Oct. 13, 2008- Lindenwood women’s wrestler Tatiana Padilla earned the bronze medal on Monday at the Senior Female World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. The 17-year-old wrestler is the youngest U.S. World Medalist since Kristie Marano won the first of a record nine World Women’s Freestyle medals in 1996 as a 17-year-old.

In the bronze medal match, Padilla pinned Romania’s Ana Maria Paval, a wrestler who finished fifth this summer at the Beijing Olympics. Padilla and Paval split the first two periods before Padilla earned a pin in the third period.

Padilla won her preliminary match by decision, and then picked up wins by fall in the round of 16 and quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she lost for the only time in Japan by a 2-1, 3-1 decision versus Ukraine’s Tetyana Lazareva.

Padilla, who is from Azusa, Calif., won a Junior World bronze medal earlier this year and captured a silver medal at the Junior event in 2007. She is a freshman this year at Lindenwood and is a member of the inaugural women’s wrestling team at the school.