Scotts Valley native Dominique Parrish ousted: ‘I didn’t wrestle my best’

Team USA freestyle wrestler Dominique Parrish, a Scotts Valley native, saw her 2024 Summer Olympics come to a close in Paris on Thursday.

She was pinned by Mongolia’s Khulan Batkhuyag in 4:35 in their 53kg repechage match and finished 0-2 in her first Olympics.

Parrish was pinned by gold medal winner Akari Fujinami of Japan in their match Wednesday.

“Obviously, disappointed,” Parrish told reporters after she was eliminated. “I wanted more from these Games. But, you live and you learn. So I’m looking forward to go back and work on the things I need to work on.”

Parrish, a Scotts Valley High and Simon Fraser University alumna, fought back tears as she detailed areas she hopes to strengthen. “Well, obviously, not getting pinned,” she said. “I think just clearing the ties, getting to my position, and working my offense.”

Parrish, the 2022 World champion, jumped to a 3-0 lead in her repechage match, but Batkhuyag powered back to lead 6-4 at the break. In the second period, Batkhuyag added a takedown, then hit a sweet trip to take Parrish to her back for a pin.

Asked to put her Olympic experience in perspective, Parrish said, “Obviously, disappointed right now, and probably will be in the future, but, at the same time, there’s only 16 of us here. I knew it was going to be a tough tournament. It just didn’t go my way. I didn’t wrestle my best, and that’s OK sometimes.”

Fujinami defeated Ecuador’s Lucia Yamileth Yepez Guzman by technical superiority to claim the gold medal.

In bronze medal matches, North Korea’s Choe Hyo Gyong beat Germany’s Annika Wendle by technical superiority, and China’s Pang Qianyu pinned Mongolia’s Khulan Batkhuyag.