Romanian Catalina thrown forcefully by American opponent
Concerns emerged on Saturday morning during the women’s freestyle 76 kg wrestling event when Romanian competitor Catalina Axente required medical assistance after being thrown forcefully by her American opponent, Kennedy Blades, on August 10.
The bout, part of the round of 16, took a concerning turn when Axente was flung to the mat, landing on her neck and necessitating an immediate medical reaction.
Also read: Paris Olympics 2024: Reetika stuns Nagy to enter quarter-finals
Axente was carried out of the arena on a stretcher, but she appeared to be moving her limbs. Axente is a two-time European Championship bronze medalist, while Blades is a rising star who won the U20 World Championships in 2021 and qualified for Paris 2024 by defeating Tokyo silver medalist Adeline Gray.
Blades defeated Axente 11-0
The match was rather one-sided, with Blades leading 6-0 after scoring 2 and 4 points in the first round.
Soon after the second round began, Blades was able to get the upper hand on Axente and proceeded to pull her up from behind and land her with a suplex. The move earned her 5 points, and she went on to win the match 11-0 due to technical dominance.
Axente did not have a good fall, though, because the medical staff came over in a hurry. The crowd and other wrestlers were worried about the Romanian who was receiving medical attention.
There isn’t a current update available on Axente. Following her quarterfinal victory over Carid de la Milaimy Potrille Marin, Blades advanced to the semifinals.
