Mexican Melanie Jiménez Villalba shined at the Under-20 World Wrestling Championships held in Amman, Jordan.
The Jalisco native took the bronze medal, confirming her promise as a promising athlete in this discipline. Her three junior Pan American championships were not for nothing. With great dominance in the combat zone , the wrestler demonstrated her strength against one of the best competitors in the world in the 62-kilogram category.
Jiménez Villalba managed to climb to the top of the standings in a contest decided by technical points difference, after the battle ended in a 3-3 draw against Ukraine's Irina Bondar.
The tricolor gladiator defeated the former world and European champion , an achievement that will help her gain confidence ahead of the Pan American Games and on her path to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
To reach the podium, the Mexican warrior defeated German Vanja Gersak (9-0) and American Diana Nwachukwu (9-7). However, Venezuelan Astrid Montero (0-8) eliminated her and prevented her from reaching the final.
The gold went to Indian Savita Savita and the silver went to Montero.
At this rate, Jiménez is seeking to become the second Mexican woman to compete in the Olympics in this sport . The first to achieve this feat was Jane Valencia, who made history at Tokyo 2020, where she was eliminated in the first round.
The national selection and Paris qualifier will be held in May 2024 in Acapulco, Guerrero.
