Dake, Blades find Olympic success on emotional Day 6

Kyle Dake (left) and Kennedy Blades (right) were very thankful as they were both successful on Saturday at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. (Justin Hoch photos)

By Tristan Warner

PARIS – The sixth day of Olympic wrestling at Champ de Mars Arena was an emotional one for Team USA that saw  Kennedy Blades reach Sunday’s gold medal match   in women’s freestyle, while Kyle Dake collected his second-straight Olympic bronze medal  in men’s freestyle.

WIN Publisher Bryan Van Kley (left) and Assistant Editor Tristan Warner are in Paris all week covering the Olympics. Click on the photo to watch their daily video recaps.

Meanwhile, Kyle Snyder, competing in his third Olympics at 97 kg in men’s freestyle, posted a 2-1 record on Saturday, losing a narrow 6-4 decision to reigning World champion Akhmed Tazhudinov (Bahrain) in the semis. Snyder, also representing the Nittany Lions Wrestling Club, will wrestle in the bronze-medal match on Sunday morning.

Zain Retherford, competing in men’s freestyle at 65 kilograms, dropped an opening round bout to former World champion Rahman Amouzad (Iran), but the Pennsylvania native was pulled back into repechage after Amouzad reeled off two more dominating wins to reach the finals. Unfortunately,  the former NCAA champ from Penn State was forced to withdraw from the competition in Paris as a medical precaution after sustaining a head injury during Saturday’s tournament.

Olympic rookie Blades reaches gold medal match

Competing in her first Olympics, the 20-year-old Illinois native reeled off three-straight victories Saturday to punch her ticket to Sunday’s gold-medal match.

Blades used a series of takedowns to build an 8-2 lead on top-seeded Aiperi Medet Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan) and held on late and win 8-6 despite a rally from the former World fifth-place finisher to qualify for the gold medal bout.

“When the buzzer went, I was just so happy and had so much emotion and slapped the mat,” Blades said. “I knew I had an Olympic medal; obviously, I want to win, but I’m just so happy (to have clinched a medal).”

Blades will square off in Sunday’s gold-medal match against No. 2 seed Yuka Kagami (Japan) while looking to give the American women a third gold medal with Amit Elor and Sarah Hildebrandt. If Blades is successful, both Team USA and Japan will each have three champions in this year’s tournament.

Kennedy Blades (left) opened her first Olympics with a stunning suplex to beat Catalina Axente of Romania. (Justin Hoch photo)

Blades built a quick 6-0 lead in the opening bout against No. 4 seed Catalina Axente (Romania) before sending the arena into a frenzy with a high-flying five-point throw that ended the match by technical superiority, 11-0.

Axente, who received medical attention and was removed from the arena via backboard stretcher, was taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons, according to a UWW statement.

“Honestly, before my matches, I do pray,” Blades commented. “I also pray to God that we both are protected. It’s just a match; we just want to go out there and have fun and see who’s the best. I would never want my opponents to be hurt.

“So, when she was laying there, I did say a prayer to make sure she was okay. She only has a few strained muscles, thank God, so she’ll be okay. It was really nice that the coach texted my coach. At the end of the day, we’re all one big, huge wrestling family.”

In the quarterfinal, Blades faced a stiff test from Cuba’s Milaimys Marin, but the American avenged her previous loss to the Cuban en route to a 4-3 decision and semifinal berth.

Snyder defeated; will wrestle for bronze 

Kyle Snyder, the 2016 gold medalist and 2023 silver medalist, opened the tournament with a second-period rally to defeat China’s Awusayiman Habila, who scored a four-point throw early and took a 4-1 lead at the break. The Maryland native flipped a switch in the second frame, however, reeling off three unanswered takedowns to win, 9-5.

Kyle Snyder (left) will now wrestle for bronze at 97 kilos on Sunday after losing to Bahrain’s Akhmed Tazhudinov. (Justin Hoch photo)

In the quarters, Snyder used a lateral drop to pin Cuba’s Arturo Silot at the 3:26 mark, guaranteeing himself a slot to wrestle for his third consecutive Olympic medal.

Snyder’s semifinal bout saw the American surrender two low-single takedowns and lose to the reigning 2023 World champion, Akhmed Tazhudinov (Bahrain), who defeated Snyder in last fall’s World Championships.

Dake collects second-straight Olympic bronze

Kyle Dake recollected himself after Friday’s semifinal loss and took the mat in the 74-kilogram bronze-medal bout against Hetik Cabolov (Serbia).

CLICK HERE TO WATCH DAKE TALK ABOUT BRONZE MEDAL VICTORY & HIS FUTURE

In one of the more controversially scored matches of the tournament — a bout in which several minutes-long stoppages delayed the action and consecutive coaches’ challenges led to scoring that bewildered the fans and announcers — Dake found himself trailing 4-1 with under a minute remaining on the clock.

Kyle Dake (right) scored nine points in the final minute to help him rally to beat Hetik Cabolov of Serbia and earn the bronze medal at 74 kilograms in men’s freestyle. (Justin Hoch photo)

The former Cornell NCAA champ-turned-NLWC athlete picked up the pace late, scoring a takedown on the edge with 31 ticks left.

Dake snapped and spun, then lifted the Serbian foe and back-arched for a crowd-pleasing five-point throw as the American contingency erupted from the stands above.

A 10-4 final score gave Dake his second Olympic bronze medal and the USA its third overall medal in men’s freestyle, adding to Spencer Lee’s silver medal and Aaron Brooks’ bronze medal … and helpful to the New York native who lost his father Doug prior to the Olympic Trials in April.

“I’m really happy to come away with something,” Dake said. “It’s a tough one to swallow. It’s just wrestling. It’s just wrestling,”.

Speaking on his 20-12 semifinal loss to Japan’s Daichi Takatani, Dake found it in himself to finish strong for Team USA.

“(Takatani) got to my leg,” Dake said. “It’s something I work on, not letting guys get to my legs. I score a lot of points there, but you fall up short sometimes. Yesterday was a tough one. It’s not very often that I put up 12 points and lose a match, but it is what is. You come back better and stronger for the next time.”

Retherford forced to withdraw

Zain Retherford, the 2023 World champion at non-Olympic weight 70 kg, was beaten in the first round by Iranian Rahman Amouzad, a 2022 World champ at 65 kg, by an 8-0 tally. Retherford surrendered two takedowns and stepped out of bounds twice, while Amouzad added points for inactivity and fleeing.

A USA Wrestling release explained why Retherford, who earned a chance to compete in Sunday’s repechage, was forced to withdraw from the tournament.

“Retherford suffered a concussion while training in preparation for the Olympic Games and had recovered prior to the competition,” said the release. “During his bout against Amouzadkhali, his injury symptoms returned. With support of his coaches and in consultation with medical staff, the decision was made for Retherford to withdraw from the tournament.

 “Following the decision, Retherford expressed his gratitude to the Team USA fans, coaches, support staff and his family for the continued support and encouragement during this time.”

Full Saturday Match Notes:

Men’s Freestyle

 74k — Kyle Dake (Bronze Medalist)

Bronze Medal — dec. Hetik Cabolov (Serbia), 10-4 — Dake took out all of his frustration with officials in the final 30 seconds when he overcame a 4-1 deficit with a five-point suplex and two more exposure points to earn his second Olympic bronze medal.

The former Cornell star led 1-0 at the break before the Serb earned a step out and takedown to lead 3-1 with a minute left. Dake challenged the call, but the challenge was rejected and fell behind by three points before exploding at the end.

65k — Zain Retherford (withdraws from competition)

R16 – lost to Rahmann Amouzad (Iran), 8-0 — In this battle of World champions, Amouzad scored two takedowns — one in each period — and also added two stepouts and a caution-and-1 for fleeing.

97k — Kyle Snyder (Will wrestle for bronze)

R16 — dec. Awusayiman Hablia (China), 9-5 — Snyder battled back from a 4-0 deficit — after a challenge replay showed that Hablia’s counter throw put Snyder on hisback 30 seconds into the bout — by scoring all his points in the second period, including off three takedowns.

Quarterfinal — pinned Arturo Silot Torres, 5-0 3:36 — Snyder was only leading 1-0 — off a passivity point against the Cuban — at the break when he threw Silot Torres to his back and quickly earned the fall.

Semifinal — lost to Akhmed Tazhudinov (Bahrain), 6-4 — The 2023 World champion, who beat Snyder in last year’s Worlds, scored two low-ankle takedowns against Snyder. The first takedown occurred with eight seconds left in the first, with the second takedown leading to a two-point exposure to lead 6-1. Snyder fought back with a stepout and takedown in the final 20 seconds, but it was not enough.

Bronze Medal – Opponent to be decided for Sunday’s bout.

Women’s Freestyle

 76k – Kennedy Blades (Will wrestle for gold)

R16 – won by TF over Catalina Axente (Romania), 11-0 — The Olympic rookie ended the match with 1:30 when she executed a high-flying suplex against Axente. She led 6-0 at the break after scoring a pair of double-leg takedowns; the second double put the Romanian on her back 50 seconds into the match.

Quarterfinals — dec. Milaimy Marin Potrille (Cuba), 4-3 — Blades showed that she can win the close match, especially with 1:21 left in the second period when she countered a shot by the Cuban for a takedown for a 4-1 lead. Marin Potrille cut the margin to 4-3 on a takedown with 11 seconds left.

Semifinal — dec. Alperi Medet Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan), 8-6 — Blades scored two of her three takedowns in the second period to take an 8-2 lead; she then held off Medet Kyzy who scored a takedown and gut wrench in the final minute.

Gold Medal — vs. Yuka Kagami (Japan) on Sunday