Edited release
10/16/26
Fifth-year University of Iowa women’s wrestler Kylie Welker earned her third consecutive gold medal at the U23 World Championships on Thursday night in Las Vegas, Nev. She is the first American and first women’s freestyle wrestler to win three consecutive U23 championships.
Welker went 4-0 in her bracket and ended each match short of regulation.
Hawkeye teammates Everest Leydecker and Reese Larramendy each started their brackets off strong with victories before falling in the semifinals. Leydecker bounced back for bronze with an 11-0 technical fall, while Larramendy concludes her run with a third-place battle at 8 p.m. (CT) on Friday.