USA’s Olympics Women’s Wrestling Quota in Jeopardy as French Athlete Executes Flawless Sweep Against Emma Bruntil to Clinch Bronze in World Championships

Day six of the 2023 Wrestling World Championships gave the U.S. both hope and disappointment. In a year preceding the Olympics and with a 90-point qualifying quota at stake, the U.S. women’s freestyle wrestling team put forth a strong performance overall. 19-year-old wrestling prodigy Amit Elor recaptured the world title amidst wild jubilations from the fans. On the other side of the spectrum, Emma Bruntil’s harrowing loss left an open wound in the hearts of the fans.

There were high expectations from Emma Bruntil’s debut in the Senior World Championships. Her formidable opponent was two-time senior world medalist Koumba Larroque of France. Bruntil was confident even in the face of the tough competition, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine the riveting battle that would unfold on the mat.

Emma Bruntil left breathless by French wrestling rival

Emma Bruntil and Koumba Larroque battled for the 68 kg bronze medal in the Stark Arena on September 21. Before Bruntil could even blink, Larroque opened up with a four-point arm throw. This early strategic move gave the French wrestling legend a 4-point lead at the break. In the following second period, Larroque advanced her lead with three successful takedowns.

Finally, she was declared the winner of the match with a 10-0 technical fall. United World Wrestling broke the news on social media with an X post, writing, “A @Paris2024 Olympic quota for host nation France 🇫🇷! Koumba LARROQUE 🇫🇷 beats Emma BRUNTIL 🇺🇸 10-0 to win a bronze medal at 68kg and qualify France for the 2024 Olympics”. While Larroque celebrated her victory, Bruntil was left licking her wounds. But all was not over for the American hero as she had the playoffs to look forward to.

Emma Bruntil ranked fifth in the weight class and had another battle ahead of her for the Olympic berth. She and Japan’s Ami Ishii were both fifth-place wrestlers. Therefore, they were tied for the final spot in the Olympics in their weight class. There was much riding on this play-off, but when the dust settled, the American wrestling superstar found herself on the wrong side of history.

Emma Bruntil lost the Paris Olympic berth

Only five athletes can qualify for the Olympics in a given weight class. Both America and Japan wanted to secure the final spot in the Olympics. Emma Bruntil and Ami Ishii had the hopes of their respective nations resting on their shoulders. The match was a close one, with the Japanese wrestling ace securing two points in the first period. The second period did not add more points to the scoresheet. Thus, the match ended 2-0 in Japan’s favor and gave them the final Olympic berth in the 68 kg.

Read More: USA’s Unstoppable 19-Year-Old Wrestling Prodigy Shines Bright With Second Consecutive Senior World Title

Emma Bruntil has two more chances to give the USA another shot at qualifying, either through the  Pan American Olympic Qualifier or the World Olympic Qualifier. The U.S. women’s freestyle wrestling team has so far won three spots in the 50 kg, 57 kg, and 76 kg. Going forward, they will be hoping to add more spots in the remaining weight categories.

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