Adeline Gray (red) wrestles Elena Pirozhkova (blue) in the 63 kg freestyle weight class during the US Wrestling Olympic Trials at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Elena Pirozhkova took the final step up the FILA Women’s World Championship podium when she scored a takedown with less than a minute left in the third period Saturday to defeat Taybe Yusein of Bulgaria and capture the freestyle wrestling championship at 63 kg/138.75 pounds in Sherwood Park, Canada.
Pirozhkova, a silver medalist, won her first world title by taking the third period 1-0. She won the first period 2-1 before losing to Yusein 5-2 in the second period.
“I really got after it and wrestled aggressively,” said Pirozhkova, a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. “I scrapped and I fought and I got it done.
“This was my chance to win a world title and I had to make sure I got it.”
Helen Maroulis earned a silver medal Friday after Adeline Gray won gold and Alyssa Lampe took bronze Thursday.
Maroulis lost in the 55 kg/121 pound final to Japan’s Saori Yoshida, who captured a record 10th World title.
“My day didn’t end the way I wanted, but I had a great day and I was very pleased with my wrestling,” Maroulis said.
Clarissa Chun, a 2008 World champion and an Olympic bronze medalist in London, came up one match short of the medal round at 48 kg/105.5 pounds.
CYCLING
Jacquelyn Crowell only has been racing on the track for about a month and she already has her first two national titles. Cromwell took the women’s points race Saturday at the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships in Carson, Calif. Two days earlier, she won the team pursuit with Cari Higgins and Olympic silver medalist Lauren Tamayo.
“I knew I’d race aggressively because I have the endurance from the road, so I went into it knowing that I have that strength over the other riders,” Crowell said.
Bobby Lea, a 2012 Olympian, won the men’s points race. Cristin Walker won the women’s sprint title and Giddeon Massie won the men’s keirin.
Lea and Jackie Simes won the men’s elite Madison, Higgins and Katherine Compton won the women’s elite Madison, Madalyn Godby and Tela Crane won the team sprint and Matthew Baranoski won the men’s elite time trial on the final day.
Jennifer Valente won the women’s keirin final Friday when Baronoski won the men’s sprint and Charles Eldridge, Zachary Kovalcik, Zack Noonan and Daniel Holt won the men’s team pursuit.
SPEEDSKATING
Olympian J.R. Celski and Jessica Smith clinched the first berths for the fall World Cup team by winning 1,500-meter titles Saturday and went on to claim overall points championships Sunday at the U.S. Single Distance Short Track Speedskating Championships in Kearns, Utah.
The other spots for the first Samsung ISU Short Track World Cup, to be held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Oct. 19-21, were filled Sunday.
Chris Creveling, Kyle Carr, Jeff Simon and Olympian Travis Jayner joined Celski on the men’s team. Smith was joined by Sarah Chen, Lana Gehring, Emily Scott and Alyson Dudek.
Celski swept Saturday’s men’s race, also winning at 1,500 meters.
“I am excited,” Celski said. “I know that this year is going to be a good year. We have a lot of good, healthy and talented guys coming up and I think we are going to be a force to reckon with around the world.”
Gehring won the 1500m (2:26.763). Smith won the 1000m (1:32.325) and placed second in the 1500m (2:26.925).
For complete results, click here.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Emily Day and Heather Hughes defeated Summer Ross and Morgan Beck in an all-U.S. final, 21-19, 21-17, Sunday at the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit event in Chula Vista, Calif.
Ross and Beck just began playing together recently and won the title at the World University Games.
Tri Bourne and Will Montgomery took the men’s silver medal after losing to Canada’s Chaim Schalk and Benjamin Saxton, 21-16, 21-15.
Avery Drost and Jesse Rambis fell short of a medal with losses in two lengthy matches to end the tournament. After losing to Bourne and Montgomery 31-29, 21-19 in the semifinals, they were defeated by Canada’s Cameron Wheelan and Michael Plantiga 23-21, 29-27 for the bronze medal.
FIGURE SKATING
Caydee Denney and John Coughlin moved up one spot from last season while earning their second consecutive Nebelhorn Trophy medal, taking silver at Oberstdorf, Germany.
Denney competed in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games with former partner Jeremy Barrett. In their first season together, Denney and Coughlin earned the gold medal at the 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Madison Chock and 2010 Olympian Evan Bates earned the gold medal in ice dancing.
Keegan Messing took the men’s bronze medal, finishing one spot ahead of Stephen Carriere.
Elsewhere, Joshua Farris qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final by winning the JGP Slovenia in Bled.
Farris, a bronze medalist at the JGP Final last year, also won this year’s JGP United States. Barbie Long claimed her first career JGP medal with a silver. Courtney Hicks finished fourth among the women.
Etc.
TRIATHLON: Olympians Sarah Groff and Gwen Jorgensen finished back-to-back in seventh and eighth place Saturday at the ITU World Triathlon Yokohama in Japan. Groff finished the 1500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run in 1:59:36, 20 seconds ahead of Jorgensen. Groff came out of the swim in second place after leading the field through the first lap. It was the third time in seven ITU World Triathlon Series events this season that Groff finished seventh or better. Jorgensen worked her way up from 16th during the run.
FIELD HOCKEY: 2012 Olympian Katie O’Donnell scored two goals Sunday and the United States used three second-half goals to defeat South Africa, 4-2, at the Electric Ireland Women’s Champions Challenge I in Dublin. The United States fell to Scotland, 1-0, Saturday in its tournament opener.
ICE HOCKEY: Ryan Fitzgerald had three assists to lead Team McClanahan past Team Housley, 5-2, and earn Most Valuable Player honors in the inaugural CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y. Evan Allen scored both goals for Team Housley. The game featured 40 American players eligible for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, including several current or former members of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, which is based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TENNIS: The United won the Junior Fed Cup for girls and finished third at the Junior Davis Cup for boys Sunday in Barcelona. The United States beat Russia, 3-0, in the Junior Fed Cup final and did not lose a point at the event. Taylor Townsend won at No. 1 singles and joined Gabby Andrews for a doubles victory. Louisa Chirico won the other singles match, completing a tournament in which she did not lose a set while winning five times. The United States beat France 2-0 in the Junior Davis Cup bronze medal match. Stefan Kozlov and Noah Rubin won their singles matches.
BASKETBALL: The U.S. women won the gold medal while the men took silver at the FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Championship in Alcobendas, Spain. The women went 7-1 and defeated previously unbeaten Spain 21-13 in the final. Diamond DeShields added the title to her gold medals in the Under-17 and Under-19 World Championships. Erica McCall, Kaela Davis and Brianna Turner joined DeShields on the women’s team.
The men’s team of DeMonte Flannigan, Larry Austin, Brett Brady and Rondae Jefferson went 8-2, including a 21-20 overtime loss to unbeaten Serbia in the final.
SOCCER: The United States was eliminated from the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup without ever losing a game. Saturday’s 1-1 tie with North Korea in Baku, Azerbaijan, meant that the United States, North Korea and France all finished Group B with one win and two ties. North Korea and France had better goal differentials, making them the two teams to advance from the group. The U.S. Under-17 team finished the year with a 13-0-4 record in international play.
TRACK AND FIELD: Kevin Castille and Sonja Friend-Uhl won titles at the USA Masters 5-Kilometer Championships Sunday in Syracuse, N.Y.
Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Tom Robinson is a freelance contributor for TeamUSA.org. Material from various news services and press releases from National Governing Bodies was used to compile this report. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.