Japan and China were not at the 2021 Cadet World Championships. Let’s get that out of the way.

This pertains more to the women’s freestyle competition than the men, but it’s still worth noting as we unpack what transpired in Budapest last week. China’s absence surely made a difference, but Japan’s disappearance left the trap door open for a new team to emerge. 

American women took advantage, winning the first-ever Cadet World team title thanks to a seven medal haul that included three gold and four bronze medals. It was the first time since the Cadet Worlds were reinstated in 2011 that a team other than Japan earned the top spot. 

How dominant was Japan over the past nine years? Of the 90 gold medals won, Japan bagged 49. No need for a calculator — that’s just over 54 percent. 

The sheer domination by one country at one event is staggering. Japan’s absence — due to COVID-19, of course — surely affected the outcome of the team race. This is comparable to Penn State or Iowa missing the NCAA Championships this season. Both teams are too powerful not to make a difference. 

The women’s wrestling movement in the United States was the real winner. This trailblazing achievement laid the foundation for girls of all ages to visualize what’s possible. So what if Japan wasn’t there. This championship is proof that women are forging ahead without apology.

And Jessica Medina has emerged as the leader for the next wave of female wrestlers. 

Medina was the only girl on her wrestling team at Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California. This was before California sanctioned high school girls wrestling, so her path was developed by wrestling boys.

She had to survive “Jessica Beatdown Days” to prove she belonged. Those were the practices when she would be in a four-person group and the other three boys would deliberately take it out on her. Those early trouncings yielded two WCWA titles, three U.S. Open titles, a Junior World bronze medal, two Senior-level World teams, resilience, and an iron will. 

Today, Medina gets to use those harsh experiences in her role as USA Wrestling’s National Women’s Developmental Coach. 

On rare occasions, a person is perfectly matched with a perfect role. The perfect person to lead the development of women’s wrestling — now and in the future — is Jessica Medina. Her clear-headed, pragmatic, and personable style is exactly what wrestling needs.

Medina knew exactly what was at stake when her team entered the final medal round at the Cadet World Championships. The United States had to win three of four medal matches to take home the team title. She calmly entered the arena with her team — and went four for four. 

Make no mistake: American women faced adversity to get their first title. There were complications with COVID testing so it took an extra day for the team to get to Budapest. For Medina, that was just another opportunity for the team to bond and grow. 

“We reminded the girls that nobody cares if we show up a day late or if our luggage got here,” Medina said. “We’re here to wrestle regardless. It was a little rough getting there but a lot of good things happened. We made it and we came ready to go. We had a really talented team. 

“In my mind, winning a World title was possible. A lot of things went our way. I think we’re going to build on this confidence and sharpen each other.”

Whatever happens next, Jessica Medina is the right person in place to take women’s wrestling to a higher level. Winning a team title at the Cadet Worlds was a good first step.