2025 Final X

The Complete And Total 2025 Final X Women's Preview

The Complete And Total 2025 Final X Women's Preview

Breaking down all 10 women's matchups happening June 14 in Newark, NJ that will decide Team USA's 2025 senior world team!

Jun 11, 2025 by Kyle Klingman
The Complete And Total 2025 Final X Women's Preview

All ten women's matchups that will decide Team USA's 2025 women's world team are going down inside the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, on Saturday, June 14. Below, we break down each women's weight class of Final X. 

50kg: Audrey Jimenez vs Erin Golston

Key Credentials

Audrey Jimenez, 19
2025 Pan-Am champion
2x US Open champion (2023, 2025)
2024 Arizona boys’ high school state champion
2023 U23 World silver medalist
2023 U20 World silver medalist
2022 U20 World silver medalist
2021 Cadet World bronze medalist

Erin Golston, 32
2x US Open champion
3x Olympic Trials qualifier (2016, 2020, 2024)
2024 Bill Farrell Memorial International champion
2022 Bill Farrell Memorial International champion
2013 Junior World silver medalist
2012 Junior World bronze medalist
2011 Junior World bronze medalist

Match History

Jimenez leads, 3-0

2023 US Open semifinals: Jimenez teched Golston, 13-2
2024 Olympic Trials semifinals: Jimenez teched Golston, 10-0
2025 US Open finals: Jimenez teched Golston, 11-0

How They Reached Final X

Jimenez reached Final X by winning this year’s US Open. She entered as the top seed and won 10-0 over Rebekah Jimenez (R32), fall over Avery Kibelbek (R16), 10-0 over Emilie Gonzalez (quarters), 10-0 over Heather Crull (semis), 11-0 over Erin Golston (finals). 

Golston reached Final X by winning the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. She entered as the top seed and won 10-0 over Heather Crull (semis) and 4-2 over Kendra Ryan (finals).

What Can You Expect?

This matchup is a rising star versus an established veteran. 

Jimenez has looked better than ever since finishing second at the 2024 Olympic Trials to eventual Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hildebrandt. She is an offensive juggernaut, scoring takedowns and transitioning into turns. 

The Tucson, Arizona, native scored an impressive 18-8 win over 2024 Olympic silver Yusneylis Guzman (Cuba) during the semifinals of the Pan-Am Championships. She fell behind 6-0 before storming back with a takedown and five straight turns late in the match. 

Golston reached Final X for the first time during a long and successful career. She has consistently represented the US National Team and has won three age-level World medals. 

This series is about who can strike first. Jimenez is dangerous on top and keeps a high pace. She hit a sweep single within the first eight seconds of their most recent match and stayed on the offense, scoring a takedown and two laces to end the match, 11-0 in the first. 

Jimenez has outscored Golston 33-2 in three matches, so defense is paramount for the Lake in the Hills, Illinois, native. Golston has excellent leg shots and can scramble, but she’ll need to be selective in this series. 

The fewer the points scored, the better for Golston. It will be a challenging task to face someone as dynamic as Jimenez.

Jimenez scored an 18-8 tech over 2024 Olympic silver medalist Yusneylis Guzman:

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53kg: Brianna Gonzalez vs Felicity Taylor

Key Credentials

Brianna Gonzalez, 20
2025 US Open champion
2024 NCWWC finalist
2x NCWWC All-American
2024 U20 World Teamer

Felicity Taylor, 24
2x NCWWC (NCAA) champion (2021, 2024)
5x college national finalist (2019-22, ‘24)
2x U23 World Teamer (2019, 2022)
2x Senior National Team (2022, 2024)

Match History

Series Tied: 2-2
2024 NCWWC Regional Final: Gonzalez over Taylor, 9-3
2024 NCWWC Championships final: Taylor over Gonzalez, 9-2
2024 Olympic Trials Consolation Round 3: Taylor over Gonzalez, 9-4
2025 US Open finals: Gonzalez over Taylor, 6-5

How They Reached Final X

Gonzalez reached Final X by winning this year’s US Open. She entered as the seventh seed and won 11-2 over Jaslynn Gallegos (R16), 3-0 over Katie Gomez (quarters), 13-2 over Sage Mortimer (semis), and 6-5 over Felicity Taylor (finals). 

Taylor reached Final X by winning the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. She entered as the top seed and won 10-0 over Sydney Petzinger (semis) and 13-1 over Sage Mortimer (finals).

What Can You Expect?

This best-of-three series has it all with former Iowa Hawkeye teammates facing off for the fifth, sixth, and possibly seventh time. 

Taylor wrestled at 123 pounds for most of her super senior season at Iowa before dropping to 116 for the Grand View Open, NCWWC regionals, and the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships. Standing in her way was Gonzalez, a freshman teammate, who started the entire season. 

Gonzalez dominated the regional final, 9-3, before Taylor turned the tables for a 9-2 victory in the national finals. Taylor secured a second win a few weeks later at the Olympic Trials. Gonzalez evened the series with a come-from-behind 6-5 win in the 2025 US Open finals. 

Both train in the Iowa City area but compete for different clubs: Gonzalez for the Iowa Women’s Wrestling Club and Taylor for Big Game. 

Gonzalez was a surprise US Open champion after finishing fifth at the 2025 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships and third at U23 Nationals. Taylor was forced into the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament after falling to Gonzalez, but looked inspired by notching two dominant technical superiorities. 

Taylor raced to a 4-0 lead during their last match, using short offense and stuffing an extended shot by Gonzalez. The El Monte, California, native used a straight single to the left side in the second, scoring two takedowns and a turn before Taylor scored a one-point reversal. 

Each match has been different, so game planning and adjustments are paramount.

Can Taylor get to her front headlock and score on go-behinds?

Can Gonzalez hit her single from space? 

And can both wrestlers get to their turns?

The answers will determine who makes this year’s World Team. 

Gonzalez looked sharp during her 3-0 quarterfinal win at the 2025 US Open:

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55kg: Cristelle Rodriguez vs Everest Leydecker

Key Credentials

Cristelle Rodriguez, 21
2025 U23 champion
2x NAIA champion (2024-25)
2024 U20 World champion
2023 U20 World teamer
2019 Cadet World silver medalist
2x California state champion (2019-20)

Everest Leydecker, 17
2024 U20 World Team Trials champion
2024 U17 World Teamer (did not compete)
3x Who’s Number One winner (2022-24)
2024 Super 32 champion
2022 16U National champion

Match History

Rodriguez leads, 1-0

2025 US Open finals: Rodriguez over Leydecker, 4-1

How They Reached Final X

Rodriguez reached Final X by winning this year’s US Open. She entered as the three seed and won 10-0 over Cailin Campbell (R16), 10-0 over Sydney Stifter (quarters), 10-0 over Louisa Schwab (semis), and 4-1 over Everest Leydecker (finals).

Leydecker reached Final X by winning the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. She entered as the top seed and won 10-0 over Julia Vidallon (semis) and 11-0 over Ronna Gross (finals). 

What Can You Expect?

Rodriguez is a uniquely gifted wrestler who can score with low-level, mid-level, and upper-body attacks. And she’s tough to take down. These tools were on display during her gold medal run at the 2024 U20 World Championships. She also has the killer instinct and will look to end matches early.

Her U20 gold medal final was particularly memorable. Rodriguez buried an underhook, grabbed the far wrist, and tossed her Mongolian foe for the fall in 59 seconds. 

The Clovis, California, native considered quitting wrestling after high school before Dana Vote convinced her to attend Doane University. Good thing she stayed the course. Rodriguez is developing into a high-level senior wrestler and could be a medal threat.

Standing in the way of her first Senior World team is Everest Leydecker, a tough-as-nails high school junior who is making history. She is already the first three-time Who’s Number One women’s winner and could become the first female to accomplish the feat later this year. 

And she could join an elite group of U.S. high schoolers to make a Senior World team. 

Leydecker blitzed the U20 field at Women’s Nationals, taking over the 55 kg spot filled by Rodriguez last year. She had an impressive run at the US Open, scoring two 10-0 techs before a 2-1 win over 2024 World Teamer Areana Villaescusa in the semis.

Rodriguez defeated Leydecker, 4-1, in the US Open finals — hitting a low single off the whistle for two and a go-behind for another two. All the scoring happened in the first 39 seconds after Leydecker scored a one-point reversal following the first takedown. The Phoenix, Arizona, native made adjustments, working a two-on-one and an underhook, but Rodriguez stayed solid as Ledecker worked to score.

The high school superstar made adjustments at the World Team Trials Challenge tournament, scoring an 11-0 tech over Ronna Gross in the finals. Gross is a seasoned veteran, having made the 2020 Olympic and 2021 World Team Trials final. 

Position and pace are the name of the game in this best-of-three series. Rodriguez shoots off the whistle, and Leydecker needs to minimize early scoring. 

Look out for points off scrambles. Leydecker created unique scoring opportunities during her match against Gross. Rodriguez is an equal-opportunity pinner and can put matches away early if you aren’t careful. 

Rodriguez looked exceptional during her U20 World gold medal match:

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57kg: Helen Maroulis vs Amanda Martinez

Key Credentials

Helen Maroulis, 33
2016 Olympic gold medalist
2x Olympic bronze medalist (2021, 2024)
3x World champion (2015, 2017, 2021)
2x World silver medalist (2012, 2022)
2x World bronze medalist (2014, 2023)

Amanda Martinez, 26
2025 Pan-Am bronze medalist
2025 US Open champion
2x NCWWC (NCAA) finalist (2020, 2021)
2021 U23 World Teamer

Match History

Maroulis leads, 1-0

2022 Zouhaier Sghaier: Maroulis fall over Martinez

How They Reached Final X

Maroulis received an automatic Final X bid as a returning Olympic medalist. 

Martinez reached Final X by winning this year’s US Open. She entered as the two seed and won 11-0 over Gabby Weyhrich (R16), 9-0 over Carolina Moreno (quarters), 6-0 over Lorianna Piestewa (semis), and by forfeit over Jacarra Winchester (finals).

What Should You Expect? 

Maroulis has done it all. In 2016, she became the first American to win the Olympics in women’s freestyle wrestling. She’s also a three-time World champion, a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, and a 10-time World and Olympic medalist. 

The Rockville, Maryland, native hasn’t competed in a women’s freestyle event since the 2024 Olympics on August 8-9, but won the lightweight blue belt division (61.5 kg) at the no-gi Worlds on December 13, 2024.

There is every reason to believe that Maroulis will make her 15th World/Olympic this year. She is technically savvy and positionally sound. And her track record speaks for itself. Her last domestic loss was to Jenna Burkert at the 2020 Olympic Trials.

Almost everyone is the underdog against Maroulis, so a series win by Martinez would mark one of the biggest upsets in U.S. history. 

The Riverside, Illinois, native is a fighter, so expect her to wrestle like it’s a phone booth rather than a wrestling mat. 

Her best chance is to push the pace, take selective shots, and test Maroulis’s conditioning. Time is still undefeated, and Martinez needs to double down on its spotless record.

Until proven otherwise, Maroulis will continue to make World and Olympic teams. 


59kg: Jacarra Winchester vs Abby Nette

Key Credentials

Jacarra Winchester, 32
2019 World champion
2020 Olympian (5th)
2023 World silver medalist
6x World/Olympic team member
2021 Pan-Am champion
2015 WCWA champion

Abby Nette, 28
2025 US Open champion
2024 World Military Games silver medalist
2022 World Teamer (10th)
2x U23 World Teamer (2018, 2019)
2x WCWA champion (2019, 2020)

Match History

Winchester leads, 2-0

2024 Olympic Trials semifinals: Winchester over Nette, 11-0
2023 US Nationals quarterfinals: Winchester over Nette, 6-4

How They Reached Final X

Nette reached Final X by winning the 2025 US Open. She entered as the three-seed and won 10-0 over Katrina Kling (R16), fall over Emily Frost (quarters), 10-0 over Xochitl Mota-Pettis, and fall over Michaela Beck (finals). 

Winchester reached Final X by winning the 2025 World Team Trials challenge tournament. She entered as the one seed and won by fall over Emily Frost (quarters), 10-0 over Xochitl Mota-Pettis (semis), and 7-3 over Lexi Janiak (finals). 

What Should You Expect? 

Winchester has a full toolbox. Sweep single. Straight single. Inside trip. Knee pick. Go-behind. Throw-by. Snap. Gut wrench. Bar arm. Leg lace.

No technique is off limits for one of America’s biggest stars. 

The Oakland, California, native has won at five different weights.

53 kg: 2020 Olympian.

55 kg: 2019 World gold and 2023 silver.

57 kg: 2024 Olympic Trials best-of-three finals.

59 kg: 2024 World Teamer.

62 kg: 2023 US National champion. 

Winchester was entered at 55 kg for the World Team Trials Challenge tournament but moved up to 59 kg hours before the competition. She breezed through the first two rounds before posting a 7-3 win over Lexi Janiak in the finals. 

Nette looked better than ever at the 2025 US Open, securing two techs and two falls. She wrestled with inspiration after losing her father on Feb. 26, and discussed his influence during her post-US Open interview

Winchester is the betting favorite after posting two wins in two years over Nette. Their match history is only an indicator, and won’t determine the winner in a best-of-three series. Nette needs to wrestle her absolute best to make her second World team against someone as seasoned as Winchester. 

Winchester reached Final X with this win over Lexi Janiak:

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62kg: Kayla Miracle vs Adaugo Nwachukwu

Key Credentials

Adaugo Nwachukwu, 22
2025 Zagreb Open champion
2025 U23 National champion
2024 Military World champion
2022 U20 World bronze medalist
3x NAIA champion (2022-24)
4x age-level World Teamer

Kayla Miracle, 29
2025 US Open champion
2x Olympian (2020, 2024)
2x World silver medalist (2021, 2022)
4x Senior World Teamer (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023)
4x WCWA champion (2015-18)
4x age-level World medalist

Match History

Miracle leads, 4-0

2025 US Open final: Miracle over Nwachukwu, 4-0
2023 Final X, Match 2: Miracle over Nwachukwu, 10-3
2023 Final X, Match 1: Miracle over Nwachukwu, 6-1
2022 US Open semifinals: Miracle over Nwachukwu, 10-0

How They Reached Final X

Miracle reached Final X by winning the 2025 US Open. She entered as the one seed and won 10-0 over Makayla Correa (R16), 12-1 over Samantha Barragan (quarters), 10-0 over SaVannah Cosme (semis), and 4-0 over Adaugo Nwachukwu (finals). 

Nwachukwu reached Final X by winning the 2025 World Team Trials challenge tournament. She entered as the one seed and won 10-0 over Samantha Barragan (quarters), Alara Boyd (semis), and by fall over SaVannah Cosme (finals). 

What Should You Expect? 

Nwachukwu has come a long way since she faced Miracle for the first time in the 2022 US Open semifinals as a teenager. The former Iowa Wesleyan star was fresh off her first NAIA Invitational title and new to senior-level competition. 

Miracle turned a go-behind into a trapped-arm gut-wrench for a 10-0 tech in under a minute. Nwachuckwu eventually finished third but became a college superstar, wowing fans with her spectacular moves and high-aplitude throws. Fans naturally gravitate to her mat, expecting something grand. 

They have faced off three times since, with Miracle winning them all, but the scoring gap has closed. The Culver, Indiana, native scored off of two carries during their most recent match, but her arsenal is deep and diverse. She’s just as good at counters, scrambling, and turns. 

Nwachukwu has been more active this year, winning the Zagreb Open and then taking bronze at the Muhamet Malo Tournament. She split matches with World champion Bilyana Dudova, proving she can compete at an elite senior level. The San Jose, California, native is among the bright stars in the Army's World Class Athlete Program.

Miracle took a break after the 2024 Olympics and didn’t compete until the 2025 US Open. She considered retiring, but reignited her flame in the Valiant College Prep room. The former Campbellsville star is a mathematics teacher there and trains with Helen Maroulis, Michaela Beck, SaVannah Cosme, Everest Leydecker, and the boys’ high school team.

This Final X series is a clash of styles, and each is impressive. Overaggressiveness against Miracle is a mistake, but a heat-seeking missile from Nwachukwu could change the tide of a match. 

Scoring once on Miracle is difficult. Doing it multiple times in a best-of-three series is the ultimate challenge for Nwachukwu.

Nwachukwu won in the closing seconds over World champion Bilyana Dudova:

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65kg: Macey Kilty vs Aine Drury

Key Credentials

Macey Kilty, 24
2025 Pan-Am champion
2025 NCWWC (NCAA) champion
2024 World bronze medalist
2023 World silver medalist
6x age-level World medalist
2x Olympic Trials best-of-three finalist (2021, 2024)
2018 Cadet World champion

Aine Drury, 23
2025 US Open champion
2024 U23 Pan-Am champion
2024 NCWWC (NCAA) finalist
2x NCWWC (NCAA) All-American
2023 CCCAA champion

Match History

Kilty leads, 4-0

2025 NCWWC semifinals: Kilty over Drury, 10-0
2024 World Team Trial, Match 2: Kilty over Drury, 12-1
2024 World Team Trials, Match 1: Kilty over Drury, 10-0
2023 US Open semifinals: Kilty over Drury, 11-0

How They Reached Final X

Kilty received an automatic bid to Final X as a returning 2024 World medalist. 

Aine Drury reached Final X by winning the US Open. She entered as the two seed and won 11-0 over Josselinne Campos (R16), by fall over Gabriella Perez (quarters), by fall over Jennifer Page (semis), and 8-7 over Bella Mir (finals). 

What Should You Expect? 

Drury won this year’s US Open after a fifth-place finish at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships. She fell to Kilty in the semis, then was headlocked and pinned by Elmira’s Zoey Lints in the consolation semis after posting a 2-0 lead. 

The Westminster, California, native rebounded with an impressive run through the US Open, including an exciting 8-7 win over Bella Mir in the finals. Drury won the 2024 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament with wins over age-level World medalists Alara Boyd and Skylar Hattendorf, and Senior World bronze medalist Jennifer Page. 

She’s a selective shooter but explodes for big moves when she goes on the offensive. Will that be enough to take down one of America’s most consistent winners?

Kilty owns this weight after suffering shoulder injuries in 2021 and 2022 while competing at 62 kg. She currently has no domestic peers at 65 kg. 

The Stratford, Wisconsin, native stays in solid position, pushes the pace, uses short offense, and turns on top. Few U.S. wrestlers at her weight survive full six-minute matches, and, if they do, the score is lopsided. 

Making gains is the name of the game for Drury. Recent match history and international results give Kilty a big edge, so closing the gap should be at the forefront of Drury’s mind at Final X. 

Drury had an 8-7 shootout with Bella Mir in the 2025 US Open finals:

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68kg: Kennedy Blades vs Brooklyn Hays

Key Credentials

Kennedy Blades, 21
2025 Pan-Am champion
2025 US Open champion
2025 NCWWC (NCAA) champion
2024 Olympic silver medalist
2023 U23 World silver medalist
2023 U20 World silver medalist
2021 Junior World champion

Brooklyn Hays, 21
2x U23 National champion (2024, 2025)
2025 U23 Pan-Am champion
2024 Pan-Am champion
2023 NCWWC (NCAA) All-American (6th)
2022 Junior National champion

Match History

Blades leads, 1-0

2023 U20 World Team Trials semifinals: Blades over Hays, 10-0

How They Reached Final X

Blades reached Final X by winning the US Open. She entered as the one seed and won 13-0 over Alexandra Lopez (quarters), 10-0 over Noelle Gaffney (semis), 10-0 over Solin Piearcy (finals). 

Hays reached Final X by winning the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. She entered as the two seed and won 4-2 over Latifah McBryde (semis) and 4-0 over Solin Piearcy (finals). 

What Should You Expect? 

Hays has an unmatched zest for life. Win or lose, the Lindon, Utah, native is always smiling and happy to be on the mat. She was thrilled to reach Final X after winning the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, giving an excitable interview following her 4-0 win over Solin Piearcy.

Blades likes to have fun, too. And she likes to throw her opponents. Spectacular five-point belly-to-back suplays have become commonplace, and it has made her one of the most popular wrestlers in the world. 

The Chicago, Illinois, native is an exceptional wrestler with fast, powerful moves. Blades won an Olympic silver medal at 76 kg but was undersized for the weight. She naturally dropped to 68 kg this year, giving up an automatic Final X berth at the heaviest women’s freestyle class. 

So far, so good for the 2025 USA Wrestling Women’s College Wrestler of the Year. She outscored three opponents 33-0 at the US Open, then won the Pan-Am Championships a few days later. 

Hays is a student of the sport, recognized by coaches and teammates as a diligent worker. It will take a world-class game plan and a brilliant match strategy to knock off Blades. 

Winning one match over Blades is challenging enough. Winning two matches might be an impossible mission. 

Just know that Hays will have the time of her life as she attempts one of the biggest upsets in wrestling history. 

Watch every Kennedy Blades match at the 2025 US Open:

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72kg Amit Elor vs Alex Glaudé

Unfortunatley, Amit Elor announced on her social media on Tuesday, June 10, that she will be unable to compete at Final X due to injuries. As a result, 2025 US Open winner Alex Glaude will represent Team USA at 72kg in women's wrestling at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. 


76kg: Kylie Welker vs Dymond Guilford

Key Credentials

Kylie Welker, 21
2025 US Open champion
2x NCWWC (NCAA) champion (2024, 2025)
2024 Senior World bronze medalist
2024 U23 World champion
2021 U23 World bronze medalist
2021 Junior World champion
2019 Cadet World bronze medalist

Dymond Guilford, 26
2025 Muhamet Malo Tournament champion
4x college national champion (2019, 2022-23)
2022 U23 World silver medalist
2022 Senior World teamer
2022 Pan-Am champion

Match History: Welker leads, 3-2

2024 Olympic Trials, Third Place: Welker over Guilford, 5-4
2023 Missouri Valley Open finals: Guilford over Welker, 4-2
2023 Final X, Third Place: Welker over Guilford, 8-5
2023 US Open quarterfinals: Guilford over Welker, Fall 2:32
2020 Olympic Trials semifinals: Welker over Guilford, 8-0

How They Reached Final X

Welker reached Final X by winning the US Open. She entered as the one seed and won 10-0 over Alyssa Arana (R16), 10-0 over Shenita Lawson (quarters), 10-0 over Marlynne Deede (semis), and 11-0 over Yelena Makoyed (finals)

Elor reached Final X by winning the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. She entered as the two seed and won 12-0 over Liliana Vergara (quarters), by fall over Marylnne Deede (quarters), and 5-3 over Yelena Makoyed (finals). 

What Should You Expect? 

Welker is on a hot streak. She hasn’t dropped a match during the calendar year and has only given up three points. No domestic opponent has scored on her in 2025, winning four US Open matches by a 41-0 count. 

The Franksville, Wisconsin, native is an offensive juggernaut, hitting snatch singles, knee taps, counters, and turns seemingly at will. And she continues to improve. She won a Senior World bronze and U23 World gold last year, and wants to continue that trend at Final X. 

Her opponent will have something to say about that. 

The pair have met five times with Welker holding a 3-2 edge, but Guilford is a unique challenge for Welker. Welker led 8-0 during their 2023 US Open quarterfinal, before Guilford pancaked her for a fall. 

During their last three matches, Welker has outscored Guilford 15-13, a stark contrast to Welker's destruction of virtually everyone else. 

Guilford’s results can be head-scratching at times. She will win tight matches over higher seeds, then dismantle a high-level wrestler who is competing well. 

That’s what makes her so dangerous in this series. 

Welker is the favorite, but Guilford should not be overlooked. She made the 2022 Senior World Team and is a consistent winner. Her explosive and powerful moves keep her in every match, regardless of the score. 

The United States is in good hands here, regardless of the winner. 

Watch Welker's gold medal match at the 2025 Pan-Am Championships:

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