#Lima2019

Conder Wins Second Pan Am Games in First Day of Women’s Freestyle

Friday, August 9, 2019 - 03:48 By Taylor Miller

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LIMA, Peru - Whitney CONDER (USA) picked up her second Pan American Games title, defeating Lianna MONTERO HERRERA (CUB) in the 50 kg final of the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

The American tallied the 10-2 win, using her counter offense to propel her to victory over Montero, a 2019 Pan Am Championships gold medalist.

The 2015 Pan Am Games champ, Conder is also a three-time Pan American Championships finalist, claiming gold in 2018.

Also winning gold for USA was Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA), a 2018 World silver medalist, who secured her first Pan Am Games title with a tech fall win in the 53 kg finals against Betzabeth ARGUELLO VILLEGAS (VEN), who was a 2015 Pan Am Games bronze medalist.

Hildebrandt’s leg lace proved to be deadly as she turned Arguello four times after an early takedown for the 10-0 shutout. Hildebrandt also won the Pan American Championship earlier this year in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

At 57 kg, 2019 Pan Am champion and 2015 Pan Am Games bronze medalist Lissette ANTES CASTILLO (ECU) kept the USA from sweeping the gold medals as she held off 2008 Cadet Pan Am champion Jenna BURKERT (USA) for a 2-1 victory.

Trailing 1-0 at the break, Antes scored two step outs in the second period for the Pan Am Games title.

Countries taking home bronze medals included Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Canada, Puerto Rico and Brazil.

Women’s freestyle action wraps up on Friday with 62 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg.

2019 PAN AMERICAN GAMES
at Lima, Peru

Women’s freestyle finals

50 kg
GOLD - Whitney CONDER (USA) df. Yusneylis GUZMÁN LÓPEZ (CUB), 10-2
BRONZE - Thalia MALLQUI PECHE (PER) df. Jacqueline MOLLOCANA ELENO (ECU), 3-1
BRONZE - Carolina CASTILLO HIDALGO (COL) df. Kamila BARBOSA VITO DA SILVA (BRA), 5-1

53 kg
GOLD - Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) df. Betzabeth ARGUELLO VILLEGAS (VEN), 10-0
BRONZE - Lianna MONTERO HERRERA (CUB) df. Justina BENITES VASQUEZ (PER), 11-0
BRONZE - Jade PARSONS (CAN) df. Luisa VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU), 6-3

57 kg
GOLD - Lissette ANTES CASTILLO (ECU) df. Jenna BURKERT (USA), 2-1
BRONZE - Nes RODRIGUEZ TIRADO (PUR) df. Alejandra ROMERO BONILLA (MEX), 4-3
BRONZE - Giullia RODRIGUES PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Paula RAMIREZ (NCA), fall 1:27

#WrestleTirana

U23 Worlds: Elor chases eighth world title in Tirana

Friday, October 20, 2023 - 10:57 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (October 20) -- In the last 12 months, Amit ELOR (USA) has racked up five world titles. That number is likely to become six as she travels to Tirana, Albania for yet another World Championships, her third in three months.

At just 19 years of age, Elor is a two-time senior, three-time U20, a U17 and a U23 world champion. When she won the gold medal at the U23 World Championships last year, she became the first wrestler from the United States to win every World Championships. Now she will aim to repeat the golden three-peat she did last year, wrestling at 72kg, a weight class in which she is the defending champion.

Elor won the U20 Worlds in August and the senior one in September in Belgrade. So before flying to the Balkan country, Elor spent some time training in California, her home.

"I prepare the same way that I've treated the U20 Worlds and senior Worlds," Elor says. "The only difference is because I've already competed at two World Championships each month, I just am making sure to let my body rest and make sure that I'm ready.

"Sometimes when you have three big competitions in a row, your performance and how you feel physically, it starts to go down a little bit. That's something that my coaches told me as well, just to keep training, but also know that I'm ready because in some ways U20 and Senior were a huge preparation for this."

If those two tournaments are anything to go by, Elor should win the gold medal comfortably. In Amman, she did not give a point and won the final 11-0 over Bukrenaz SERT (TUR). While she did not maintain a clean slate in Belgrade, Elor never looked in any trouble of losing her title. She would go on to win her second world gold medal with an 8-2 win over Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL).

In Tirana, Elor will face a few familiar opponents in Viktoryia RADZKOVA (AIN) who she defeated at the '21 U17 Worlds, silver medalist from last year's U23 competition Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL), her opponents in the '22 U20 world final Anastassiya PANASSOVICH (KAZ) and Sert who is also coming to Tirana.

Apart from them, 72kg will see the experienced Marina SUROVTSEVA (AIN), Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN) and U20 European champ Iryna ZABLOTSKA (UKR) as some of the contenders.

"It doesn't blow me, just wrestling no matter who it is," Elor says about wrestling at a U23 competition after senior level. "I think that's a really good thing because you never underestimate your opponents. If you have somebody who is extremely good and has many titles under their name, that also won't scare you as much. I think that mindset really helps me. I just go into that competition telling myself to perform as best as I can."

Elor has always possessed that mindset. Her losses to boys in school would frustrate her and push her to improve. As a result, Elor has managed to make herself unbeatable. Internationally, Elor has suffered one loss -- a semifinal 3-1 loss to Naka HONOKA (JPN) at the U17 World Championships in 2019.

"I've been wrestling since a young age and I've taken other losses on top of that," she says. "Almost every single loss and motivation and your desire to keep going. That loss was very good for me."

No more losses after that. 15 bouts at different World Championships and Elor remains the wrestler who doesn't even let her opponents come close to beating her.

Her continued dominance on the mat may have made some miss the fact that Elor switched to a new coach this season. Until last season, she trained with coach Valentin KALIKA but the U20 World Championships in Amman saw 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara MCMANN in her corner. Elor seemed to have battled the change but accepted it as well.

"Going out and competing after that change in this season has been really difficult," she says. "I learn more and learn different techniques from them, different mindsets and strategies. I think it's been really good for me. I'm very excited to have her there. She's just such a great role model for me, a really, really strong, tough person."

So far, the change with McMann has worked and she will be in Tirana with both Elor and McMann hoping for the gold and ending the season on a high before the Olympic year.

Elor will have to move to an Olympic weight class, 68kg or 76kg, as 72kg is not in the Olympics. She hints that 68kg may be a better fit for her. Back in her U17 days, Elor wrestled at 69kg but moved up with age. She insists that reducing weight is not her way. But come next year, she will have to make the hard decision.

"I'm taking it one step at a time. I'm going to evaluate myself and see how I feel as I start to work toward health, slowly and healthy way to decrease my weight a little bit," she says.