Linda Morais (left) pins Liubov Ovcharova down on the mat.AP Photo/Anvar Ilyasov
AP Photo/Anvar Ilyasov

Linda Morais wins 59 kg gold at Wrestling World Championships

Linda Morais won Canada’s first medal at the 2019 Wrestling World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan on Thursday.

The Tecumseh, Ontario native faced Russia’s Liubov Ovcharova for the 59 kg title.

Morais was down 6-1 in the match, but then was able to pin down Ovcharova for the victory.

This is the 12th time that a Canadian woman has won a world championship title in women’s freestyle wrestling. Justina Di Stasio was the most recent champion. She won the 72 kg title in 2018.

The Wrestling World Championships continue through September 22nd in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.