Thursday, 27 August 2026… A extremely windy day on the Caspian coast of Baku became two medals and a silver trophy for Crew USA’s U17 Ladies’s Seashore World Crew. Arianna Garza kicked off the night’s medal session with a silver medal, shedding to Japan’s Reisa Kojima at 55kg.
Then, within the final ladies’s championship bout, Tilly Hruby adopted the torch path she lit in the course of the day, throwing her Greek opponent for a bout-ending three. Hruby utterly dominated the category, though she was the lightest competitor.
Combining the scoring efforts of Hruby, Garza and their USA Teammates, Crew USA notched 53 workforce factors on the day. The silver trophy end was one level behind workforce champion Azerbaijan’s 54 and one forward of Japan’s bronze trophy efficiency.
Wrestling all the time makes the world small, and it seems Tilly Hruby and I are ‘associated’ by wrestling journey. Tilly’s lifelong coach, Eric Heinz (Brighton, CO), travelled with me on a USA Wrestling tour in Japan in the course of the summer season of 1990.
Coach Heinz and I’ve managed to remain in contact over these three and a half a long time since. Eric is a superb storyteller and made me say ‘Wow’ with one at present.
Eric has been a Ok by means of 5 PE trainer in Brighton for the final 25 years. He additionally coaches the highschool workforce and the children’ membership that feeds it. For no matter motive, Coach Heinz pulled a five-year-old kindergarten woman, named Tilly, out of the lunch line 13 years in the past and invited her and her dad and mom to wrestling follow.
And right here we’re at present… World Champion! Earlier this yr, Tilly stated, “Why not!” when she was invited to attempt Seashore Wrestling following her freestyle efficiency within the U17 Pan American Championship.
Profitable her Continental Championship earned Hruby an allotted spot within the Youth Olympic Video games, this November in Dakar, Senegal. I gotta’ say, I’ve seen some stuff that made me say, “Wow!” Mathilda Hruby’s technical prowess, grit, integrity, and smile made me say, “Wow”, at present. Thanx, Tilly.
One different wrestling specialty completed my day saying, “Wow.” The Islamic Republic of Iran gained the boys’s aspect of the U17s. Look forward to it… Look forward to it…
Watching Iranian coaches and athletes stand and applaud for Tilly’s Nationwide Anthem, watching all our American athletes, dad and mom, coaches stand and applaud a number of listenings to the Iranian anthem, watching future leaders of each international locations (on the mat and off) giggle, commerce T-shirts, and recognize one another as people made me say, “Wow!” Thanx, Wrestling!!
Tomorrow, the Seniors.
Ciao,
Rusty
