Wrestling: Linda Morais qualifies for Paris 2024
Linda Morais will compete in her first Olympic Games after winning the Paris Olympic Playoff match at the World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey.
Team Canada Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker
Competing in the 68kg category, Morais won her first two matches handily, taking down both opponents by a score of 10-0. She ran into trouble against China’s Zhou Feng, losing 12-0. The loss did not eliminate her, but it meant she would need to qualify for the playoff through a series of do-or-die matches starting in the repechage.
She first took care of business against Ohyoung Ha of Japan, winning 10-0 by VSU. Then she went on to beat Mimi Nikolova Hristova 14-4 to move into the playoff qualifier.
Finally, Morais took down Alexandra Nicoleta Anghel of Romania, 4-3, to secure the birth in Paris 2024.
Morais scored an early four-point takedown, and was able to see it through winning on points to secure her spot.
“It is such an incredible feeling. It is something I have wanted ever since I was a little girl. Everyone who knows me, knows I have been talking about the Olympics since elementary school when I met an Olympian,” she said.
Morais formerly held the world championship in the 59kg category, after winning gold at the Wrestling World Championships in 2019.