ULAANBAATAR (April 23) – Ilana KRATYSH (ISR) capped an historic day as Israel’s first Olympic Games qualifier in women’s wrestling just the way she started – with a fall.

Kratysh capped her day sweeping Pan American bronze medalist Maria ACOSTA ACOSTA (VEN) to her back with an outside leg reap in the 69kg title bout with the slap of the mat coming at 2:47 of the first period.

Kratysh began her day at the world Olympic Games qualifying tournament in the quarterfinals in a similar fashion to pin Pan American Games bronze medalist Diana MIRANDA GONZALEZ (MEX).

The four-time European silver medalist also received four points from another reap in the semifinals and held on for a 6-5 win over Tamyra MENSAH (USA) – the triumph that gave Israel a spot at 69kg in the women’s events at Rio 2016.

In addition to Kratysh’s historic first, Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) earned Greece’s first berth in the Rio wrestling events – men’s or women’s – with a late headlock and a 6-5 win over European under-23 champion Natalya MALYSHEVA (RUS) in the 53kg semifinals.

Prevolaraki, who will be going to her second Olympic Games, however, ran into a buzz saw in the 53kg final in Helen MAROULIS (USA) and fell by technical fall.

Maroulis, earlier, secured one of two berths for the United States at Rio 2016 in the semifinals. The other came from relative newcomer Haley AUGELLO (USA), who notched three technical falls at 48kg before falling to 2014 world bronze medalist KIM Hyon-Gyong (PRK) in the final.

Also on Saturday, Lissette ANTES CASTILLO (ECU) and Cynthia VESCAN (FRA) also booked their returns to the Olympic Games and became the first female wrestlers in their respective NOC delegations headed to Rio de Janeiro.

Meanwhile, 2013 world champion Marianna SASTIN (HUN) booked a place in Rio at 63kg before defaulting to Hafize SAHIN (TUR) and European under-23 champ Zsanett NEMETH (HUN) grabbed a second women’s berth for Hungary at 75kg.  Nemeth, however, lost to Vescan in the day’s finale.

Wrestling in the first Rio 2016 world qualifier concludes Sunday with 18 berths up for grabs in freestyle. Action then shifts to Istanbul, May 6-8, for the “last chance” qualifying tournament for all three Olympic Games disciplines.

48kg (17 entries)
Gold – KIM Hyon-Gyong (PRK) df. Haley AUGELLO (USA), 9-2
Bronze – Maria LIVACH (UKR) df. Violeta CHYRYK (BLR), by TF, 10-0, 5:14
Bronze – Anna LUKASIAK (POL) df. Jaqueline SCHELLIN (GER), 3-1

Semifinal – Haley AUGELLO (USA) df. Maria LIVACH (UKR) by TF, 10-0, 4:57
Semifinal – KIM Hyon-Gyong (PRK) df. Anna LUKASIAK (POL), 6-0

53kg (22 entries)
Gold – Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) by TF, 10-0, 4:28
Bronze – Alma VALENCIA ESCOTO (MEX) df. Liliya HORISHNA (UKR) by Fall, 5:31 (8-8)
Bronze – Natalya MALYSHEVA (RUS) df. Bediha GUN (TUR) by Fall, 1:59 (2-0)
 
Semifinal – Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Liliya HORISHNA (UKR) by Fall, 0:28 (4-0)
Semifinal – Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) df. Natalya MALYSHEVA (RUS), 6-5

58kg (22 entries)
Gold – Lissette ANTES CASTILLO (ECU) df. Luisa NIEMESCH (GER), 4-1
Bronze – Natalya GOLTS (RUS) df. Ayaulym KASSYMOVA (KAZ), 10-5
Bronze – ZHOU Zhangting (CHN) df. Mariana CHERDIVARA-ESANU (MDA)

Semifinal – Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) df. Natalya GOLTS (RUS), 5-4
Semifinal – Lissette ANTES CASTILLO (ECU) df. Mariana CHERDIVARA-ESANU (MDA) by TF, 10-0, 4:10

63kg (14 entries)
Gold – Hafize SAHIN (TUR) df. Marianna SASTIN (HUN) by Injury Default, 0:00
Bronze – Monika MICHALIK (POL) df. Leidy IZQUIERDO MENDEZ (COL), 6-2
Bronze – Koumba LARROUQUE (FRA) df. Tayla Tuahine FORD (NZL) by TF, 10-0, 5:17
 
Semifinal – Hafize SAHIN (TUR) df. Leidy IZQUIERDO MENDEZ (COL), 4-0
Semifinal – Marianna SASTIN (HUN) df. Koumba LARROUQUE (FRA), 3-0

69kg (14 entries)
Gold – Ilana KRATYSH (ISR) df. Maria ACOSTA ACOSTA (VEN) by Fall, 2:47 (5-0)
Bronze – Tamyra MENSAH (USA) df. Diana MIRANDA GONZALEZ (MEX), 7-0
Bronze – Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Evgenia ANDREICHENKO (BLR) by Fall, 2:39 (3-0)
 
Semifinal – Ilana KRATYSH (ISR) df. Tamyra MENSAH (USA), 6-5
Semifinal – Maria ACOSTA ACOSTA (VEN) df. Evgenia ANDREICHENKO (BLR), 6-2

75kg (13 entries)
Gold – Cynthia VESCAN (FRA) df. Zsanett NEMETH (HUN), 6-2
Bronze – Anna SCHELL (GER) df. CHANG Hui-tsu (TPE) by TF, 10-0, 2:37
Bronze – Ekaterina BUKINA (RUS) df. Svetlana SAENKO (MDA), 7-0

Semifinal – Zsanett NEMETH (HUN) df. Anna SCHELL (GER), 4-2
Semifinal – Cynthia VESCAN (FRA) df. Ekaterina BUKINA (RUS), 8-5