Alli Ragan gets a leg attack against Xingru Pei of China in the 60 kg finals of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Photo by Kadir Caliskan.

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Alli Ragan (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) won a silver medal at 60 kg/132 lbs. on the final day of the World Championships on Sunday.

She dropped a frustrating 6-0 finals match to 18-year-old Xingru Pei of China, a match in which Ragan was not able to complete her offensive attacks, while Pei was able to score points with counters and defense.

Pei scored on a counter takedown and a stepout to lead 3-0 at the break. An early Ragan shot was countered to a stalemate, and set the tone for the match. The second period featured another stepout and a counter takedown for Pei, for the six-point margin of victory. Ragan was trying to open up the offense, but Pei had the answer to each attempt.

Ragan talked about what she is taking away from the finals match and her effort at this year’s Worlds

“Staying with my offense, finishing low singles and really capitalizing off of those shots. Definitely getting to my offense earlier and controlling those ties like I know how to control them. Wrestling more of my match would have been necessary to win that match. There was no reaction there from her, so I think I need to create reactions more,” Ragan said.

Ragan, competing in her fourth World Championships, came home with her first World medal. Her previous best finish was fifth place at the 2014 World Championships in Uzbekistan.

Pei is a rising star after placing third in the 2016 Junior World Championships, and won a 2016 Asian Junior Championships title. She was also second in the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

Ragan went out onto the mat for introductions with her father Dennis Ragan as the coach, and they were on the center mat for the formal handshakes side-by-side. Dennis has coached his daughter throughout her career and has been in her corner with National Coach Terry Steiner all day.

“He has been my coach since I was five. After going to King, coach Moorman let him coach me at all the Opens and the Senior-level stuff. But this is the first time he was able to coach me internationally at a Worlds. I think that is super important. It was awesome to have him there,” she said.

Ragan won four matches in the preliminary session to reach her first Worlds finals.

She powered through the bracket, opening with an 8-4 win over Sarita of India, then a 6-3 win over Linda Morais of Canada. In the quarterfinals, she shut out Laura Mertens of Germany and closed out the run with a dominant 14-4 technical fall in the semifinals over Ayaulym Kassymova of Kazakhstan.

“She had a good tournament. We are all disappointed because she didn’t finish it off like we wanted to. This is Alli’s fourth World Team. She needed to see some results and some success here. Coming away with a silver medal is not the medal we wanted but it definitely beats leaving here empty handed. We have work to do. In this finals match, we couldn’t move the girl. She wasn’t reacting to Alli’s fakes. We need to create more pressure and create some reaction. We were in on two single legs and didn't’finish them. If you get in deep, you have to finish them. It changes the match completely,” said National Coach Terry Steiner.

The United States won two medals over the two-day event which featured two weight classes in each style. In addition to Ragan’s silver, men’s freestyle star Logan Stieber (Columbus, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) won a gold medal at 61 kg/134 lbs. on Saturday.

The two other U.S. athletes who entered on Sunday were unable to advance to the medal rounds. 2015 World bronze medalist James Green was beaten in the quarterfinals at 70 kg/154 lbs. and did not qualify for repechage, finishing seventh in the final standings. He lost to veteran star Rashid Kurbanov of Uzbekistan in a 3-3 criteria match. He won his first two matches, Gitnomagomedov Gadzhiyev of Azerbaijan by technical fall, 12-1, and Davit Tlashadze of Georgia, 4-1.

Competing in his second World Championships, Patrick Martinez (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) lost by technical fall to Ashkat Dilmukhamedov of Kazakhstan, 8-0, his only bout of the tournament at 80 kg/176 lbs.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Budapest, Hungary, Dec. 11

Medal matches

Women’s freestyle 60 kg/132 lbs.
Gold - Xingru Pei (China)
Silver - Alli Ragan (USA)
Bronze - Linda Morais (Canada)
Bronze - Emese Barka (Hungary)
5th - Ayaulym Kassymova (Kazakhstan)
5th - Yui Sakano (Japan)
7th – Laura Mertens (Germany)
8th – Katarzyna Madrowska (Poland)
9th – Shovdoor Baatarjav (Mongolia)
10th – Viktoria Bobeva (Bulgaria)
Gold - Xingru Pei (China) dec. Alli Ragan (USA), 6-0
Bronze - Linda Morais (Canada) tech. fall Ayaulym Kassymova (Kazakhstan), 10-0
Bronze - Emese Barka (Hungary) dec. Yui Sakano (Japan), 7-4

Men’s freestyle 70 kg/154 lbs.
Gold -. Magomed Kurbanaliev (Russia)
Silver - Nurlan Bekzahanov (Kazakshtan)
Bronze - Mostafa Hosseinkhani (Iran)
Bronze – Elaman Dogdurbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
5th - Rashid Kurbanov (Uzbekistan)
5th - Nobuyoshi Takojima (Japan)
7th – James Green (USA)
8th – Miroslav Kirov (Bulgaria)
9th – Mihail Sava (Moldova)
10th – Zsombor Gulyas (Hungary)
Gold -. Magomed Kurbanaliev (Russia) dec. Nurlan Bekzahanov (Kazakshtan), 8-4
Bronze - Mostafa Hosseinkhani (Iran) dec. Rashid Kurbanov (Uzbekistan), 1-1
Bronze – Elaman Dogdurbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) tech. fall Nobuyoshi Takojima (Japan), 11-0

Greco-Roman 80 kg/176 lbs.
Gold - Ramazan Abacharev (Russia)
Silver - Aslan Atem (Turkey)
Bronze - Laszlo Szabo (Hungary)
Bronze - Jonibek Otabekov (Uzbekistan)
5th - Askhat Dilmukhamedov (Kazakhstan)
5th - Nikoloz Kelasov (Georgia)
7th – Pascal Eisele (Germany)
8th – Edgar Babayan (Poland)
9th – Soh Sakabe (Japan)
10th – Rafig Huseynov (Azerbaijan)
Gold - Ramazan Abacharev (Russia) dec. Aslan Atem (Turkey), 3-1
Bronze - Laszlo Szabo (Hungary) dec. Askhat Dilmukhamedov (Kazakhstan), 2-1
Bronze - Jonibek Otabekov (Uzbekistan) dec. Nikoloz Kelasov (Georgia), 1-1

U.S. performances on Sunday

Women’s freestyle
60 kg/132 lbs. - Alli Ragan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids), silver medal
WIN Sarita (India), 8-4
WIN Linda Morais (Canada), 6-3
WIN Laura Mertens (Germany), 5-0
WIN Ayaulym Kassymova (Kazakhstan), tech. fall 14-4
WIN Xingru Pei (China), 6-0

Men’s freestyle
70 kg/154 lbs. – James Green (Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC), 7th place
WIN Gitnomagomedov Gadzhiyev (Azerbaijan), tech. fall 12-1
WIN Davit Tlashadze (Georgia), 4-1
LOSS Rashid Kurbanov (Uzbekistan), 3-3

Greco-Roman
80 kg/176 lbs. - Patrick Martinez, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), dnp/26th
LOSS Ashkat Dilmukhamedov (Kazakhstan), tech. fall 8-0, 1:16