Adeline Gray in international competition. Gray goes for a Junior World gold medal tonight at 67 kg. Larry Slater photo

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Team USA has two women in medal matches at the Junior World Championships on Thursday night.

2008 Junior World champion Adeline Gray (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) won four matches to qualify for the gold-medal finals at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. She will be facing Yurika Ito of Japan in the finals.

Gray opened with a win over Maria Selmaier of Germany, 2-1, 7-0. She dominated her next bout with a technical fall over Evelina Nikolova of Bulgaria, 7-0, 6-0. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Kristina Ness of Norway, 7-0, 6-0, then stopped Alina Makhynia of Ukraine in the semifinals, 5-4, 4-0.

Gray is wrestling in her third Junior World Championships. She was fifth in the 2009 Senior World Championships and will be competed at the 2011 Senior Worlds in Turkey in September.

Going for a bronze medal at 44 kg/97 lbs will be Erin Golston (Lake in the Hills, Ill./New York AC/USOEC). Her opponent will be Ganna Bogunenko of Ukraine.

Golston opened with two wins. She beat Aidana Utegulova of Kazakhstan, 2-0, 5-0 and Minora Yachi of Japan, 0-1, 2-0, 4-0. In the semifinals, she was defeated by Thi Dyun Pham of Vietnam, 2-4, 0-1,

Golston was also a member of the 2010 U.S. Junior World Team.

Jenna Burkert (Rocky Point, N.Y./New York AC/USOEC) opened up with two wins at 59 kg/130 lbs., but was defeated in the quarterfinals by Mariana Esanu of Moldova by fall. When Esau made the finals, Burkert was drawn into the repechage, where she lost to Yajing Guan of China, 0-2, 0-2

Carlene Sluberski (Fredonia, N.Y./New York AC/USOEC) dropped her first match at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. to Patimat Bagomedova of Azerbaijan and was eliminated when Bogomedova didn’t reach the finals.

FILA Juniors are athletes who are 17-20 years old. Many of the athletes who are successful at the Junior World Championships go on to win World and Olympic medals for their nations.

The USA is looking to improve on its sixth-place finish in women’s freestyle at the 2010 Junior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Bucharest, Romania, July 28

U.S. women’s performances so far today

44 kg/97 lbs. – Erin Golston, Lake in the Hills, Ill. (New York AC/USOEC)
WIN Aidana Utegulova (Kazakhstan), 2-0, 5-0
WIN Minora Yachi (Japan), 0-1, 2-0, 4-0
LOSS Thi Dyun Pham (Vietnam), 2-4, 0-1
Bronze bout – Vs. Ganna Bogunenko (Ukraine)

51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Carlene Sluberski, Fredonia, N.Y. (New York AC/USOEC)
LOSS Patimat Bagomedova (Azerbaijan), 3-4, 2-3

59 kg/130 lbs. – Jenna Burkert, Rocky Point, N.Y. (New York AC/USOEC)
WIN Natalia Maslouskaya (Belarus), 0-1, 3-0, pin 1:58
WIN Lais Nunes (Brazil), 0-6, 2-0, pin 0:35
LOSS Mariana Esanu (Moldova), pin 1:03
LOSS Yajing Guan (China), 0-2, 0-2

67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Adeline Gray, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
WIN Maria Selmaier (Germany), 2-1, 7-0
WIN Evelina Nikolova (Bulgaria), 7-0, 6-0
WIN Kristina Ness (Norway), 7-0, 6-0
WIN Alina Makhynia (Ukraine), 5-4, 4-0
Gold bout – Vs. Yurika Ito (Japan)