USA’s Top-Ranked Female Wrestler Dominates Pan American Olympic Trials to Secure Spot in Team Trials

USA’s elite mentality was highlighted at the recently concluded Pan American Championships in style with gold medals in several weight classes. Along with many others, the two-time World Championships silver medalist Kayla Miracle made the headlines by clinching gold in the women’s 62kg freestyle. And now, Miracle once again emphasized her determination to bring glory to the country at the Pan American Olympic qualifiers.

Kayla’s start to 2024 wasn’t as emphatic as she wanted it with her falling one step short from the gold at the Zagreb Open. However, she managed to find her footing at the Pan Am Championships in style after defeating her Canadian opponent in the 62kg final match. And now, with her latest feat at the Pan American Olympic qualifiers, Miracle will once again try to gain some much-needed momentum.

Pan American Olympic qualifiers determine the first contender for the 62kg spot

The recent post on X (formerly known as Twitter) by the official USA Wrestling account announced Kayla Miracle’s latest achievement. Captioned as “QUALIFIED“, the post informs fans that Miracle has qualified for the USA national team trials. With a flawless performance, Miracle made sure to make the most of the Pan American Olympic qualifiers.

“Kayla Miracle finishes 2-0 at the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier to earn @TeamUSA a 2024 Olympic Games quota in women’s freestyle wrestling at 62 kg!“, elaborates the jubilant post. With more wrestlers waiting to get on the mat, it waits to be seen who joins Miracle for the team trials.

In both the quarterfinal and semifinal bouts, Miracle obliterated her opponents without deliberation to highlight her fixation on making this year one to remember (pinning Maria Garcia in 2:25, and 3-0 decision win against Astrid Chirinos, respectively). While Kayla looks to shake up things at the European capital later this year in her specific weight class, she wouldn’t be the only one to shoulder Team USA’s responsibilities with eyes set on bringing Olympics glory home.

More national icons join the fold

Two-time World Championships gold medalist Amit Elor secured her spot for the national team trials in the 68kg weight class only moments after Miracle’s sensational run at the Pan American Olympic qualifiers. On the other hand, the first day of the tournament proved to be equally successful for Team USA, as several Greco-Roman wrestlers also punched their tickets to the Bryce Jordan Center for the next month.

READ MORE: Team USA Wrestling Achieves Total Domination at Pan Am Championship With Clean Sweep of Team Titles

Cohlton Schultz, Alan Vera, and Spencer Woods all qualified for the team trials slated to take place at Penn State’s iconic arena in April. With the momentum being retained for the second day at the Pan American Olympic qualifiers, the USA will hope to maintain its elite status among its peers at the Games later this year. And now, it remains to be seen which of the nation’s stars emerge as the top contender for their weight categories.

ALSO READ: Pan American Olympics Qualifiers: USA Wrestling Star Cohlton Schultz Earns Paris 2024 Berth With Flawless Performance