The path wasn't easy, but Kennedy Blades made the 2024 Olympic Team at 76 kilograms.

She had to survive a challenge tournament that included five wrestlers who had reached Final X or the final Olympic Trials. 

She won her first quarterfinal match over Skylar Grote (2022 Final X), 11-0.

She won her semifinal match over Dymond Guilford (2022 Senior World Team), 11-1.

She won her final match over Yelena Makoyed (2022 Final X), 11-0.

Waiting in the best-of-three finals was 33-year-old Adeline Gray -- a six-time World champion and 2020 Olympic silver medalist. 

The two faced off three times last year with Blades winning the US Open finals, 12-2, before dropping both matches to Gray at Final X, 7-5, and by fall.

The 20-year-old turned the tables at the 2024 Olympic Trials with 11-6 and 8-3 wins to make the Olympic Teams. Gray earned a spot in the best-of-three finals after winning a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships. 

This is Blades's first senior-level World team after winning a U23 World silver medal and U20 bronze medal in 2023, and a 2021 Junior World title. She reached the best-of-three series at the 2020 Olympic Trials at 68 kg and fell in straight matches to eventual Olympic gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock. 

Click here for full results and brackets.