Sage Mortimer World Champion!

TIRANA, Albania – Utah's Sage Mortimer won gold at the U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania, with a 7-5 decision against Individual Neutral Athlete Natalia Pudova at 50 kg.

Mortimer took command of her finals match early, forcing Pudova into a fleeing call within the first 10 seconds and adding a takedown 10 seconds later. She pulled a set of exposure points from a spladle, taking a six-point lead at the break. She injured her hamstring during the second round, but finished the match without taking injury time, resulting in her win. She said she has "heavy hands," and a lot of female wrestlers do not have to deal with that on the mat, which helped her control the match from the start.

Twenty-one-year-old Mortimer won her first two bouts by technical fall and pinned three-time World champion Umi Ito of Japan in the semifinals. She said her next goal is to wrestle in the 2028 Olympics.

This is Mortimer's first world title, but her second time at a World Championships, where she finished outside of the top 10 at the 2019 U17 Worlds.

The women's team finished first in team competition, edging out Japan.