USA's Adeline Gray falls to Aline Rotter-Focken, takes silver

Germany's Aline Rotter Focken (blue) wrestles USA's Adeline Maria Gray in their women's freestyle 76kg wrestling final match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo on August 2, 2021. (Jack Guez/Afp Via Getty Images)

American wrestler Adeline Gray has finally earned an Olympic medal, but it's not the gold that she's been aiming for.

Gray was defeated by Germany's Aline Rotter-Focken Tuesday morning in the women's freestyle 76 kg final. The Denver native fell behind 7-0 in the second period of the bout after Rotter-Focken forced her to the mat on multiple failed takedown attempts. Gray did manage to register three points before the clock struck zero, but Rotter-Focken largely controlled the majority of the bout.

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Gray is a five-time world champion and a two-time gold medalist at the Pan American Championships. The 30-year-old was the favorite to take the gold heading into Olympic play, but Rotter-Focken was simply unbeatable once competition began.

With her silver medal secured, Gray became the first American wrestler to medal in Tokyo. Tamyra Mensah-Stock also advanced to the final of her weight class and is set to join Gray on the list of U.S. medalists.