Kayla Miracle recently won the Pan-American Championships at 62 kilograms with a 6-6 criteria win over Canada’s Ana Godinez Gonzalez. And that was an important first step to qualifying the weight for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The win places Miracle on the opposite side of the bracket from Canada’s Ana Godinez Gonzalez and Brazil’s Lais Nunes de Oliveira for the Pan-Am Olympic qualifier next week. Reaching the finals of the Pan-Am Olympic Qualifier in Acapulco qualifies the United States at that weight for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Lais Nunes defeated Miracle 6-2 during the semifinals of the 2023 Pan-Am Championships. The Brazilian star has qualified for nine World Championships and the 2016 Olympics. The 31-year-old has been in two medal matches but hasn’t snagged a podium finish during her long career.

Godinez Gonzalez and Miracle have been training partners in the past. The two have faced off before, with Miracle winning every time — including the 6-6 victory at the Pan-Am Championships. Gonzalez won gold at the 2021 U23 World Championships and recently defeated American Katie Lange at the 2023 Bill Farrell Memorial International on November 17.

The American star dodged both landmines by winning the Pan-Am Championships, which made her path to the Olympics easier. Qualifying the weight for the United States means that Miracle gets an automatic berth in the best-of-three series at the final Olympic Trials. 

The Canadian star already won the Olympic Trials and is seeking to qualify the weight for her country. Godinez Gonalez defeated Lais Nunes, 2-1, during the semifinals of the recent Pan-American Championships and will likely face her again in the semifinals at the Pan-Am Olympic qualifier for the right to participate in the Olympics. 

Bottom line: Miracle avoided the toughest tests of the Pan-Am Olympic qualifier by winning the Pan-Am Championships. She is in a better position to qualify the weight for her country and in a better position to represent the United States in Paris. 

Miracle won silver medals at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships after making the 2020 Olympic Team. She qualified her weight for the United States during the 2020 Pan-Am Olympic qualifier. 

Check out Miracle’s tight finals match with Godinez Gonzalez below.

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