Leathers leads USA to silver

Choctaw’s Becka Leathers and two other United States women recently won medals at the Grand Prix of Spain helping lead the USA to a second place team finish.

 

Claiming the top U.S. Finish with a silver medal at 121 pounds was 2015 Junior World bronze medalist and Choctaw High School alumna Becka Leathers.

Leathers opened with a pair of pins over Giulia Penalver de Olivera, of Brazil, and Spain’s Graciela Sanchez.

After sailing to the finals the former Yellowjacket lost a technical fall to 2016 Russian National Champion and 2013 Junior World bronze medalist Olga Khoroshavtseva, 10-0.

Leathers, a WCWA College National Champion for Oklahoma City University, will return to the Junior Worlds this year.

Two of Leathers’ teammates secured bronze medals for the U.S. 2013 World Team member Victoria Anthony, of Huntington Beach, Calif., took third at 105.5 pounds and 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Champion Tamyra Mensah, of Colorado Spring, finished bronze at 152 pounds.

Russia won the team title with 66 points, while the U.S. Followed with 43 points and Sweden had 33.

Becka is the daughter of Choctaw’s John and Burge Leathers.

Before entering the collegiate level, she lettered three times under CHS coach Benny Coleman and earned a plethora of prestigious honors including being a three-time first-team ASICS All-American, three-time Girls Junior Folkstyle National Champion, two-time 121-pound Body Bar Junior Nationals Champion and Outstanding Wrestler, taking third place at 121 pounds in the 2015 UWW Junior World Championship, and winning the 2013 132-pound FILA Cadet National Championship.

During her freshman year out for OCU Leathers secured her first collegiate national title when she won the 2016 WCWA Championship at 123-pounds.