Adeline Gray captured a World title on Thursday night. Billy Wood photo.

SHERWOOD PARK, Canada – Adeline Gray is the newest World champion wrestler for the United States.

And she did it in dramatic fashion.

Gray turned Junior World champion Dorothy Yeats of Canada to her back with an arm bar and recorded a fall late in the second period to capture a gold medal at the FILA Women’s World Championships.

Gray won the first period 4-0 and had the lead late in the second period before finishing the match with a pin at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. on Thursday night at Millennium Place.

“The finals match was just everything I wanted it to be,” Gray said. “I executed what I needed to execute, and everything came together for me. I’m really excited to win a World title. To hear our National Anthem being played, it was awesome. It’s so exciting to live my dream and be able to do this.”

Gray, 21, a 2011 World bronze medalist, becomes the sixth U.S. wrestler to win a World title in women’s freestyle wrestling. Gray was able to overpower Yeats, 19, who won Junior Worlds earlier this month.

Gray, a past Junior World champion who grew up in Denver, was making her third appearance in the Worlds. She was fifth in this event in 2009 as an 18-year-old. Gray competes for the New York Athletic Club.

“We knew Adeline had the potential to be a World champion,” U.S. World Team coach Billy Wood said. “She really dominated in the finals. It’s very well-deserved – she works very hard.”

American Alyssa Lampe captured a bronze medal for the U.S. at 51 kg/112.25 lbs.

Lampe was the aggressor throughout the match, firing in on numerous leg attacks in downing Kazakhstan’s Abdutalipova Abdutalipova 2-1, 1-0. Lampe was competing in her second World Championships.

Lampe had to bump up a weight class for this event since Clarissa Chun had already clinched a spot on the U.S. World Team at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. after winning an Olympic bronze medal last month.

“I just wanted it, and I knew I could do it,” Lampe said. “I know I can compete at this level. I’ve improved my mental toughness, and I’ve matured and developed a lot this year.”

China has the lead after the first day with 27 points. Canada is in second with 21 points, followed closely by India (20 points), the U.S. (19) and Japan (18).

American Leigh Jaynes, wrestling in her second World Championships, placed 10th at 59 kg/130 lbs. on Thursday.

Jaynes fell in three periods in the quarterfinals to Mongolia’s Munkhtuya Tungalag, who prevailed 3-0, 0-1, 3-1.

Day 2 of the three-day event is set for Friday in Canada. Americans Helen Maroulis (Rockville, Md./New York AC) and Iris Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) are scheduled to compete.

Maroulis placed fifth in the 2011 World Championships at 55 kg/121 lbs. Smith is making her first appearance at the Worlds since she captured a World title in 2005 at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.

Competition is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Mountain Time on Friday with the medal matches set for 7 p.m.

FILA WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sherwood Park, Canada

Thursday’s medal winners

51 kg/112.25 lbs.
Gold – Jessica MacDonald (Canada)
Silver – Yanan Sun (China)
Bronze – Alyssa Lampe (USA)
Bronze – Kumari Babita (India)

59 kg/130 lbs.
Gold – Lan Zhang (China)
Silver – Zalina Sidakova (Belarus)
Bronze – Munkhtuya Tungalag (Mongolia)
Bronze – Olga Butkevych (Great Britain)

67 kg/147.5 lbs.
Gold – Adeline Gray (USA)
Silver – Dorothy Yeats (Canada)
Bronze – Yan Hong (China)
Bronze – Yoshiko Inoue (Japan)

Finals matchups

51 kg/112.25 lbs.
Jessica MacDonald (Canada) dec. Yanan Sun (China), 1-1, 4-2

59 kg/130 lbs.
Lan Zhang (China) dec. Zalina Sidakova (Belarus), 0-1, 1-1, 2-0

67 kg/147.5 lbs.
Adeline Gray (USA) pinned Dorothy Yeats (Canada), 4-0, 1:56

U.S. performances

51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Alyssa Lampe, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) – BRONZE MEDAL
WIN Anzhela Dorogan (Azerbaijan), fall 1:55
WIN Roksana Zasina (Poland), 1-0, 1-0
LOSS Yanan Sun (China), 1-2, 4-4, 2-2
WIN Abdutalipova Abdutalipova (Kazakhstan), 2-1, 1-0

59 kg/130 lbs. – Leigh Jaynes, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) – 10th
LOSS Munkhtuya Tungalag (Mongolia), 0-3, 1-0, 1-3

67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Adeline Gray, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) – GOLD MEDAL
WIN Dzhanan Manolova (Bulgaria), 3-0, 2-0 
WIN Yoshiko Inoue (Japan), 1-1, 3-0
WIN Kaur Navjot (India), fall 1:59
WIN Dorothy Yeats (Canada), 4-0, fall 1:56