#WrestleGuatemalaCity

México Reclama Cuatro Campeones, USA Gana Título de Equipo en #WrestleGuatemalaCity

By Taylor Miller

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – El primer día de competencia del Campeonato Panamericano Juvenil ha terminado con acción en grecorromana.

USA ganó el título del equipo con 190 puntos. En segundo lugar fue Mexico con 130 puntos y cuatro campeones. Colombia terminó en tercer lugar con 122 puntos.

Final results

55 kg: Duvan SANCHEZ CAICEDO (COL) fue el primer campeón del noche de Colombia. Derrotó a Antonio RUIZ MORA (ECU), 4-2, en los finales.

GOLD - Duvan SANCHEZ CAICEDO (COL) dec. Antonio RUIZ MORA (ECU), 4-2
BRONZE – Billy SULLIVAN (USA) TF Luis MENDOZA JIMENEZ (BOL), 9-0
BRONZE – Oseas LORENZO BAUTISTA (GUA) df. Richard GARCIA ANDRADE (PAN), fall 4:41

60 kg: Andres CORTES HERRERA (COL) repitió como campeón panamericano juvenil el miércoles. En su último combate, tuvo un partido cerrado contra Emerson FELIPE ORDONEZ (GUA).

GOLD – Andres CORTES HERRERA (COL)
SILVER – Haiden DRURY (USA)
BRONZE – Emerson FELIPE ORDONEZ (GUA)

63 kg: Hunter LEWIS (USA) ganó su primer título Panamericano de juvenil. El año pasado, el ganó medallas de oro en grecorromana y estilo libre masculino en el nivel cadete.

GOLD – Hunter LEWIS (USA) TF Carlos GONZALEZ VAHOS (COL), 8-0
BRONZE - Cristian MEJIA TEPEN (GUA) TF Jose ESPINOSA MOSQUERA (PAN), 8-0

67 kg: Damian SOLENZAL LOPEZ (CUB) fue el primer campeón del noche de Cuba. Derrotó a Diego MARTINEZ (MEX), 8-0, en los finales.

GOLD - Damian SOLENZAL LOPEZ (CUB) TF Diego MARTINEZ DE LEIJA (MEX), 8-0
BRONZE – Benji PEAK (USA) TF Lucas BELTRAN (ARG), 10-1
BRONZE - Julian HORTA ACEVEDO (COL) TF Juan PALMA FRANCIS (ECU), 12-3

72 kg: Evaristo HERNANDEZ REYNA (MEX) ganó cinco combates hoy, incluyendo un 9-0 victoria contra Franco CHIALANZA (ARG) en los finales.

GOLD – Evaristo HERNANDEZ REYNA (MEX) TF Franco CHIALANZA (ARG), 9-0
BRONZE – Ryan CUBAS CASTILLO (PER) TF Haner RAMIREZ RAMIREZ (COL), 16-8

77 kg: Emmanuel BENITEZ CASTRO (MEX) ganó todos de sus combates con technical fall o pin para ganar el oro en 77 kg. El año pasado él fue el subcampeón en el Campeonato Panamericano Juvenil en 72 kg.

GOLD – Emmanuel BENITEZ CASTRO (MEX)
SILVER – Isaiah ALFORD (USA)
BRONZE – Miguel Genaro SILVA COC (PER)

82 kg: Arturo CAMACHO VALENCIANO (MEX) tuvo un gran victoria contra Max WOHLABAUGH (USA), ganando 8-0 en el final en 82 kg. Camacho ganó el Campeonato Panamericano de Cadete en 2016.

GOLD – Arturo CAMACHO VALENCIANO (MEX) TF Max WOHLABAUGH (USA), 8-0
BRONZE – Fabian CASTILLO PAVEZ (CHI) TF Max MADRID DE LEON (PAN), 10-1

87 kg: Jesus LOPEZ NINO (MEX) tuvo una actuación impresionante para convertirse en el cuarto campeón de México esta noche. Lopez fue el campeón panamericano cadete de 2017.

GOLD – Jesus LOPEZ NINO (MEX)
SILVER – Keaton FANNING (USA)
BRONZE - Johan NAVEDA VARGAS (PER)

97 kg: Gabriel ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUB) dominó la competencia para ganar su segunda medalla de oro panamericano este ano. También fue victorioso en el Campeonato Panamericano de Mayores.

GOLD – Gabriel ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUBA) TF Braxton AMOS (USA), 12-4
BRONZE – Fabio CONCEICAO RODRIGUES (BRA) df. Juan CANTILLO TORRES (PAN), fall 0:27

130 kg: En su primera competencia internacional, Lee HERRINGTON (USA) fue dominante y compiló un récord de 3-0.

GOLD – Lee HERRINGTON (USA)
SILVER – Diego ALMENDRAS RODRIGUEZ (CHI)
BRONZE –  Samir VARGAS VALOR (COL)

Final team standings
1. USA - 190
2. Mexico - 130
3. Colombia - 122
4. Ecuador - 84
5. Peru – 80
6. Guatemala - 60
7. Cuba - 50
8. Panama - 48
9. Chile - 45
10. Argentina - 30

#WrestleZagreb

Tazhudinov in search for answers despite bronze medal

By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- A World Championships medal might be a career milestone for most wrestlers, but for Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN), the bronze he won in Zagreb is a prize he hopes to forget.

Coming into the tournament in Zagreb, Tazhudinov was considered as the best wrestler in the world and the favorite to win the gold medal at the 97kg. He had built a reputation of a wrestler who bulldozes anyone who stands in his path, as he did to win the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But Tazhudinov was anything but an Olympic and world champion in Zagreb.

He almost dropped his quarterfinal match with Mogomed KURBANOV (UWW), needing a front headlock roll to survive. The thrill of victory was short lived, as Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) showed that Tazhudinov is indeed human, winning their semifinal 5-2 to end Tazhudinov's golden run.

"My initial goal was the gold medal," Tazhudinov said. "I wanted to become a two-time world champion. Unfortunately, it didn't happen -- maybe it was meant to be this way. It's very painful to lose."

As he searched for answers for his performance, Tazhudinov said that recent shoulder surgery may have affected his wrestling at the World Championships.

"I was coming back after surgery, after a serious injury," Tazhudinov said. "Maybe that had an effect, I don't even know. It took me a very long time to get myself together. At the beginning, training sessions were very difficult."

Tazhudinov returned from surgery to win two gold medals in a one-month span -- first at the Spain Grand Prix and then at the Budapest Ranking Series in June.

After the semifinal loss to Azarpira, Tazhudinov returned the next night for the bronze-medal bout with 34-year-old Akhmed MAGAMAEV (BUL), which only further put Tazhudinov under the scanner despite winning the match.

Magamaev was on the activity clock when he bodylocked Tazhudinov and slammed him for four points just before the 30 seconds elapsed. Tazhudinov rebounded with a takedown to make it 4-2 at the break.

He began the second period with another takedown to make it 4-4, but Magamaev continued the scramble and both wrestlers were awarded two exposure points each, putting the Bulgarian ahead 6-6 on criteria.

A counter lift to exposure gave Tazhudinov the lead for the first time, 8-6, and as Magamaev tried doing the counter lift, he gave up two as Tazhudinov blocked him. The final scramble, which gave Tazhudinov an 11-10 win, was challenged by Bulgaria. Eventually, it was scored 13-10.

Despite winning the bout, Tazhudinov shook his head as he left the mat, perhaps surprised himself by his lackluster performance.

"Honestly, I don't even know what went wrong," he said. "It means I wasn't well enough prepared. It means I wasn't in my best shape. It means I need to work even more."

Tazhudinov said he had difficulty preparing mentally for the bronze-medal bout after the loss to Azarpira.

"After the semifinal loss, I couldn't motivate myself at all for the bronze-medal match," he said. "I don't even know how I stepped onto the mat. I wasn't mentally ready to wrestle at all, and that's why the match was so difficult.

"But I will not give up -- I'll go home, work on my mistakes, and train even harder to come back stronger."