Iowa
2024 Paris Olympics wrestling: Day 6 live updates, Iowa’s Kennedy Blades’ shines
Iowa coach Tom Brands breaks down Spencer Lee’s Olympic journey ahead
Iowa coach Tom Brands opens up on Spencer Lee’s upcoming Olympic run, his message to Lee ahead of trip to France
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.
Following a years-long legal saga, the Iowa Supreme Court recently upheld a decision to evict Short’s Burger and Shine from its South Clinton Street building.
The May 22 decision, delivered by Chief Justice Susan Christensen, agreed with the Johnson County District Court’s decision to evict the downtown burger restaurant after finding that it did not notify the building’s owner — a trust operated by Midwest One Bank — of its intent to extend the lease.
The decision concludes one part of the Short’s legal saga. The now-closed restaurant is also in litigation for a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit Short’s owner, Kevin Perez filed in 2024 against Midwest One Bank, the trust of late building owner Haywood Belle, Belle’s widow, a bank employee, and the City of Iowa City
Iowa City’s Short’s Burgers and Shine closed in 2024
Short’s closed in early 2024 after the court determined Perez hadn’t renewed the business’s lease on time.
Short’s opened at 18 S. Clinton Street in 2008 with the goal of honoring the legacy and story of former building owner H.D. Short, who shined shoes for 50 years, beginning in 1920. The original ownership group included Perez, Dan Ouverson, and former Hawkeye and NFL player Nate Kaeding, who now runs the Gold Cap Hospitality ownership group.
Eviction proceedings started when Short’s temporarily closed in April 2022 “to fix poor building conditions” without notifying Midwest One Bank, the executor of Belle’s trust.
The closure breached a part of the lease agreement that said the restaurant would default on its lease if it “failed to engage” in normal business for more than 15 consecutive business days, the court found. The renovations also violated a provision that forbade structural changes or improvements without prior written approval.
Midwest One Bank sent notice on May 10, 2022, that Short’s would default on its lease if it did not reopen for regular business and cease renovations within 10 days, according to court documents. Shorts responded, claiming it could not reopen for business until renovations were complete because the gas could not be turned back on until repairs were finished.
Midwest One Bank “terminated” the lease and started eviction proceedings in May 2022. Shorts was allowed to continue operating and occupying the building while the case was litigated.
Midwest One Bank filed two eviction claims and delivered notice that Short’s needed to vacate the building by the end of the lease on April 30. Short’s did not vacate, and Midwest One Bank pursued a third eviction claim, accusing the owners of failing to provide notice of renewal.
Short’s argued that because they continued renovations, disputed eviction, and secured insurance, it was evidence of their intent to renew.
The restaurant owners also argued that pending eviction proceedings prevented them from renewal. The court argued that Short’s simply did not declare intent to renew for “whatever reason.”
“Mere forgetfulness does not entitle a party to equitable relief,” the decision reads.
Liam Halawith covers Johnson County local government and public safety for the Press-Citizen. Reach him by email at lhalawith@registermedia.com. Follow him on X at @liam_halawith.
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – An Iowa nursing home worker fired after being accused of repeatedly neglecting residents’ needs is entitled to unemployment benefits, a judge has ruled.
State records indicate certified nurse aide Abigail Kromah worked for Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center in West Des Moines from May 2024 through December 2025, when she was fired. She subsequently applied for unemployment benefits, which led to a recent hearing before an administrative law judge.
The hearing records indicate Kromah testified that when she was fired on Dec. 19, 2025, the employer informed her that the discharge was due to “numerous resident complaints” regarding the care she had been providing.
According to the judge’s findings in the case, Kromah had received multiple disciplinary warnings related to resident care. In August 2024, she allegedly received verbal and written warnings for failing to answer residents’ call-lights in a timely manner, failing to properly assist residents with their personal care, and for complaining about the residents in common areas of the workplace.
Her employer testified Kromah was also given warnings for refusing work instructions from the nursing staff, and for telling a resident who needed to be toileted to go the bathroom in their briefs.
In August 2025, it was alleged that Kromah failed to check on a resident throughout the entire night. During that shift, a nurse had neglected to unclamp a feeding tube, which caused the tube to leak. When another nurse checked on the resident at 5 a.m., the resident was “drenched in feeding solution from head to toe,” according to the judge’s findings.
‘I can’t live this way… She’s horrible.’
Days later, the home alleged, a resident of the facility entered the hallway in his wheelchair at about 6 a.m., loudly complaining, “I can’t do this anymore,” and, “I can’t live this way.” The man allegedly refused to go back to his room, explaining that Kromah was there and “she’s horrible.”
The man reportedly stated had had switched on his call-light to have his urinal emptied, but Kromah never came to assist him, which meant the urinal overflowed and spilled on him. When Kromah eventually came to the room, the man allegedly said, she changed him into dry clothing but did not clean him.
The home alleged Kromah was given additional warnings in October 2025 for reportedly failing to answer residents’ call lights and failing to complete her rounds every two hours. One resident of the home had allegedly became so frustrated by the lack of response to his call-light that he contacted the police on one occasion, according to the judge’s findings.
State inspection reports indicate Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center was cited for insufficient staff in January 2026, with one resident complaining the issue with call-lights had been a longstanding problem. According to the inspectors, the man said that on one occasion, he couldn’t get help to clear his airway and was afraid he was going to die unless he managed to clear it himself, which he did.
In ruling that Kromah was entitled to jobless benefits, Administrative Law Judge Michael Lunn noted that while she had clearly been warned about deficiencies in resident care, she appeared to have been fired for a separate issue — attendance — for which she had received no such warnings.
A discharge for misconduct cannot be based on past acts such as the resident-care issues, Lunn ruled, but must instead be based on a current act. With no current act of disqualifying misconduct, Lunn stated, Kromah was entitled to collect unemployment benefits.
Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to locate Kromah to seek comment for this article.
Copyright 2026 IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH. All rights reserved.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – With some schools already on summer break, programs are helping make sure Iowa kids don’t go hungry.
The state’s Seamless Summer Option program provides free meals to children and teens 18 and younger during summer break.
Those meals are served at schools, parks and community centers. Children are served on first come, first served basis.
You can find a full list of those on the USDA’s Summer Meal Finder.
This year, the state has returned to the federal SUN Bucks program.
Eligible families can get up to $120 per child. That is then divided up to $40 a month to help pay for healthy food purchases.
The Des Moines Area Religious Council told KCRG after the state announced its return to the program that area businesses, as well as those in need, would benefit.
“Those dollars are going to go back into local grocery stores. It’s an investment in our community. When we look at feeding programs like SNAP, we know that it has that multiplier effect every time a dollar is spent, you’re getting more out of it,” said Blake Wiladsen, the council’s communication manager.
The state will regulate the program similarly to the state’s SNAP program. Things like candy, soda, vitamins, minerals, pre-made foods, and juice made with less than 50% fruit or vegetables cannot be purchased with Iowa SUN Bucks.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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