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Kennedy Blades defeated Tokyo silver medalist Adeline Gray at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials to qualify for the Paris Games in the 76-kilogram class. The 20-year-old will be one of the favorites. In 2016, the Chicago native became the first Illinois girl to win an Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation championship against boys. She lost to Tamyra Mensah-Stock in the finals of the Tokyo Olympic Trials as a 17-year-old and won a junior world championship later that year. She considers being nearly 6-foot tall an advantage because of her reach. U.S. women's coach Terry Steiner said Blades is a 'generational talent.'
