Wrestler taken off on stretcher after injury in Paris Olympics match versus U.S. star

Romanian wrestling sensation Catalina Axente required immediate medical attention after being slammed onto the mat by her American adversary Kennedy Blades during their intense quarterfinal match at the Paris Olympics .

The two athletes were vying for a spot in the women's freestyle 76 kg semi-finals when the incident occurred. Blades may have clinched the win and a semi-final berth with her powerful move, but her victory was subdued as it became apparent that Axente was in trouble.

Following an awkward landing that seemed to impact her neck, Axente remained on the mat, eerily still except for slight limb movements. Medical staff rushed to aid the injured Romanian wrestler, attending to her for an extended period while the full extent of her injuries remained unknown.

READ MORE: Covid-stricken Noah Lyles posts update after being taken away from 200m race in wheelchair
READ MORE: 'Drunk' Olympic wrestler arrested after allegation of sexual assault in Paris

In a distressing turn of events, Axente was eventually stretchered out of the Champs-de-Mars Arena. Axente entered the Olympic Games with high hopes, aiming to add to her European championship bronze medals.

The 28- year-old secured her Olympic spot after competing in the 2024 World Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament in Istanbul earlier this year. Wrestling star Blades has openly expressed her elation at representing her country in the Olympics. She shared her lifelong ambition with Team USA, stating: "This was honestly my goal since I was seven. 2024 was definitely my goal," Blades remarked.

"I've never even made a Senior World team, so it's just amazing to think I made an Olympic team, she said, before revealing her mindset heading into the Games, saying: " she expressed, before sharing her mindset heading into the Games: "I can just go in there and be excited and not worry about, 'Oh, did I train hard enough? '."

"There are all of these aspects of wrestling, whether it's talking to Coach Kelly on Zoom, or coach Steiner pushing me in the wrestling room, or me doing hard reps in the weight room. It's all building my self-confidence. I feel like that's a huge key going into Paris."

She also opened up about her journey to the Olympics, having established herself as a wrestling talent while growing up in Chicago. Reflecting on the character-building experiences of her upbringing in Illinois, she said of her and her sister: "We wouldn't back down in any match against a guy."

"We really trained so hard to be the best, whether it was a girls' or boys' division. We would absolutely destroy some of the guys, that's for sure. Having that family foundation behind us really helped us surpass a lot of the girls and even the guys, because we were all in. We never said, 'Oh, let's skip practice.' .."

"In Illinois, everyone knew the Blades sisters. I just wrestled different than other girls. Both me and my sister (Korina) were always super offensive wrestlers. I feel like sometimes, girls are defensive. I was able to attack, take shots, take risks, because I had so many moves in my toolbox."

Blades stated: "I feel like there's more than just making the team. There's just a feeling inside of me that I'm not satisfied. I'm very grateful, but I feel like it's not finished yet."