ZAGREB, CROATIA • After earning an Olympic silver last year, Kennedy Blades walked into the Arena Zagredb with 68kg gold on her mind as she entered her first senior level World Championships. However, after Blades suffered her first loss since Paris, she would regroup and fire through the rest of the field, dominating each opponent, and claim her first World medal, bronze.
Blades opened her championships with an 11-0 technical superiority over India’s Radhika Radhika. Now in the quarterfinals, Blades would step across Japan’s Ami Ishil. Unfortunately, Blades would lose the bout, and her tournament was now in the hands of Ishil; if Ishil advanced into the finals, Blades could advance into the repechage. And, as fate would have it, Ishil would win her semifinal bout and ultimately a World gold, and Blades would now have a chance to chase the next best thing: bronze.
In her first match of the repechage, Blades came out and battled like a true champion and took a 9-2 decision to push her into the medal match. There, she now faced Cavusoglu, who was an Olympic bronze medalist and the current number one ranked wrestler in the world at the weight.
And, before the match even had a chance to get going, Blades was already scoring and leading by four. She would take down the Turk through power, grit, grace, and high intellect wrestling; the match truly showed the talent of Blades technically, as well as how strong-willed she is.
By the end, Blades would close out a 12-1 technical superiority over the more seasoned Cavusoglu, and exit with her first World medal, and even more to build on moving forward.
Here is a look at Kennedy Blades’ World Championship at 68kg:
1/8 FINAL • Blades defeated Radhika Radhika, India / TS, 11-0 (1:38)
1/4 FINAL • Blades defeated by Ami Ishil, Japan / TS, 12-1 (3:54)
REP-02 • Blades defeated Manola Skobelska, Ukraine / Dec, 9-2
BRONZE • Blades defeated Buse Cavusoglu Tosun, Turkiye / TS, 12-1 (5:22).
• TC LIFONTI / LEAD WRITER FOR ILLINOIS MATMEN / tclifonti.com
