#Lima2019

Cuba and USA impress in Pan Am Games finals on Friday

By Taylor Miller

LIMA, Peru – USA won three gold medals, while Cuba dominated to a Pan Am Games title on Friday night in Lima, Peru.

The United States picked up two titles in women’s freestyle and one in men’s freestyle.

At 62 kg, Kayla MIRACLE (USA) defeated two-time Olympic bronze medalist for the title with a dominant technical fall. Miracle led 7-0 at the break before finishing up the match with a takedown and later a crotch lift for an eventual 12-0 win.

Winning gold at 68 kg was 2018 World bronze medalist Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA), who picked up a win by pin in 2:17 in the finals over 2017 Pan American champion Olivia DI BACCO (CAN). The fall came shortly after Mensah-Stock scored on a single leg.

2017 Junior World champion Daton FIX (USA) won gold in men’s freestyle at 57 kg, rolling to a quick 11-0 win in about 90 seconds over 2011 Pan Am Games champion Juan RAMÍREZ BELTRE (DOM).

Earlier in the day, Fix recorded a 4-1 win over 2017 U23 World champion Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB).

Claiming a gold for Cuba on Friday was two-time Senior World bronze medalist Alejandro VALDÉS TOBIER (CUB), who won the 65 kg bracket in men’s freestyle.

Valdes screamed past Albaro RUDESINDO CAMACHO (DOM) with a first-period 10-0 technical fall. It marks Valdes' fourth Pan Am level gold medal. 

In addition to Valdes’ gold, Cuba won three other bronze medals, coming at 68 kg and 76 kg in women’s freestyle and 57 kg in men’s freestyle.

There was one other gold medal match on Friday night.

Representing Canada, Justina DI STASIO (CAN), a 2018 World champion at 72 kg, won the women’s freestyle 76 kg title on Friday night, outlasting 2014 World silver medalist Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA), 2-1. Di Stasio held criteria, 1-1, at the end of the match but received another point when Brazil challenged a call but failed.

The tournament wraps up on Saturday with the remaining men’s freestyle weights – 74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg and 125 kg.

2019 PAN AMERICAN GAMES

Women’s freestyle results
62 kg
GOLD - Kayla MIRACLE (USA) df. Jackeline RENTERIA CASTILLO (COL), 12-0
BRONZE - Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Nathali GRIMAN HERRERA (VEN), 4-1
BRONZE - Abnelis YAMBO MIRANDA (PUR) df. Mayra ANTES CASTILLO (ECU), fall 2:54

68 kg
GOLD - Tamyra MENSAH (USA) df. Olivia DI BACCO (CAN), fall 2:17
BRONZE -Ambar GARNICA FLORES (MEX) df. Yanet SOVERO NIÑO (PER), 8-5
BRONZE -Yudari SÁNCHEZ RODRÍGUEZ (CUB) df. Maria ACOSTA ACOSTA (VEN), 5-3

76 kg
GOLD - Justina DI STASIO (CAN) df. Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA), 2-1
BRONZE - Mabelkis CAPOTE PÉREZ (CUB) df. Diana CRUZ ARROYO (PER), 10-0
BRONZE - Andrea OLAYA GUTIERREZ (COL) df. Andrimar LAZARO DIAZ (VEN), 4-0

Men’s freestyle results
57 kg
GOLD -Daton FIX (USA) df. Juan RAMÍREZ BELTRE (DOM), 11-0
BRONZE - Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB) df. Daniel ALVES DO NASCIMENTO (BRA), 10-0
BRONZE -Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN) df. Oscar TIGREROS URBANO (COL), 8-7

65 kg
GOLD - Alejandro VALDÉS TOBIER (CUB) df. Albaro RUDESINDO CAMACHO (DOM), 10-0
BRONZE -Jaydin EIERMAN (USA) df. Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG), 15-4
BRONZE - Mauricio SANCHEZ SALTO (ECU) df. Brandon DÍAZ RAMÍREZ (MEX), 3-0

#WrestleTirana

Friday's U23 World Championships semifinals set

By Eric Olanowski

TIRANA, Albania (October 27) --- Welcome back to Albania for Day Five of the 2023 U23 World Championships. Today, we’ll pass the baton to the Greco-Roman wrestlers at 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg.

Top Stars in Action:
60kg: Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) – U23 world silver
60kg: Melkamu FETENE (ISR) – U23 world bronze
67kg: Gagik Mishai SNJOYAN (FRA) - U23 world silver
72kg: Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) – U23 world bronze
82kg - Karlo KODRIC (CRO) – U23 world silver
97kg - Alex Gergo SZOKE (HUN) – U23 world gold
97kg - Nitesh NITESH (UWW) – U23 world bronze

Semifinal matches (As they come in): 

60kg
Sumit SUMIT (UWW) vs. Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN)
Mert ILBARS (TUR) vs. Romeo BERIDZE (GEO)


67kg
Hasan MAMMADLI (AZE) vs. Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ)

HARUTO YABE (JPN) vs. Mustafa Safa YILDIRIM (TUR)

72kg
Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR) vs. Michael PORTMANN (SUI)

Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM) vs. Dmitrii ADAMOV (AIN)

82kg
Aues GONIBOV (AIN) vs. Ruslan ABDIIEV (UKR)
Alperen BERBER (TUR) vs. Emad Ashraf Mohamed ABOUELATTA (EGY)

97kg
Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM) vs. Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN)

Mustafa OLGUN (TUR) vs. Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN)

13:43: I'm still waiting for the system to update to post tonight's semifinal matches. Once everything is updated, I'll put the matches above.

13:23: Yabe upsets U23 world bronze medalist Snjoyan and moves into tonight's 67kg semifinals against Mustafa Safa YILDIRIM (TUR).

13:17: Reigning U23 world bronze medalist Gagik Mishai SNJOYAN (FRA) is in a tight match on Mat C with Japan's HARUTO YABE (JPN). Yabe leads 4-4 on criteria with a minute to go.

13:09: Emad Ashraf Mohamed ABOUELATTA (EGY) just doubled up on four-pointers, punching his ticket to the 82kg semifinals with a 9-0 win over Tyler Adam EISCHENS (USA).

12:55: We're going to start the quarterfinals now on all mats so I'll post the semifinal matches as they come in. 

12:35: There's your upset of the day. Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER) just took out reigning U23 world champion Alex Gergo SZOKE (HUN). Lazogianis was down 3-0 but ended up scoring four points to win 4-4 on criteria.

13:13: You hate to see it against a hometown athlete, but  Hasan MAMMADLI (AZE) just made Albania's Ardit ZENELI (ALB) back bend in a way that should be illegal. I'll post the video above.

13:06: It looks like they are going to give Muslim IMADAEV (AIN) the fall over returning U23 world bronze medalist Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO). Imadaev was behind 2-1 with :50 left when he went to a four-point head pinch. After a failed challenge that gave the Neutral Athlete the 6-2 advantage, Imadaev stopped a flying squirrel attempt by planting Chkhikvade on his back for the fall.

I'll work on getting up the video of the final slam because it was pretty impressive.

12:54: World medalists Nitesh, Chkhikvadze and Guluzade are all coming up now on Mat A. That's three world medalists coming up in the next four matches.

12:38: We're getting closer on the Szoke watch. He's five matches out on Mat B. 

12:23: Tetsuto KANUKA (JPN) just launched Anil ANIL (UWW) twice in 15 seconds to pick up the 11-2 win. The match was tied 2-2 before Kanuka went four, then five on Anil. I'll work on getting the clip up right now so you can see how beautiful the two throws were.

12:12: The noise you hear from the crowd is coming from Mat C, where Dmitrii ADAMOV (AIN) just took out hometown boy Klodjan SHEHU (ALB), 9-0, in the 72kg 1/8 round.

12:08: That match was crazy! It was a rollercoaster of emotions for Abuladze, but he stayed strapped in and picked up the 9-8 victory. At one point of the match, Abuladze went for a pushout and was so successful that he pushed Olsson off the mat and the stage, planting him on his rear end on the floor of the arena.

12:04: The current match on Mat A between Miru Jerry OLSSON (SWE) and Otar ABULADZE (GEO) has been action-packed thus far. Olsson went down 3-0 but gave up eight unanswered points and is currently leading 8-3 with a minute left.

11:45: It's been a slow morning thus far. We're still waiting for a chunk of these stars to have their first matches. We still have at least seven matches before Gagik Mishai SNJOYAN (FRA), Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO), Nitesh NITESH (UWW) and Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) come up on Mat A.

But once we get to Snjoyan, the stars will be rolling through match after match.

11:22: After bout 492 wraps up on Mat C, we'll welcome Karlo KODRIC (CRO) to Albania. Last year, Kodric fell to Exauce MUKUBU (NOR) in the finals, becoming the fourth Croatian Greco-Roman wrestler to reach the finals but settle for U23 world silver. 

11:15: The biggest storyline we're following today is the return of Alex SZOKE (HUN) after nearly eight months off the mat. Earlier this year, Szoke, the reigning U23 world champion, underwent surgery on his back after the Thor Masters in March.