Marano vs. Pruszko is the new “Bout of the Week” on USA Wrestling Members-Only website
<< Back to Articles
Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
01/24/2004
USA Wrestling has updated its new "Bout of the Week" on USA Wrestling's Members-Only website. The featured match this week will be the gold-medal finals of the 2003 World Championships of Freestyle Wrestling featuring Kristie Marano of the United States and Ewelina Pruszko of Poland at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. in women's freestyle. The event was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City. Witness Marano in her gold-medal performance, her second career World gold medal and a record seventh Women's World medal for her career. Marano has won World medals than any U.S. female athlete, an amazing seven medals in seven World Championships appearances. She won her first World medal, a silver, as a high school student in New York. Now, at the age of 24, she has more World medals than any other U.S. women's wrestling star (two golds, four silvers, one bronze). Marano has a unique style, which includes many throws learned in judo and Greco-Roman wrestling, along with a strong foundation of wrestling basics. Coaches marvel at the mental toughness of this athlete, who seems to be at her best at the most important events. Pruszko has faced Marano two straight years in a medal match at the World Championships. In the 2002 World meet in Greece, Marano defeated Pruszko in the World bronze-medal bout. Pruszko burst onto the international women's scene in 1998, winning the Junior World title and the Senior European title. She has placed in the top 10 of her weight class in all five Senior World Championships that she has entered. This popular feature will be changed on a regular basis, allowing members to enjoy many of the greatest matches in wrestling history. Moving into the archived section of Bouts of the Week was last week's 1999 Stephen Neal vs. Andrei Shumilin men's freestyle match. Also in the archives is the first posting since the redesign of the Members-Only page was the 2003 Cael Sanderson vs. Sajid Sajidov men's freestyle match. Each Bout of the Week will be placed in this archive, allowing members access to numerous other outstanding bouts. USA Wrestling has done a complete redesign and expansion of its Members-Only website, providing all USA Wrestling members with an impressive new resource stocked with interactive learning tools and entertaining features. This on-line resource is available free of charge only to current members of USA Wrestling, one of the most exciting benefits of joining the organization. USA Wrestling members will only need to enter the number from their 2003-04 membership card into an entry form, and the exciting new Members-Only page will become available to them.