#WrestleBelgrade

Greco-Roman seeds released for Belgrade World Championships

By Vinay Siwach

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (August 26) -- Greco-Roman wrapped up the World Championships in Oslo last year. But in Belgrade, Greco-Roman will kick off the competition on September 10. With just two weeks remaining for the first whistles at the '22 World Championships, United World Wrestling released the tentative top eight Greco-Roman seeds.

The point-based seeds were determined by a wrestler's participation and placement at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, 2021 World Championships, 2022 Continental Championships, 2022 Ranking Series events, and selected Regional Games.

While the seeds may or may not hold in the 10 weight classes, here's how the bracket will look leading up to the gold-medal match according to the top-eight seeded system:

Quarterfinals: 
No. 1 vs. No. 8 (top side)
No. 4 vs. No. 5 (top side)
No. 2 vs. No. 7 (bottom side)
No. 3 vs. No. 6 (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 vs. No. 4 (top side)
No. 2 vs. No. 3 (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 vs. No. 2 

*National Federations were required to submit their world entries by last week but can still update them until 24 hours before the draws. This means these seeds and entries are subject to change.

 

55kg
No. 1 Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
No. 2 Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
No. 3 Ekrem OZTURK (TUR)
No. 4 Max NOWRY (USA)
No. 5 Fabian SCHMITT (GER)
No. 6 Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ)
No. 7 Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB)
No. 8 Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR)

If seeds hold at 55kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) vs. No. 8 Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR) (top side)
No. 4 Max NOWRY (USA) vs. No. 5 Fabian SCHMITT (GER) (top side)
No. 3 Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) vs. No. 6 Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) (bottom side)
No. 2 Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) vs. No. 7 Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) vs. No. 4 Max NOWRY (USA) (top side)
No. 2 Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) vs. No. 3 Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) vs. No. 2 Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)

Azizli, Tsutsumia best
2021 World Championships bronze medalists Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) and Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) are the top two seeds at 55kg. Azizli went on to win the European Championships in Budapest while Tsurtsumia was second to him.

Three other seeded wrestlers on Azizli's side of the bracket are Koriun Fabian SCHMITT (GER), Max NOWRY (USA) and Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR). The first clash of the seeded wrestlers will be a quarterfinal between Azizli and Sahradian. The other quarterfinal will be Schmitt taking on Nowry.

Azizli will then proceed to a semifinal against Nowry with a win taking him to the gold medal bout.

The lower side has Tsurtsumia along with Ekrem OZTURK (TUR), Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) and Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB). Tsurtsumia will face Asian bronze medalist Ortikboev in the quarterfinals and will face the winner of Ozturk and Bekbolatov in the semifinals.

A rematch of the European final between Azizli and Tsurtsumia is on the cards in Belgrade as well.

 

60kg
No. 1 Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
No. 2 Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
No. 3 Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN)
No. 4 Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
No. 5 GYANENDER (IND)
No. 6 Kerem KAMAL (TUR)
No. 7 Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY)
No. 8 Helary MAEGISALU (EST)

If the seeds hold at 60kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) vs. No. 8 Helary MAEGISALU (EST) (top side)
No. 4 Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) vs. No. 5 GYANENDER (IND) (top side)
No. 3 Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) vs. No. 6 Kerem KAMAL (TUR) (bottom side)
No. 2 Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. No. 7 Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) vs. No. 4 Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) (top side)
No. 2 Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. No. 3 Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) vs. No. 2 Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)

Sharshenbekov poised to reach third Worlds final
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) has reached the gold medal bout at World Championships twice but finished with silver on both occasions. He has a chance to change that record as he is seeded number one in the 60kg bracket. To reach another world final, he will have to go through Helary MAEGISALU (EST) in the quarterfinal and one of Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) and GYANENDER (IND) in the semifinal as these are the seeded wrestlers on the top side of the bracket.

The Asian champion finished seventh at the Olympics before winning the silver in Oslo. He won the gold at Asian Championships in Mongolia.

On the bottom side, Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) is seeded number two and will face Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY) in the quarterfinal. Barring upsets, the other quarterfinal will be a clash of Olympic silver medalist Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and European champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) as they are seeded number three and six respectively. The winner will then get Mammadov in the semifinal.

 

63kg 
No. 1 Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
No. 2 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)
No. 3 Erik TORBA (HUN)
No. 4 Victor CIOBANU (MDA)
No. 5 Ahmet UYAR (TUR)
No. 6 Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
No. 7 NEERAJ (IND)
No. 8 Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)

If the seeds hold at 63kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Leri ABULADZE (GEO) vs. No. 8 Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) (top side)
No. 4 Victor CIOBANU (MDA) vs. No. 5 Ahmet UYAR (TUR) (top side)
No. 3 Erik TORBA (HUN) vs. No. 6 Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) (bottom side)
No. 2 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. No. 7 NEERAJ (IND) (bottom side)

Semifinals: 
No. 1 Leri ABULADZE (GEO) vs. No. 4 Victor CIOBANU (MDA) (top side)
No. 2 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. No. 3 Erik TORBA (HUN) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Leri ABULADZE (GEO) vs. No. 2 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)

Abuladze locks up top seed
He fell agonizingly short of the gold in Oslo but Leri ABULADZE (GEO) will hope to win the gold this time at 63kg. He locked up the top seed with his silver in Oslo and a gold medal at the European Championships. Abuladze's quarterfinal will be against Asian champion Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) who is seeded number eight.

The other quarterfinal on the top side will feature 60kg world champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA) and Ahmet UYAR (TUR), who are seeded number four and five respectively.

Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE), who was fifth at the World Championships, is seeded number two and will feature on the bottom side of the bracket with a potential quarterfinal against NEERAJ (IND). His semifinal will be against one of Erik TORBA (HUN) or Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM).

An Abuladze-Mammadov final will be a repeat of the European Championships final which the Georgian won.

 

67kg 
No. 1 Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI)
No. 2 Murat FIRAT (TUR)
No. 3 Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
No. 4 Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY)
No. 5 Morten THORESEN (NOR)
No. 6 Mateusz BERNATEK (POL)
No. 7 Hansu RYU (KOR)
No. 8 Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER)

If the seeds hold at 67kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) vs. No. 8 Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER) (top side)
No. 4 Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) vs. No. 5 Morten THORESEN (NOR) (top side)
No. 3 Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) vs. No. 6 Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) (bottom side)
No. 2 Murat FIRAT (TUR) vs. No. 7 Hansu RYU (KOR) (bottom side)

Semifinals: 
No. 1 Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) vs. No. 4 Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) (top side)
No. 2 Murat FIRAT (TUR) vs. No. 3 Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) vs. No. 2 Murat FIRAT (TUR)

Geraei primed for gold
To reach back-to-back World finals, Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) will need to go through an Olympic bronze medalist in the final. Olympic champion Geraei will face Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER) in the quarterfinals before facing Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) in the semifinal if the Egypt wrestler can beat Morten THORESEN (NOR) in the other quarterfinal in the top half.

The bottom half of the bracket has number two seed Murat FIRAT (TUR) facing former world champion Hansu RYU (KOR) in the quarterfinals. Firat finished fifth in Oslo before winning the European Championships and the Mediterranean Games to clinch the second seed.

If he wins against Ryu, U23 world champion and fellow fifth at Worlds Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) awaits Firat. Jafarov has to beat Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) in the quarterfinals to set up a match against Firat.

Geraei will have the winner of the Firat-Jafarov semifinal if he manages to get past Elsayed as both have a similar style.

 

72kg 
No. 1 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
No. 2 Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
No. 3 Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL)
No. 4 Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI)
No. 5 Valentin PETIC (MDA)
No. 6 Selcuk CAN (TUR)
No. 7 Deyvid DIMITROV (BUL)
No. 8 Robert FRITSCH (HUN)

If the seeds hold at 72kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) vs. No. 8 Robert FRITSCH (HUN) (top side)
No. 4 Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) vs. No. 5 Valentin PETIC (MDA) (top side)
No. 3 Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL) vs. No. 6 Selcuk CAN (TUR) (bottom side)
No. 2 Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) vs. No. 7 Deyvid DIMITROV (BUL) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) vs. No. 4 Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) (top side)
No. 2 Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) vs. No. 3 Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) vs. No. 2 Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)

Sleiva eyes history
With both the finalists from Oslo not registered, top seed Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) will hope to improve on his bronze medal from Oslo. Lithuania has never won the gold medal at World Championships but can pin hopes on Sleiva who locked the top seed with bronze in Oslo, fifth place at European Championships, gold at Matteo Pellicone and silver in Istanbul at the start of the season.

But a big quarterfinal against European champion Robert FRITSCH (HUN) will test Sleiva. If he manages to win that, he will have Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) in the semifinal. Sleiva defeated Mokhtari for the bronze in Oslo.

Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) is seeded second and will be in the bottom half with third seed Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL), number six Selcuk CAN (TUR) and number seven Deyvid DIMITROV (BUL). Ganizade finished eighth in Oslo but won bronze at Euros and silver at Matteo Pellicone. He also has a 10th-place finish in Istanbul.

He will face Dimitrov in the quarterfinals before getting one of Sahakyan or Can in the semifinal. A final against Sleiva will be a rematch from the European bronze medal bout in which Ganizade won. But Sleiva won the gold in Rome over Ganizade.

 

77kg 
No. 1 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
No. 2 Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI)
No. 3 Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
No. 4 Viktor NEMES (SRB)
No. 5 Shohei YABIKU (JPN)
No. 6 Yunus BASAR (TUR)
No. 7 Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB)
No. 8 Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)

If the seeds hold at 77kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) vs. No. 8 Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) (top side)
No. 4 Viktor NEMES (SRB) vs. No. 5 Shohei YABIKU (JPN) (top side)
No. 3 Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) vs. No. 6 Yunus BASAR (TUR) (bottom side)
No. 2 Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) vs. No. 7 Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) vs. No. 4 Viktor NEMES (SRB) (top side)
No. 2 Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) vs. No. 3 Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) vs. No. 2 Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI)

Suleymanov top at 77kg
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) will that the top seeding helps him end the misery of missing out on the gold last year. The silver medalist from Oslo finished with a bronze at European Championships and silver in Istanbul to lock up the top seed.

Given the seeds hold, Suleymanov will face Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) in the quarterfinal before moving to the semifinals against Viktor NEMES (SRB) who is seeded fourth. But Nemes will have to beat Olympic bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU (JPN) in the quarterfinals.

The stacked bottoms side has World bronze and Olympic fifth Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) as second seed along with Olympic silver Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) as third, European champion Yunus BASAR (TUR) as sixth and Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB) as the seventh seed.

Geraei will face Flores in the quarterfinal while Makhmudov will take on Basar. According to the seeds, Geraei and Makhmudov will advance to the semifinal, a mouth-watering match-up. The winner will face Suleymanov in the final.

 

82kg
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
No. 3 Pejman POSHTAM (IRI)
No. 4 Mihail BRADU (MDA)
No. 5 Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
No. 6 Harpreet SINGH (IND)
No. 7 Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
No. 8 Dias KALEN (KAZ)

If the seeds hold at 82kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) vs. No. 8 Dias KALEN (KAZ) (top side)
No. 4 Mihail BRADU (MDA) vs. No. 5 Ranet KALJOLA (EST) (top side)
No. 3 Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) vs. No. 6 Harpreet SINGH (IND) (bottom side)
No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) vs. No. 7 Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) vs. No. 4 Mihail BRADU (MDA) (top side)
No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) vs. No. 3 Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) vs. No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)

Huseynov, Akbudak rematch on cards
For long, Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) have held the top two seeds at 82kg. Heading into the World Championships, the two will remain one and two respectively.

Huseynov won the gold in Oslo and Budapest to add to his bronze in Tokyo and Istanbul to claim the top seed. He faces Dias KALEN (KAZ) in the quarterfinals. A win will take Huseynov to the semifinals against Mihail BRADU (MDA) who is seeded number four. Bradu will have to beat Ranet KALJOLA (EST) in the quarterfinal to wrestle Huseynov.

On the bottom side, Akbudak faces European silver medalist Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) in the quarterfinals. World bronze medalist Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) has Harpreet SINGH (IND) in the other quarterfinal.

Akbudak and Poshtam will clash in the semifinals if they win according to the seeds before a rematch from 2021 Worlds between Huseynov and Akbudak occurs.

 

87kg
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB)
No. 2 Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)
No. 3 Bachir SID AZARA (ALG)
No. 4 Islam ABBASOV (AZE)
No. 5 Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
No. 6 Mohamed METWALLY (EGY)
No. 7 Sunil KUMAR (IND)
No. 8 Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ)

If the seeds hold at 87kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) vs. No. 8 Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) (top side)
No. 4 Islam ABBASOV (AZE) vs. No. 5 Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) (top side)
No. 3 Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) vs. No. 6 Mohamed METWALLY (EGY) (bottom side)
No. 2 Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) vs. No. 7 Sunil KUMAR (IND) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) vs. No. 4 Islam ABBASOV (AZE) (top side)
No. 2 Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) vs. No. 3 Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) vs. No. 2 Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)

Datunashvili top-seeded at home
Serbia will have its own top seed as Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) hopes to defend his title at 87kg. Olympic bronze and gold in Oslo helped him to be in the top three before silver in Istanbul and eight-place at European Championships pushed him to the top.

To win gold in front of his home crowd, Datunashvili will have to navigate through eighth seed Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) in the quarterfinal, fourth seed Islam ABBASOV (AZE) in the semifinals and second seed Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) in the final. Abassov in the semifinals is a massive match-up as he has defeated Datunashvili in the previous two meetings.

European champion Bisultanov, who finished fifth in Oslo, is on the bottom side and faces Sunil KUMAR (IND) in the quarterfinals before Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) in the semifinals.

 

97kg 
No. 1 Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI)
No. 2 Alex SZOKE (HUN)
No. 3 Kiril MILOV (BUL)
No. 4 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)
No. 5 Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL)
No. 6 Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)
No. 7 Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU)
No. 8 Mihail KAJAIA (SRB)

If the seeds hold at 97kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) vs. No. 8 Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) (top side)
No. 4 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) vs. No. 5 Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) (top side)
No. 3 Kiril MILOV (BUL) vs. No. 6 Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) (bottom side)
No. 2 Alex SZOKE (HUN) vs. No. 7 Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) vs. No. 4 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) (top side)
No. 2 Alex SZOKE (HUN) vs. No. 3 Kiril MILOV (BUL) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) vs. No. 2 Alex SZOKE (HUN)

Saravi, Szoke rematch at 97kg
Another World Championships final rematch can happen in Belgrade if Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and Alex SZOKE (HUN) can hold their seeds.

Olympic bronze and world champion Saravi locked up the top seed with those two medals and will face Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) in the quarterfinals. Second seed Szoke, a silver medalist from Oslo, has Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU) in his quarterfinal on the bottom side.

The other quarterfinal on the top side will see two Olympic medalists from the Tokyo clash. Silver medalist Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) will return to the competition and will have bronze medalist Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) in the quarterfinals. The bottom side will see Oslo fifth Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), seeded sixth, face European champion and fifth seed Kiril MILOV (BUL) in the quarterfinals.

Saravi will get a chance to avenge his loss from Olympics as he faces Aleksanyan in the semifinal. In the other semifinal, Olympic fifth Szoke will have Milov.

Szoke lost the final in Oslo 3-1 against Saravi but if the two meet again for the gold, he will hope to turn the result in his favor. 

 

130kg
No. 1 Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
No. 2 Riza KAYAALP (TUR)
No. 3 Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI)
No. 4 Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU)
No. 5 Oskar MARVIK (NOR)
No. 6 Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB)
No. 7 Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)
No. 8 Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)

If the seeds hold at 130kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) vs. No. 8 Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) (top side)
No. 4 Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) vs. No. 5 Oskar MARVIK (NOR) (top side)
No. 3 Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) vs. No. 6 Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) (bottom side)
No. 2 Riza KAYAALP (TUR) vs. No. 7 Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) vs. No. 4 Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) (top side)
No. 2 Riza KAYAALP (TUR) vs. No. 3 Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) vs. No. 2 Riza KAYAALP (TUR)

Kajaia locks top seed at 130kg
Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) will be seeded number one for the World Championships he won a bronze in Oslo and has ranking points from European Championships and Bolat Turlykhanov Cup.

The top seed puts him on the opposite side of Riza KAYAALP (TUR) who is looking for his fifth world title and first since 2019.

Kajaia will face U23 world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) in the quarterfinals as he is seeded eighth. Kayaalp on the bottom side will have seventh seed Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU).

The two other quarterfinals will have Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) wrestling Oskar MARVIK (NOR) on the top side and third seed Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) wrestling Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) on the bottom side.

The semifinals will feature Kajaia and Knystautas from the top side and Kayaalp and Acosta from the bottom with both Kajaia and Kayaalp primed to win according to their seeds.

Kajaia will try to Kayaalp from winning the title one more team and instead win his first.

#WrestleMonterrey

Yepez adds third Pan-Am gold; U.S. wins WW team title

By Vinay Siwach

MONTERREY, Mexico (May 10) -- Paris Olympics silver medalist Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) completed a hat-trick of Pan-Am golds while the United States added two more gold medals to its tally in Women's Wrestling at the Pan-American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico. Canada, which won two golds on Friday, got another one through Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN) at 59kg.

Overall, the United States won the team title with 207 points with Canada finishing second with 170 points. Hosts Mexico was third with 131 points.

Yepez, wrestling for the first time since the Paris Olympic final, won the gold medal at 53kg after a 7-0 win in the final against Mariana ROJAS (VEN). This was Yepez's third straight gold medal at the Pan-Ams.

Two stepout and a activity clock point against Rojas helped Yepez get a 3-0 lead before a double-leg takedown and turn made it 7-0 in the first period. Surprisingly, there was no more scoring in the final as Yepez was happy to hold the center and the lead to win the top medal.

Kylie WELKER (USA)Kylie WELKER (USA) tries to score against Thamires MARTINS (BRA) in the 76kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

The United States, which won three gold medals on Friday, added two more through world bronze medalists Macey KILTY (USA) at 65kg and Kylie WELKER (USA) at 76kg.

Kilty was in a four-wrestler round-robin bracket and won her three bouts effortlessly. Kilty defeated Miki ROWBOTTOM (CAN) 10-0 in Round 1, secured a fall against Leticia DE OLIVERIA (BRA) in Round 2 and another 10-0 win in Round 3 against Alexis GOMEZ (MEX).

Welker, up against a tough bracket in 76kg, stepped and impressed with her performance to win her first Pan-Am gold. Olympic bronze medalist Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) and defending champion Genesis REASCO (ECU), who has a win over Welker, were in the bracket.

But it was Welker and Thamires MARTINS (BRA) who reached the final. Welker defeated Reasco 10-0 while Martins stopped Potrille 9-7, both in the semifinals.

In the final, it took little effort for Welker to see off Martins, 8-1. The first period saw only a point for Welker as Martins was put on the 30-second activity clock but failed to score.

Both wrestlers put on the activity period in the second period and Welker's lead adjusted to 2-1. The only scoring scramble of the match was when Martins tried an outside trip but had no control of Welker's upper body. Welker swiftly got her head out and then scored a takedown to lead 4-1.

Martins shot for Welker's legs quiet a few times but failed to score any points. In the final five seconds, Martins drove Welker to the edge before the American countered with a whizzer and scored four points for the win.

At 59kg, Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN) added her fourth Pan-Am title by winning both her bouts, in a three-wrestler bracket, in with ease. She defeated Abigail NETTE (USA) 6-3 in Round 1 and scored a 12-1 victory over Alma VALENCIA (MEX), 12-1, in Round 2.

Jaxen FORREST (USA)Jaxen FORREST (USA) celebrates after winning the 61kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Three Freestyle golds for U.S.

The Freestyle competition also began at the Pan-Am Championships on Saturday and the U.S. made a strong start. The country swept all three weight class, winning gold medals at 61kg, 74kg and 86kg.

At 61kg, 18-year-old Jaxen FORREST (USA) made his senior debut and won the gold without giving up a single point in three bouts. He defeated Joseph SILVA (PUR) in the final bout.

Silva was put on the activity clock in the first period and he failed to score which gave Forrest a 1-0 lead at the break. The second period saw more action as Forrest switched gears. He scored a takedown to lead 3-0 before blasting a double-leg attack for four points. He finished the bout with a takedown for two points and exposure which gave him two more points.

Ladarion LOCKETT (USA)Ladarion LOCKETT (USA) won the 74kg final 11-0 against Anthony MONTERO (VEN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Another youngster, world U20 silver medalist Ladarion LOCKETT (USA) won gold for the U.S. Lockett was also making his senior debut and defeated Anthony MONTERO (VEN), 11-0, in the final.

Lockett built a 5-0 lead with a big four-pointer in the first period and then exhibited how quick he is on the mat. Montero hit a snapdown to which Lockett lost momentum but pounced on Montero's left ankle in a blink. He scored a takedown and turn via lace to lead 9-0.

Montero tried a couple more attacks but Lockett saw them off before finishing the bout with a takedown and an 11-0 win.

Zahid VALENCIA (USA)Zahid VALENCIA (USA) won his second Pan-Am title. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Zahid VALENCIA (USA), wrestling at the Pan-Am Championships after three years, reclaimed the 86kg title that he previously won in 2022. Just like his younger compatriots, Valencia had no trouble seeing off the 86kg field without giving up any points.

He defeated Jorge LLANO (ARG) 11-0 in the final in two minutes and 44 seconds. Valencia scored his two points via stepouts and Llano was hit with a point penalty for fleeing to make it 3-0 for Valencia. A takedown later, it became 5-0.

Llano was again hit with fleeing as Valencia scored a stepout and the score became 7-0. Valencia's takedown and gut-wrench finished the bout 11-0.

RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

53kg
GOLD: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. Mariana ROJAS DIAZ (VEN), 7-0

BRONZE: Adrianny CASTILLO (ARG) df. Josefina RAMIREZ (MEX), via fall
BRONZE: Jaslynn GALLEGOS (USA) df. Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN), 16-4

59kg
GOLD: Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN)
SILVER: Abigail NETTE (USA)
BRONZE: Alma VALENCIA (MEX)

65kg
GOLD: Macey KILTY (USA)
SILVER: Miki ROWBOTTOM (CAN)
BRONZE: Alexis GOMEZ (MEX)

76kg
GOLD: Kylie WELKER (USA) df. Thamires MARTINS (BRA), 8-1

BRONZE: Genesis REASCO (ECU) df. Linda MACHUCA (ARG), 6-0
BRONZE: Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) df. Neirili BANGUERO (VEN), 10-0

Freestyle

61kg
GOLD: Jaxen FORREST (USA) df. Joseph SILVA (PUR), 11-0

BRONZE: Joshua KRAMER (ECU) df. Esteban PEREZ (GUA), 10-0
BONZE: Garette SAUNDERS (CAN) df. Peter HAMMER (CRC), 14-8

74kg
GOLD: Ladarion LOCKETT (USA) df. Anthony MONTERO (VEN), 11-0

BRONZE: Adam THOMSON (CAN) df. Geannis GARZON (CUB), via disqualification
BRONZE: Cristian SANTIAGO (MEX) df. Luis BARRIOS (HON), 14-3

86kg
GOLD: Zahid VALENCIA (USA) df. Jorge LLANO (ARG), 11-0

BRONZE: Kevin DE LEON (MEX) df. Cesar UBICO (GUA), 9-4
BRONZE: Steven RODRIGUEZ (VEN) df. Taran GORING (CAN), 11-0