Canadian Erica Wiebe's semifinal loss in Ukraine sets her up for bronze match

After winning her first two matches by pin Friday, Canadian Erica Wiebe lost to Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan by pin in the 76-kilogram semifinal of the Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial tournament in Kiev, Ukraine.

The Stittsville, Ont., native will compete in the bronze medal match on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Canada's Olivia Di Bacco won her 68-kg semifinal match against Azerbaijan's Irina Netrebe by a score of 7-2 to advance to Saturday's final.

Wiebe, who is the reigning Olympic champion in the 75-kg freestyle, has already qualified for the Tokyo Games.

This tournament, as well as the upcoming Matteo Pellicone event taking place in Rome, Italy, from March 4-7, where she won the gold medal in 2020, will be a part of Wiebe's preparation for the Summer Games.

Her last competition was the Individual World Cup event in December, where she wasn't able to come away with a medal, losing 3-1 in the bronze-medal match in Belgrade, Serbia. The World Cup event was held due to the world championships being cancelled because of travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to that, Wiebe's last competition was in March at the Pan Am Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where she booked her ticket to the Tokyo Games.