BUCHAREST, Romania – The United States won a pair of medals on the first day of the women’s freestyle competition at the Junior World Championships on Thursday.

Capturing a silver medal was Adeline Gray (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. It was her second career Junior World medal, to go with a gold medal in 2008.

Gray was defeated in the gold-medal finals by Sara Dosho of Japan, 0-6, 1-0, 3-5. 

Dosho won the first period with two three-point throws. Gray scored the only takedown in the second period. In the deciding third period, Dosho jumped to a 5-0 lead. Gray took her down and turned her to her back as time ran out, getting two exposure points but not able to secure the fall.

“There were a couple of positions that she got the better of me in,” said Gray. “This is my first time wrestling this Japanese girl. I knew I was weak in some of those areas and she highlighted them.”

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.

“A lot of those girls I had wrestled before. I knew that they would be tough and I was prepared for that. I was ready to go and it worked,” she said.

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

Winning a bronze medal was Erin Golston (Lake in the Hills, Ill./New York AC/USOEC) at 44 kg/97 lbs.

Golston defeated Ganna Bogunenko of Ukraine in her bronze-medal match, 3-0, 1-0, shutting out her opponent in two straight periods.

“It feels really great,” said Golston after the bronze medal bout. “During that whole match, I knew I had to stay focused. I knew she grabbed two-on-ones on the left side. I reacted off her two-on-ones.”

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.

“I had to refocus quickly after the semifinals because I was really upset because I wrestled stupidly in that match. I knew I had to get ready for the bronze-medal match,” said Golston.

Golston was also a member of the 2010 U.S. Junior World Team. She is a member of the U.S. Olympic Education Center Team at Northern Michigan, and attended Marquette High School there.

Jenna Burkert (Rocky Point, N.Y./New York AC/USOEC) placed eighth at 59 kg/130 lbs. with a 2-2 record. She opened up with two wins 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.

After the first day of wrestling, Team USA is tied for third place with China with 20 points, trailing Japan in first with 33 points and Russia in second with 27 points.

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

“I can’t call it a great day. It was a good day. There were some successes throughout the day. We came up short in certain situations. Every athletes accomplished exactly where they stand from a wrestling standpoint,” said Assistant National Women’ Coach Izzy Izboinikov.

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.

JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Bucharest, Romania, July 28

Women's freestyle results

44 kg/97 lbs.
1 Nadezda Fedorova (Russia)
2 Thi Duyen Pham (Vietnam)
3 Erin Golston (USA)
3 Ritu Ritu (India) 
5 Ganna Bogunenko (Ukraine)
5 Naixiang Chen (China)
7 Marziget Bagomedova (Azerbaijan)
8 Minori Yachi (Japan)
9 Madalina Linguraru (Romania)
10 Viktoriya Salapina (Belarus)

51 kg/112.25 lbs.
1 Mareka Shidochi (Japan)
2 Stalvira Orshush (Russia)
3 Ilona Magdalena Omilusik (Poland)
3 Luisa Valverde (Ecuador) 
5 Celia Karina Olea Bernal (Mexico)
5 Anastasiia Buriatynska (Great Britain)
7 Katrin Henke (Germany)
8 Lalita Lalita (India) 
9 Patimat Bagomedova (Azerbaijan)
10 Mariya Livach (Ukraine)

59 kg/130 lbs.
1. Yurika Ito (Japan)
2 Mariana Esanu (Moldova)
3 Valeria Zholobova (Russia)
3 Battsetseg Baatarzorig (Mongolia)
5 Sara Dacol (Italy)
5 Yajing Guan (China)
7 Kathrin Neumaier (Germany)
8 Jenna Burkert (USA)
9 Linda Morais (Canada)
10 Juliya Satymbekova (Kazakhstan)

67 kg/158.5 lbs.
1 Sara Dosho (Japan)
2 Adeline Gray (USA)
3 Rongrong Tao (China)
3 Alina Makhynia (Ukraine)
5 Halina Leuchanka (Belarus)
5 Maria Selmaier (Germany)
7 Kristina Andersen Ness (Norway)
8 Hyeon-Jin Shin (Korea)
9  Daria Urszula Osocka (Poland)
10 Kiymet Kocyigit (Turkey)

U.S. women’s performances

44 kg/97 lbs. – Erin Golston, Lake in the Hills, Ill. (New York AC/USOEC), 3rd
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
WIN Ganna Bogunenko (Ukraine), 3-0, 1-0

51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Carlene Sluberski, Fredonia, N.Y. (New York AC/USOEC), dnp/13th
LOSS Patimat Bagomedova (Azerbaijan), 3-4, 2-3

59 kg/130 lbs. – Jenna Burkert, Rocky Point, N.Y. (New York AC/USOEC), 8th
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
LOSS Sara Dosho (Japan), 0-6, 1-0, 3-5