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Iowans may not know her too well yet, but Hawkeye wrestler Kennedy Blades is making a name for herself at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The recent transfer into the Iowa women’s wrestling program put on a show in the first three matches of her run at the Olympics, going 3-0 and outscoring her opponents 23-9 to reach Sunday’s gold-medal match. Awaiting her there will be the winner of Columbia’s Tatiana Renteria vs. Japan’s Yuka Kagami.

While she hasn’t even worn a Hawkeye singlet yet, she’s already Iowa women’s wrestling’s first Olympian and Olympic medalist.

More: 2024 Paris Olympics wrestling live updates: Iowa’s Kennedy Blades makes gold medal match

Blades posted a highlight-reel victory against Romania’s Catalina Axente. First by hitting a blast double takedown for a 2-0 lead, followed by a four-point feet-to-back takedown for a 6-0 lead in the opening minute. After Axente closed in with a front headlock to try to limit Blades’ offense, Blades unleashed a grand amplitude throw on Axente, throwing her up and over onto her neck and back area for five points and an 11-0 technical fall.

Axente has to be carted off the mat as a result of that suplex.

Blades had a tough opponent next in Cuba’s Milaimy De La Caridad Marin Potrille, who beat Blades in July at the Spain Grand Prix by a 13-4 score. This time, Blades scored on a passivity clock violation on Marin Potrille, followed by a push-out and two-point exposure for a 4-3 win to avenge that loss and reach the semifinal.

In the Olympic semifinal at 76 kilograms, Blades took on Aiperi Medt Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan, a 25-year-old World silver medalist in 2023 and a World bronze medalist in 2021 (she also represented her country in the Tokyo Olympics). The two wrestled in a UWW rankings series match in February 2023, where Blades won by technical superiority (12-1).

This time, Blades kicked things off with a blast double once again, akin to a linebacker-like tackle for a 2-0 lead midway through the first period. Kyzy tied it quickly by grinding out a takedown with her upper body, but a push-out point gave Blades a 3-2 lead at the break.

More: Iowa Hawkeye women’s wrestling adds Olympian Kennedy Blades to roster

More: What to know about Iowa wrestling’s Kennedy Blades’ path ahead at the 2024 Olympics

In the second, Blades countered an attack and scored a go-behind takedown near the edge of the mat. It was challenged by Kyrgyzstan and confirmed by officials, so she led 6-2. Right from the whistle after the challenge, Blades went aggressive and scored another takedown to lead 8-2, but conceded a takedown and two-point exposure in the process to lead 8-6. From there, she locked back down and advanced to the gold-medal match.

If Blades wins on Sunday, it would be Team USA’s third gold medal at the Olympics, two of which would be coming from 20-year old wrestlers in Blades (if she wins) and Amit Elor (who already won). Sarah Hildebrandt won gold as well.

It’s a showing not only of Blades’ talent, but that of the entire Iowa women’s wrestling program. Not only by having a Olympic medalist with three years of eligibility on the squad, but also the talent across the board. Kylie Welker, Rose Cassioppi, Nyla Valencia, Brianna and Emilie Gonzalez, Reese Larramendy, Marlynne Deede, Felicity Taylor and Ava Bayless and recent transfer Macey Kilty all qualified for the Olympic Trials, and only two of them (Taylor and Deede) exhausted their eligibility this spring. Kilty reached the Olympic Trials final before losing to Elor and becoming her training partner for the Olympics.

While Blades was widely considered as one of the premier talents of wrestling, she had never made a senior-level team until the Olympics, casting a shade of doubt on how far talent alone would take her. She has proven any of those concerns to be misguided and is adding to an already strong presence in the Iowa women’s wrestling program.

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him atEmckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have one more chance at wrestling gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, in a way almost nobody expected.

Kennedy Blades committed to the Hawkeyes in July following a stint with the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club out of high school and attending Arizona State University. She qualified for the Olympics in April by defeating Adeline Gray, a six-time World champion and a 2020 Olympic silver medalist. While Blades lost to Gray at the 2020 Olympic Trials, then at the age of 17, she got her redemption by beating one of the United States’ all-time wrestlers.

Blades, 20, is one of the premier talents of the sport as a Junior World champion in 2021, but had never made a senior-level team until making the Olympic team.

“This was honestly my goal since I was seven. 2024 was definitely my goal,” Blades said. “I’ve never even made a Senior World team, so it’s just amazing to think I made an Olympic team.”

Before she becomes a Hawkeye, she has a dream to realize, so follow along for updates here on her journey throughout the day Saturday.

Quarterfinal matches getting set for Day 6 of wrestling at Olympics

WFS 76 kilograms

• Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy vs. India’s Reetika Reetika
• Team USA’s Kennedy Blades vs. Cuba’s Milaimy De La Caridad Marin Potrille
• Columbia’s Tatiana Renteria vs. Mongolia’s Davaanasan Enkh Amar
• Turkey’s Yasemin Adar Yigit vs. TBD

MFS 65 kilograms

• Armenia’s Vazgen Tevanyan vs. Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir
• Japan’s Kotaro Kiyooka vs. Puerto Rico’s Sebastian Rivera
• Hungary’s Ismail Musukaev vs. Azerbaijan’s Haji Aliyev
• Albania’s Islam Dudaev vs. Iran’s Rahman Mousa Amouzadkhalili

MFS 97 kilograms

• Azerbaijan’s Magomedkhan Magomedov vs. Poland’s Zbigniew Baranowski
• Georgia’s Givi Matcharashvili vs. Ukraine’s Murazi Mchedlidze
• Team USA’s Kyle Snyder vs. Cuba’s Arturo Silot Torres
• Kazakhstan’s Alisher Yergali vs. Bahrain’s Akhmed Tazhudinov

Future Hawkeye Kennedy Blades puts on show in first round

About all you could do while watching this was gasp at Blades dominance of Catalina Axente.

Blades from the first whistle flashed some of the most entertaining throws and moves we’ve seen from any wrestler all tournament. First going for a slick blast double and nearly into a cradle lock for a pin. When she didn’t get that, she came right back with a four point, feet-to-back throw to lead 6-0 going into the second period.

While Axente largely slowed up the match with front headlocks, Blades still found a way in the second period to line up the move of the Olympics thus far in wrestling, going for a five-point grand amplitude throw to lock up an 11-0 win over Axente. Axente fell onto her neck and had to be stretchered off the mat.

Blades will face Cuba’s Milaimy De La Caridad Marin Potrille next, who dominated Bulgaria’s Yuliana Vasileva Yaneva with seven first period points and held on for a 7-1 victory.

Team USA’s Zain Retherford drops first match to World champion

Retherford couldn’t of asked for a tougher first opponent, drawing Iran’s Rahman Mousa Amouzadkhalili. Amouzadkhalili. He’s a 2023 world champion and a three-time age-group world champion at 22 years old competing in his first Olympics.

Amouzadkhalili’s talent flashed here, getting a 8-0 lead and not conceding from there to defeat Retherford. Now, the American will need his opponent to reach the final to have a chance at bronze.

Team USA’s Kyle Snyder rallies to advance to quarterfinals

Down 4-0 to China’s Awusayiman Habila following a review that flipped points from Snyder to Habila, Snyder went on to outscore Habila 9-1 the rest of the way to advance.

It was a scare for the American, who is a three-time world champion looking for his third Olympic medal, but he eased Team USA’s nerves with a solid finish.

Bronze medal matches getting set for for second session of Day 6

MFS 74 kilograms

• AIN’s  Mahamed Khabib Kadzimahamedau OR Albania’s Chermen Valiev vs. Tajikstan’s Viktor Raddadin
• Team USA’s Kyle Dake vs. Serbia’s Hetik Cabolov

MFS 125 kilograms

• Kyrgyzstan’s Aiaal Lazarev vs. Turkey’s Taha Akgul
• Poland’s Robert Baran vs. Azerbaijan’s Giorgi Meshvildishvil

WFS 62 kilograms

• Mongolia’s Orkhon Purevdorj vs. Kyrgyzstan’s Aisuluu Tynybekova
• Canada’s Ana Gonzalez vs. Norway’s Grace Bullen

Kennedy Blades’ path

Blades will face Romania’s Catalina Axente, who took fifth at the World Championships in 2023 and is the No. 4 seed while Blades is unseeded. Following a win there, Blades would have the winner of Cuba’s Milaimy De La Caridad Marin Potrille or Bulgaria’s Yuliana Vasileva Yaneva. Potrille was a 2019 U23 World champion and a fifth-place winner at the 2023 Senior World Championships, while Yaneva won a 2023 gold medal at the European championships.

The top-seeded wrestler on her side of the bracket is Aiperi Medt Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan. She’s a 25-year-old World silver medalist in 2023 and a World bronze medalist in 2021. She thrashed Gray at the Zagreb Open in Croatia in a 10-0 technical fall. She’s wrestled in six World Championships prior to making this year’s Olympic team.

The 2023 World champion at 76 kilograms, and perhaps the favorite in Paris, is Yuka Kagami of Japan. At age 23, she is a World champion and a World bronze medalist, but remains on the other side of the bracket and could be a finals opponent should Blades get there.

Blades is young, but there is growing confidence as she was the betting favorite (+150) on DraftKings to win gold as of Friday night.

Who is Kyle Dake?

Dake is one of the best wrestlers in the United States at the moment as a four-time world champion and a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist. The former Cornell wrestler, where he won four NCAA titles, is Team USA’s representative at 74 kilograms.

After losing in the semifinal in an offensive showcase with Japan, Dake will face the winner of Cuba’s Geandry Garzo Caballero and Serbia’s Hetik Cabalov.

Who is Zain Retherford?

The former Penn State star, who won three NCAA championships, is hoping to remain on top of the world.

He is the reigning World champion at 70 kilograms, but he’ll be the Team USA representative at 65 kilograms in Paris. He won a World silver in 2022 as well.

Retherford has it tough from round one, facing Iran’s Rahman Mousa Amouzadkhalili. The Iranian beat Cornell superstar Yianni Diakomihalis for 2022 World gold at the age of 20 and is competing in his first Olympics. If Retherford gets through that, we’ll know he means business.

Who is Kyle Snyder?

We’ve had Michigan Wolverines compete, now it’s time for a Buckeye.

The former Ohio State star, who won three NCAA titles, is Team USA’s representative at 97 kilograms. He has won three World Championships, an Olympic gold in 2016 and an Olympic silver in 2020.

He has China’s Awusayiman Habila first. Habila has not finished higher than 26th at the Senior World championships. Snyder is the second-odds on favorite (+110) to win gold, trailing only Iran’s Akhmed Tazhudinov, who was a World champion in 2023.

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him atEmckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.