Downing wins silver medal; U.S. team places fourth at the 1999 FILA Junior Women's World Championships, August 15
Katie Downing (Pendleton, Ind./UM-Morris) won the silver medal at 68 kg/149.75 lbs. to lead the U.S. FILA Junior Women's team to a fourth-place finish at the 1999 FILA Junior Women's World Championships, held in Bucharest, Romania, August 15. The competition features the best 17-20 year old women wrestlers in the world.
Downing advanced to the gold-medal match when she defeated Kristie Thibodeau of Canada, 6-2. She lost to Heidi Skemark of Sweden by a close 3-1 decision to claim the silver medal. Downing completed the tournament with a 3-1 record.
Iris Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./Minnesota Storm) lost by a fall at 3:00 to Timea Balint of Hungary in the bronze-medal match at 75 kg/165.25 lbs. Smith advanced to the medal round with two wins and only one loss.
Two U.S. wrestlers finished in sixth place: Jenny Wong (Woodbury, Minn./Minnesota Storm) at 54 kg/119 lbs. and Sara McMann (Lock Haven, Pa./UM-Morris) at 58 kg/127.75 lbs. Both Wong and McMann finished the tournament with a 1-1 record.
Thisbe Reardon (Oakley, Calif./Peninsula Grapplers) placed seventh at 43 kg/94.75 lbs. Olivia Ocampo (Oxnard, Calif./UM-Morris) and Aimee McNab (Malone, Wis./UM-Morris) placed ninth. Ocampo wrestled at 46 kg/101.25 lbs. and McNab wrestled at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. Ocampo was fourth at the 1998 FILA Junior World Championships.
The United States finished in fourth place with 34 points. Japan had the most team points with 60, followed by Russia with 57 points and Germany with 40 points.
The head coach was Doug Reese of Morris, Minn. and the assistant coach was Jack Griffin of Evanston, Ill.
1999 FILA Junior Women's World Championships
at Bucharest, Romania, August 12-15
Medalists
43 kg/94.75 lbs.: Gold - Natalia Ilina, Russia; Silver - Carena Mavelis, Venezuela; Bronze - Sarah Eninger, Germany
46 kg/101.25 lbs.: Gold - Irina McInic, Ukraine; Silver - Lilia Kaskarakova, Russia; Bronze - Miki Kanako, Japan
50 kg/110 lbs.: Gold - Atsuko Shinomura, Japan; Silver - Natalia Smirnova, Russia; Bronze - Tanja Sauter, Germany
54 kg/119 lbs.: Gold - Seiko Yamamoto, Japan; Silver - Tina Tsimpanako, Greece; Bronze - Sandra Hinterbauer, Austria
58 kg/127.75 lbs.: Gold - Rena Iwama, Japan; Silver - Tatiana Lazareva, Ukraine; Bronze - Lubov Volossova, Russia
63 kg/138.75 lbs.: Gold - Shoda Ayako, Japan; Silver - Anta Schatzle, Germany; Bronze - Rena Iwama, Japan
68 kg/149.75 lbs.: Gold - Heidi Skemark, Sweden; Silver - Katie Downing, United States; Bronze - Valentina Raytcheva, Bulgaria
75 kg/165.25 lbs.: Gold - Edyta Witkowska, Poland; Silver - Taeko Tomioka, Japan; Bronze - Timea Balint, Hungary
U.S. Medal Matches for August 15
68 kg/149.75 lbs. - Gold - Heidi Skemark, Sweden dec. Katie Downing, United States, 3-1
75 kg/165.25 lbs. - Bronze - Timea Balint, Hungary pin Iris Smith, United States, 3:00
U.S. Matches
43 kg/94.75 lbs. - Thisbe Reardon, Oakley, Calif., 7th - lost dec. to Gabriela Gherasim (Romania), 10-3; lost pin to Sarah Ehringer (Germany), 0:42
46 kg/101.25 lbs. - Olivia Ocampo, Oxnard, Calif., 9th - lost pin to Irina Melnic (Ukraine), 2:00; lost pin to Lilia Kaskarakova (Russia), 1:54
50 kg/110 lbs. - Danielle Hobeika, Cambridge, Mass., dnp - lost pin to Alina Skegariu (Romania), 1:15; lost pin to Atsuko Shinomura (Japan), 1:01; lost pin to Agoro Papavasiliov (Greece), 4:15
54 kg/119 lbs. - Jenny Wong ,Woodbury, Minn., 6th - lost dec. to Konstantina Tsipanokov (Greece), 9-2; pin Angelica Olariu (Romania), 1:28
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Sara McMann, Lock Haven, Pa., 6th - pin Mirela Bunnichi (Romania), 0:53; lost by tech. fall to Lubov Volossova (Russia), 16-5, 5:03
63 kg/138,75 lbs. - Aimee McNab, Malone, Wis., 9th - lost dec. to Diana Ortiz Carabali (Venezuela), 10-9; lost pin to Evgenia Perepkina (Russia), 0:42; lost pin to Olga Khilko (Belarus), 1:20
68 kg/149.75 lbs. - Katie Downing, Pendleton, Ind., 2nd - dec. Natalia Zverena (Russia), 6-2; pin Mihaela Sandu Oana (Romania), 4:12; dec. Kristie Thibodeau (Canada), 6-2; lost dec. to Keidi Skemark, Sweden, 3-1
75 kg/165.25 lbs. - Iris Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo., 4th - pin Katarina Halova (Czech Rep.), 0:11; won by tech. fall over Anna Kotchergina (Russia), 10-0, 4:35; lost pin to Tomioka Taeko (Japan), 2:45; lost pin to Timea Balint, Hungary, 3:00
Team Scores
1. Japan - 60 pts.; 2. Russia - 57 pts.; 3. Germany - 40 pts.; 4. United States - 34 pts.; 5. Ukraine - 32 pts.; 6. Poland - 28 pts. and Greece - 28 pts.; 8. Canada - 25 pts.; 9. Sweden - 24 pts.; 10. Romania - 20.5 pts.; 11. Bulgaria - 20 pts.; 12. France - 18 pts.; 13. Venezuela - 14 pts.; 14. Hungary - 8.5 pts.; 15. Czech Republic - 8 pts.; 16. Austria - 7 pts. and Belarus - 7 pts.