned Kendra Dacher (France) in just :35 followed by another fall in the second round over Adela Hanzlickova (Czech Republic) in 2:51.
For the semifinals Blades won by a 10-0 tech fall over Noémi Szabados (Hungary).
Blades continued to dominate in the finals with a 12-0 tech fall over Karolina Pok (Hungary).
This is the first UWW Senior Ranking Tournament of the year and Olympic cycle. Results will factor into seedings at the World Championships and Olympics.
What an impressive tournament for Blades against international competition.
68 kg – Kennedy Blades (USA)
WIN Kendra Dacher (France), fall 0:35
WIN Adela Hanzlickova (Czech Republic), fall 2:51
WIN Noémi Szabados (Hungary), tech fall 10-0
WIN Karolina Pok (Hungary) tech fall 12-0
This was the first time that Blades has competed at 68 kg/150 lbs. Last summer Blades won silver at 76kg/167 lbs.
Blades is ranked #1 at 160 for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Remaining Iowa Women’s Wrestling schedule:
Feb. 22 – NCWWC Region VII Championships – Indianola, Iowa
Mar. 7-8 – NCWWC National Championships – Coralville, Iowa
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
