Kennedy Blades advances to Olympic gold medal match at Paris 2024

Kennedy Blades, the 20-year-old American wrestler, has made it to the final gold-medal match at the Paris Olympics, overcoming tough competition with a series of victories. 

Her latest triumph in the women's freestyle semifinal at 76kg saw her defeat Kyrgyzstan's Aiperi Medet Kyzy in an 8-6 decision on Saturday night at Champ-de-Mars Arena.

Blades, clearly moved by her achievement, was seen collapsing to the mat and burying her head in her hands, overwhelmed by the significance of the moment. 

Reflecting on her journey, she said, “We're so close. Just one more sleep, and then my body's gonna be feeling really good — although it is right now. But just the rest is gonna make a huge difference. So I'm ready to just blow it through the water.”

The semifinal match was a close contest, with Blades holding a narrow 2-1 lead after the first three minutes. However, her relentless attacking style allowed her to extend the lead to 8-2 before holding on to secure the win. 

Blades will now face Japan’s Yuka Kagami in the final on Sunday, with a gold or silver medal guaranteed.

Kennedy Blades' journey to this point has been remarkable. She had to defeat Olympic silver medalist and six-time world champion Adeline Gray to earn her spot on Team USA. 

In Paris, she overcame Romanian No. 4 seed Catalina Axente and Cuban No. 5 seed Milaimy de la Caridad Marin Potrille before her victory over Medet Kyzy.

Her coach, Izzy Martinez, praised her growth, stating, “She's been given the freedom to succeed and also fail, but, most importantly, grow. And she's grown, and she's getting better every day, and we're just so proud of her.”

Blades attributes her success to adopting a “childlike mentality,” which has helped her stay relaxed and focused on enjoying the sport. “Once I started putting pressure on myself … I just started kind of wrestling differently because I wrestled not to lose,” Blades shared.

With a gold medal now within her grasp, Blades is determined to seize the opportunity. “I don't want to just go back home with a silver; I want gold because that was my mentality the whole time,” she asserted. “I'm just gonna go out there and have fun and just let it fly.”