#WrestleBuenosAires

Cuba and USA each collect three Greco-Roman golds at #WrestleBuenosAires

By Taylor Miller

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – After day one of the 2019 Pan American Championships in Buenos Aires, Cuba and the USA earned six of seven Greco-Roman gold medals, each winning three.

Leading the way for Cuba was 2015 World and 2016 Olympic champion Ismael BORRERO MOLINA, who claimed the crown at 67 kg.

In the finals, Borrero Molina bested 2012 Olympian and two-time Junior World bronze medalist Ellis COLEMAN (USA) with an 11-1 technical fall.

Other Cubans winning on Thursday included reigning Pan Am champion Luis ORTA SANCHEZ and returning Pan Am bronze medalist Gabriel ROSILLO KINDELAN.

Orta Sanchez finished atop the 60 kg podium after a dominating 9-0 finals performance against Samuel GURRIA VIGUERAS (MEX).

At 97 kg, Rosillo Kindelan shut down 2016 Junior World bronze medalist G’Angelo HANCOCK (USA) with a 10-2 technical fall victory, which started with a four-point throw.

Winning titles for the USA was Max NOWRY, RaVaughn PERKINS and Adam COON.

2018 World silver medalist Coon registered his third pin of the day in the 130 kg finals, sticking Luciano DEL RIO (ARG) in the first period. Trailing on a passivity call, Coon steamrolled Del Rio to his back for the pin at the 1:59-mark.

Nowry went 3-0 on the day, winning a round robin at 55 kg. His finals match only lasted 34 seconds, as he scored a pair of takedowns, coupled with gut wrenches, for an 8-0 win over Marcelo TORRES (ARG).

Perkins had already clinched the title at 72 kg in the morning session, going 2-0 in a three-man round-robin bracket.

Winning the other gold medal was Andres MONTANO ARROYO (ECU), who emerged victorious from the 63 kg round-robin. In his last match of the day, Montano Arroyo knocked off 2018 Pan American champion Ryan MANGO (USA), 9-0.

Competition continues tomorrow at 10 a.m. local time (9 a.m. EST) live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

2019 SENIOR PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 18-21

Finals results
55 kg
GOLD - Max NOWRY (USA)
SILVER - Sargis KHACHATRYAN (BRA)
BRONZE - Joshua MEDINA (PUR)

60 kg
GOLD - Luis ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) TF Samuel GURRIA VIGUERAS (MEX), 9-0
BRONZE - Anthony PALENCIA PUENTES (VEN) dec. Dalton ROBERTS (USA), 1-1
BRONZE - Dicther TORO CASTANEDA (COL) dec. Maikol JOSEFA (DOM), 4-3

63 kg
GOLD - Andres MONTANO ARROYO (ECU)
SILVER - Ryan MANGO (USA)
BRONZE - Jose DAVILA CABELLO (PER)

67 kg
GOLD - Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) TF Ellis COLEMAN (USA), 11-1
BRONZE - Shalom VILLEGAS REQUENA (VEN) TF Cristhian RIVAS CASTRO (ECU), 8-0
BRONZE - Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA) dec. Manuel LOPEZ SALCERO (MEX), 3-1

72 kg
GOLD – RaVaughn PERKINS (USA)
SILVER - Kenedy MORAES PEDROSA (BRA)
BRONZE - Francisco BARRIO (ARG)

97 kg
GOLD - Gabriel ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUB) TF G’Angelo HANCOCK (USA), 10-2
BRONZE - Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON) wins by injury default Jose ARIAS PAREDES (DOM)
BRONZE - Luillys PEREZ MORA (VEN) dec. Oscar LOANGO SOLIS (COL), 3-1

130 kg
GOLD - Adam COON (USA) fall Luciano DEL RIO (ARG)
BRONZE - Angel PACHECO ROMERO (CUB) TF Diego ALMENDRAS RODRIQUEZ (CHI), 8-0
BRONZE - Edgardo LOPEZ MORELL (PUR) dec. Charles THOMS (CAN), 11-7

 

#WrestleTirana

Four Defending Champs Return to European Greco Finals on Day 2

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (April 21) -- Out of the five defending Greco-Roman champion on Tuesday at the European Championships, four will defend their gold medals after reaching the final. The one missing out was Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) at 60kg.

At 67kg, Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) was on the verge of bowling out, down 2-0 against Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) but was awarded the par terre in the second period. Jafarov scored a correct throw on Chkhikvadze, scoring two points to lead 3-2. Georgia challenged but on review, the correct throw call was upheld, giving Jafarov a 4-2 lead that he defended to enter the final.

He will wrestle Murat FIRAT (TUR) on Wednesday with an aim of winning a second straight European Championships title. Firat had one-sided final against Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR), beating the Ukrainian 4-0. He scored a turn from first par terre to lead 3-0 and then got the second par terre as well which gave him one more point.

In perhaps the biggest match of the session, defending champion at 97kg Kiril MILOV (BUL) denied world silver medalist Artur SARGSIAN (UWW) at 97kg with a 7-1 victory. Milov led 1-1 on criteria after par terre positions were exchanged but Sargsian wrapped his arm around Milov and tried scoring a takedown. Milov defended and both wrestlers went out of bounds.

Milov was awarded the point as Sargsian stepped out first. Sargsian challenged but on review, and the difference being a fraction of a second, Sargsian's knee touched outside before Milov's hand. Milov kept his point and got another point for lost challenge, giving him a 3-1 lead.

Sargsian tried a flying squirrel but Milov controlled him before slamming him on the mat for four points and extending his lead to 7-1.

He will defend his title against Alex SZOKE (HUN) who blanked Vladen KOZLIUK (UKR), 3-0, in the other semifinals. He got the two points for the par terre and one for the lost challenge.

The third defending champion to enter the final was Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) after he defeated Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO), 2-1 at 82kg. He will face Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) in the final after he defeated world bronze medalist Karlo KODRIC (CRO), 7-3.

At 72kg, Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) will look to win his second straight gold medal, reaching the final with a 6-1 victory over Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM). Ghanem opened the scoring with a stepout before losing a challenge to make it 1-1 but held criteria. He was awarded the par terre position from which he turned Terteryan to lead 4-1. Just before the break, he managed a takedown and extend his lead to 6-1, the winning score.

Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) will look to challenge Ghanem after he defeated Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR), 3-2, in the other 72kg semifinal

The one defending champion who did not reach the final, Mammadli, was stunned by former U20 world champion Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) in the 60kg semifinal, pinning the Azerbaijan wrestler after building a 7-1 lead.

Aghajanyan got the par terre in the first period and used a front headlock for a four-point throw and lead 5-0. In the second period, the Armenian got the par terre again to the surprise of Mammadli, who managed to score a reversal to cut the lead to 6-1. However, as he tried to gut-wrench Aghajanyan, he was blocked by the Armenian who kept Mammadli on the mat and got the pin.

Returning silver medalist Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) had no issues reaching his second straight final as he defeated Corneliu RUSU (MDA), 7-1 in the semifinal. Tibilov led 1-1 on criteria but got a third passivity, one without any points, and scored a four-point throw.

Towards the end of the bout, Rusu used an aggressive move on Tibilov which forced the referees to give two caution points to Tibilov, making his score 7-1.

RESULTS

60kg
SF 1: Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) df. Corneliu RUSU (MDA), 7-1
SF 2: Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) df. Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE), via fall (8-1)

67kg
SF 1: Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) df. Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO), 4-2
SF 2: Murat FIRAT (TUR) df. Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR), 4-0

72kg
SF 1: Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) df. Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM), 6-1
SF 2: Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) df. Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR), 3-2

82kg
SF 1: Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) df. Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO), 2-1
SF 2: Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) df. Karlo KODRIC (CRO), 7-3

97kg
SF 1: Kiril MILOV (BUL) df. Artur SARGSIAN (UWW), 7-1
SF 2: Alex SZOKE (HUN) df. Vladen KOZLIUK (UKR), 3-0