BAKU, Azerbaijan -- - Breanna Stikkelman (Simi Valley, Calif./Street Sports), competing up a weight class at 64 kg, won a gold medal in the women's Gi competition at the Grappling World Championships on Saturday.

Stikkelman, who was a Grappling World silver medalist in No-Gi at 58 kg on Friday, won three matches on the way to her gold-medal triumph.

In the gold-medal match, she used a loop choke to score a submission in 1:45 over Tetyana Hrynko of Ukraine, who had won a gold medal in the No-Gi competition at 64 kg on Friday.

According to U.S. coach Eddy Ellis, when Stikkelman walked off the mat after scoring the loop choke and winning the gold medal, she said, "Thank God, that was easy. I guess it pays to be strong."

Stikkelman scored a pair of big wins to reach the finals, scoring a submission with an arm bar over Barchynai Uzgenbaeva of Kyrgyzstan in the quarterfinals, then stopping Rita Tana of Italy in the semifinals, 8-6.

With her gold-medal performance, Stikkelman becomes only the fifth U.S. woman to win a UWW World gold medal in Gi Grappling. She joins two-time UWW Gi World champion Tara LaRosa (2009 at 59 kg, 2009 at Open), plus Lisa Ward (2008 at 48 kg), Felicia Oh (2009 at 50 kg) and Jessica Aguilar (2010 at 55 kg). USA Wrestling has entered teams in every UWW Grappling World event going back to 2007.


​Photo: Rich Tado

Stikkelman won the only medal for Team USA in Gi Grappling on Saturday, as two U.S. athletes reached bronze-medal matches and lost, finishing in fifth place: Bobby Yamashita (Northglenn, Colo./All Navy) at 77 kg in the men's division and Lisa Ward (Olympia, Wash./United Training Center) at 53 kg.

Yamashita, a UWW World Gi bronze medalist in 2003, opened with a solid 5-1 win over Aleksandr Djukanovic of Serbia, 5-1. In his second bout, Yamashita lost a controversial bout to Shamil Magomedov of Russia. The bout ended 8-7 in favor of Magomedov, but the U.S. coaches challenged the final call, which the jury confirmed the call on the mat. If you lose a challenge, the opponent gets five more points, so the final score of the bout was 13-7.

Magomedov reached the finals, pulling Yamashita back into repechage, where he defeated Matteo Ronca of Italy, 8-0. In his bronze-medal bout, he lost a 2-2 criteria decision to Maciej Katuszewski of Poland.

Ward, a five-time UWW gold medalist and eight-time UWW medalist, opened her day with a wild 16-12 victory over 2017 UWW No-Gi champion Boes Laetitia of France, 16-12. In the quarterfinals, Ward was beaten by Svitlana Skrypnyk of Ukraine, 10-4. When Skrypnyk reached the finals, Ward was pulled back into a bronze medal bout, where she lost to Naomi Mathews of Spain, by submission.

At 62 kg, Aaron Johnson (Greenwood, Ind./Edge MMA & Fitness) won his opening match against Reza Hajizad of Iran, 2-0, but was defeated in the next round by submission by Nurmuhammed Naramanov of Kyrgyzstan. Naramanov did not reach the finals, so Johnson was not eligible for repechage.

Going 0-1 on the day, and not getting pulled into repechage were two-time UWW World medalist
Jessica Phillippus (Glenwood, Iowa/United Training Center) 58 kg in the women's division, plus U.S. men's Grapplers John Morgan (Huntington Beach, Calif. (Hypermodern Jiu-Jitsu) at 71 kg, Eddy Ellis (Olympia, Wash./United Training Center) at 84 kg, Shaun W. Scott (Millersville, Pa./Team Palay) at 100 kg and Gabe Beauperthuy (Colorado Springs, Colo./United Training Center) at over 100 kg/Unlimited.

Morgan, on his first U.S. Grappling World Team, dropped a tight 2-2 decision to Erzhan Kassenov of Kazakhstan, and the U.S. team challenged a call. When the challenge was denied, the final score was 7-2.

Ellis, who served as the coach for the 2017 U.S. Grappling World Team, entered the Gi competition at the last minute, after U.S. Grappling World Team member Jacob Hockenbury (Indianapolis, Ind./Team Impact Indiana) had to pull out days before the event due to a family emergency.

The USA wore wear Gameness Gis on Saturday, which were provided by U.S. Grappling World Team Gi sponsor Gameness. Each athlete had both a red Gi and a blue Gi from Gameness for the World competition.

Team USA left Baku with three World medals, Stikkelman's Gi gold medal and No-Gi silver medal, and a No-Gi bronze medal by at Over 100 kg/Unlimited by six-time UWW World medalist and 2011 World champion Brandon Ruiz (Taylorsville, Utah/Edge MMA and Fitness). In total, nine U.S. Grapplers reached medal matches, including six Americans who placed fifth.

In the Veterans divisions held on Wednesday and Thursday, the USA accumulated 11 medals, including five gold medals.

"Team USA is comprised of athletes from all over the country, coming together as one United States team," said USA coach Eddy Ellis.

Ellis thanked the different local clubs and gyms that contributed to this year's World Team: United Training Center - WA (Lisa Ward, Eddy Ellis, Jason Cumiford), Powerhouse Wrestling -- IA (Jessica Phillippus), Street Sports -- CA (Breanna Stikkelman), Edge MMA -- CO/UT/CA (Brandon Ruiz, Koffi Adzitso, Dan Brecht), Impact Jiu-Jitsu (Aaron Johnson, Carlos Soto), Hypermodern Jiu-Jitsu -- CA (John Morgan), All-Navy -- CO (Bobby Yamashita), Team Palay -- PA (Shaun W. Scott), 719 Fight Team -- CO (Gabe Beauperthuy), 10th Planet HQ -- CA (Luis Quinones), American Top Team -- FL (Jayson Patino), JT Torres -- NY (Steven Ramos), MMA Utah (Brandon Ruiz, Koffi Adzitso), 10th Planet San Fran -- CA (Gregor Strakl), Gracie Barra -- TX (Scott Lanham).

GRAPPLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Baku, Azerbaijan, October 21

U.S. Men's Gi performances

62 kg - Aaron Johnson, Greenwood, Ind. (Edge MMA & Fitness)
WIN Reza Hajizad (Iran), 2-0
LOSS Nurmuhammed Naramanov (Kyrgyzstan), submission, arm bar, 4:45

71 kg - John Morgan, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Hypermodern Jiu-Jitsu)
LOSS Erzhan Kassenov (Kazakhstan), 7-2

77 kg -- Bobby Yamashita, Northglenn, Colo. (All Navy), 5th place
WIN Aleksandr Djukanovic (Serbia), 5-1
LOSS Shamil Magomedov (Russia), 13-7
WIN Matteo Ronca (Italy), 8-0
LOSS Maciej Katuszewski (Poland), 2-2

84 kg -- Eddy Ellis, Olympia, Wash. (United Training Center)
LOSS Gadjimurad Purtyev (Azerbaijan), 12-3

100 kg -- Shaun W. Scott, Millersville, Pa. (Team Palay)
LOSS Asif Sharabayev (Azerbaijan), submission, key lock, 0:39

Over 100 kg -- Gabe Beauperthuy, Colorado Springs, Colo. (United Training Center)
LOSS Alessandro Frezza (Italy), 9-1

U.S. Women's Gi performances

53 kg -- Lisa Ward, Olympia, Wash. (United Training Center), 5th place
WIN Boes Laetitia (France), 16-12
LOSS Svitlana Skrypnyk (Ukraine), 10-4
LOSS Naomi Mathews (Spain), submission, bow/arrow choke

58 kg - Jessica Phillippus, Glenwood, Iowa (United Training Center)
LOSS Valentina Lubrano (Italy), submission, triangle, 4:15

64 kg -- Breanna Stikkelman. Simi Valley, Calif. (Street Sports), gold medal
WIN Barchynai Uzgenbaeva (Kyrgyzstan), submission, arm bar, 4:45
WIN Rita Tana (Italy), 8-6
WIN Tetyana Hrynko (Ukraine), submission, loop choke, 1:45

Men's Gi medalists

62 kg
Gold -- Dymtro Baranov (Ukraine)
Silver - Omar Galymzhan (Kazakhstan)
Bronze -- Artur Agashinov (Russia)
Bronze - Nurmuhammed Naramanov (Kyrgyzstan)

66 kg
Gold -- Zainutdin Zainukov (Russia)
Silver - Valentin Blumental (France)
Bronze -- Alessio Vitori (Italy)
Bronze -- Rasoul Godousi (Iran)

71 kg  
Gold -- Magomedrasul Magomedov (Russia)
Silver - Francisco Alcaide (Spain)
Bronze -- Nicolas Blumental (France)
Bronze Erzhan Kassenov (Kazakhstan)

77 kg
Gold -- Yussef Kaddur (Spain)
Silver - Shamil Magomedov (Russia)
Bronze -- Rene Karamanites (Panama)
Bronze - Maciej Katuszewski (Poland)

84 kg
Gold -- Eldar Edilov (Russia)
Silver - Arturo Salas (Spain)
Bronze -- Davide Cristoforo De Palma (Italy)
Bronze -- Pawel Nedzi (Poland)

92 kg
Gold -- Roman Gavrikov (Russia)
Silver - Ivan Tomaselli (Italy)
Bronze -- Piotr Baginski (Poland)
Bronze -- Ramazan Kussainov (Kazakhstan)

100 kg
Gold -- Maciej Surma (Poland)
Silver - Nurbek Ismailov (Kyrgyzstan)
Bronze -- Asif Safarbayev (Azerbaijan)
Bronze -- Culic Uros (Serbia)

Over 100 kg/Unlimited
Gold -- Ruslan Abdulaev (Russia)
Silver -- Tomas Jeziorski (Poland)
Bronze -- Yasif Safarbayev (Azerbaijan)
Bronze -- Bakdaulet Abyzov (Kazakhstan)

Women's Gi medalists

53 kg
Gold - Polina Krupskaia (Russia)
Silver - Svitlana Skrypnyk (Ukraine)
Bronze - Naomi Mathews (Spain)
Bronze -- Anna Augustyn-Mitkowska (Poland)

58 kg
Gold -- Kateryna Shakalova (Ukraine)
Silver - Irina Kuprina (Russia)
Bronze -- Roxane Cusson (France)
Bronze -- Weronika Zygmunt (Poland)

64 kg
Gold -- Breanna Stikkelman (USA)
Silver - Tetyana Hrynko (Ukraine)
Bronze - Rita Tana (Italy)
Bronze -- Sandra Pniak (Poland)

71 kg
Gold --Claire Thevenon (France)
Silver - Irena Mungai (Italy)
Bronze -- Atefei Riahieshkattaki (Iran)
Bronze -- Rimma Tropina (Russia)

Over 71 kg/Unlimited
Gold -- Chloe Barre (France) vs. Halyna Kovalska (Ukraine), result not yet available
Bronze -- Yana Shorokhova (Russia)
Bronze -- Magdalena Zaszszudlowicz (Poland)