Granma y Cerro Pelado

Cuba Women Take Six Cerro Pelado Golds

Tuesday, February 20, 2018 - 22:48 By

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HAVANA, Cuba – The Cuban women were tenacious throughout the Granma y Cerro Pelado, winning six of the possible eight gold medals up for grabs at the Coliseo de la Ciudad Deportiva on Tuesday.

With all eight weight categories being bracketed in round-robin format, today’s session was not a traditional final, but rather the last round of matches in each weight class.

The most credentialed competitor in the field, Yudari SANCHEZ (CUB), received a medical forfeit in her final match to clinch the 68 KG gold medal. Sanchez, a junior world silver medalist and U23 world bronze medalist, finished with a perfect 4-0 record for the tournament, with none of her matches going to the full six minutes.

Six-time Pan American medalist Yakelin ESTORNELL (CUB) rebounded from a day one loss to upend undefeated Hangelen LLANES (CUB) 8-4 this afternoon. The win catapulted Estornell to the 62 kg gold medal. It is her second international medal of the young 2018 calendar year, going alongside her previously earned Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix bronze.

Returning Cerro Pelado bronze medalist Leanne MENDOZA (CUB) won a gritty 2-1 match over Yusneylys GUZMAN (CUB), a past junior Pan American champion, for the 50 KG gold. In similar fashion, last year’s Cerro Pelado silver medalist Milaimys MARIN (CUB) earned the 76 KG gold with a win 3-0 over 2017 junior Pan American champion Mabelkis CAPOTE (CUB).

Dayselis RODRIGUEZ (CUB) was a revelation this week as she took down the 59 KG field with impressive victories. Rodriguez cemented her place atop the podium with a gutsy 4-3 win over London Olympian and two-time Pan American champion Kelsey CAMPBELL (USA).

The final champion from the host nation came at 55 KG. Laura HERIN (CUB) fought tooth-and-nail with teammate Yayneli SANZ (CUB) and came out on top in a 3-1 contest. Herin and Sanz were the only two women entered at the weight class.

Rio Olympics fifth-place finisher Betzabeth Angelica ARGUELLO VILLEGAS (VEN) and 2016 Pan American bronze medalist Alejandra ROMERO (MEX) were the only non-Cuban women to win gold at the Granma y Cerro Pelado.

Arguello Villegas, a three-time Pan American bronze medalist, dominated Amanda HERNANDEZ (CUB) 11-1 for her final victory of the tournament at 53 KG.

Romero, who did not compete today, wound up deadlocked with Maria FERNANDA (CUB) and junior world silver medalist Lianna MONTERO (CUB) at 3-1 overall within the 57 KG bracket. Romero was awarded the gold based on classification criteria.

The Granma y Cerro Pelado resumes on Wednesday with the first day of men’s freestyle competition at 10 a.m. local time. Complete results and a live stream of all the action can be found at unitedworldwrestling.org.

RESULTS: http://uww.io/4gTea

50 KG

Gold – Leanna MENDOZA (CUB)

Silver – Yusneylys GUZMAN (CUB)

Bronze – Lisa ERSEL (GER)

53 KG

Gold – Betzabeth Angelica ARGELLO VILLEGAS (VEN)

Silver – Amanda HERNANEZ (CUB)

Bronze – Lilianet DUANE (CUB)

55 KG

Gold – Laura HERIN (CUB)

Silver – Yayneli SANZ (CUB)

57 KG

Gold – Alejandra ROMERO (MEX)

Silver – Maria FERNANDA (CUB)

Bronze – Lianna MONTERO (CUB)

59 KG

Gold – Dayselis RODRIGUEZ (CUB)

Silver – Kelsey CAMPBELL (USA)

Bronze – Rachelis CARON (CUB)

62 KG

Gold – Yakelin ESTORNELL (CUB)

Silver – Hangelen LLANES (CUB)

Bronze – Guadalupe GARCIA (MEX)

68 KG

Gold – Yudari SANCEZ (CUB)

Silver – Soleimy CORABALLO (VEN)

Bronze – Yariannys MARIN (CUB)

76 KG

Gold – Milaimys MARIN (CUB)

Silver – Susana MARTINEZ (CUB)

Bronze – Mabelkis CAPOTE (CUB)

#UWWAwards

Ono, Bondar, Hedayati named UWW's Rising Stars for 2024

Thursday, December 12, 2024 - 15:56 By Vinay Siwach

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United World Wrestling has named Masanosuke ONO (JPN), Iryna BONDAR (UKR) and Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) as the Emerging Stars of the Year in Freestyle, Women's Wrestling and Greco-Roman for 2024.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN)

A storm hit the wrestling world late in the season. 20-year-old Masanosuke ONO (JPN) went on a rampage at the U20 and senior World Championships, winning both titles.

He first competed internationally at the Yasar Dogu tournament in March this year, winning the gold medal in a 28-wrestler 61kg bracket. Then he moved up to 65kg for the Asian Championships in Bishkek. However, he suffered a fall against Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) in his first bout. He returned to win the bronze medal.

That loss against Tumur Ochir would be a distant memory as Ono went on to win gold at the U20 World Championships, winning three out of four bouts via technical superiority. Then came the World Championships Tirana with Ono being a dark horse.

He quickly changed that to the favorite to win the gold medal as he opened with a huge 10-2 win over Tokyo Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN). He went on to add four more wins for the gold medal with scores reading 12-0, 11-0, 12-0 and 10-0.

Ono, currently a student at Yamanashi Gakuin University, earned new fans in Tirana with his dynamic style of wrestling and his celebrations. Most fans are glued to their seats when Ono is on the mat as in Tirana as he showed his range of attacks, from leg attacks to par terre and from upper body throws to leg laces.

Iryna BONDAR (UKR)Iryna BONDAR (UKR) won six gold medals, including two at world championships, this year. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Iryna BONDAR (UKR)

Among one of the most active wrestlers this year, Iryna BONDAR (UKR) clearly emerges as the future star in the making.

Bondar has competed at a staggering eight tournaments this year and won gold medals at six. Bondar began the year with an eighth-place finish at the Zagreb Open, her first senior competition, but then began a prolific run of winning gold medals at all age-group tournaments.

Bondar began with the U23 European Championships, added the second at the Budapest Ranking Series before adding the gold at the U20 European Championships. Then came the World Championships season. She won the U20 World Championships gold medal at 62kg, a month later she added the U23 World Championships gold medal at 62kg.

She could have capped off her season on a high but she participated in her first senior World Championships days after the U23 event. Wrestling at 65kg, she suffered a close loss to Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN).

In the four championships this year, Bodnar has outscored her opponents 155-25 in 18 bouts. Before that loss in Tirana, she was on a 24-0 winning run this year.

Bondar has been an active wrestler on the tour and won medals at the U20, U23 World Championships before, finishing with silvers and bronzes. However, the gold rush came this year.

Her form at 62kg makes her the heir apparent to two-time Olympic medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) who recently won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) won the 130kg gold at the U23 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)

While a lot can be said about Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) and his age-group world titles, his stunned the wrestling world in Budapest this year.

At the Budapest Ranking Series in July, a tune-up tournament for the Paris Olympics, Hedayati shocked world and Olympic champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR) at Greco-Roman 130kg with a 4-0 win. Hedayati broke the Turkish legend in the six-minute bout and claimed the most famous win of his career so far.

Hedayati has been knocking on the 130kg door of the Iran team for long but Olympic bronze medalist Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) is still holding the spot. But the 2024 year has further Hedayati's claim over it.

Beginning the year with the Zagreb Open Ranking Series, Hedayati won he gold medal at 130kg with victories over Laszlo DARABOS (HUN), Wenhao JIANG (CHN), Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB), Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) and Lingzhe MENG (CHN).

Then came the 2024 Vehbi Emre tournament in which he challenged Mirzazadeh for the spot on Iran team but suffered a loss, his only of the season. He bounced back quickly from that and won the Budapest Ranking Series gold medal. Hedayati's style an be gauged with the fact that he did no give up a single point in three bouts in Budapest, making him a highly active wrestler.

He capped off the year with his first U23 World Championships gold medal at 130kg in Tirana. Hedayati's golden run included victories over some of the biggest names in age-group wrestling like Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN), Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR), Hamza BAKIR (TUR).

Only Vyshnyvetskyi, who defeated Hedayati for the gold at the U20 World Championships in 2022, was able to score points on Hedayati when he hit an arm-throw. However, even in that bout, the Iranian never looked in any trouble.

Hedayati's active wrestler makes it difficult for his opponents to get him in forced par terre, making it difficult for them to score.