Lima, Peru

Olympic Champion Ismael Borrero Molina Seeks Fourth Pan Am Title

Thursday, May 3, 2018 - 22:19 By Taylor Miller

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LIMA, Peru – 2016 Olympic champion Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) heads to the Pan American Championships finals for the fourth time, looking to claim his fourth Pan Am gold, after a dominant day on Thursday in Lima, Peru.

Borrero, who last competed in the event in 2014, dominated the 67 kg bracket without surrendering a single point. In his first match, he rolled through 2017 Pan Am silver medalist Luis Alfredo DE LEON (DOM) with a 10-0 technical fall. He followed it up with tech falls over Joseph DASHOU (CAN) and 2017 Junior Pan Am winner Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA).

Borrero will face off against Manuel Alejandro LOPEZ SALCERO (MEX), a two-time Pan American Championships medalist.

Two other Cubans sealed spots in the finals, including Luis Alberto ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) at 60 kg and 2017 World bronze winner Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) at 130 kg.

Pino, who defeated fellow 2017 World bronze medalist Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI) earlier today, is competing for his third-consecutive Pam Am gold. He’ll face Robert SMITH (USA), who has produced two top-five finishes at the World Championships.

In addition to Smith, three Americans will be fighting for gold tonight, including Max NOWRY, Ryan MANGO and Ravaughn PERKINS. All three were perfect in round-robin action on Thursday morning.

At 55 kg, Nowry, a 2012 University champion, will take on Sargis KHACHATRYAN (BRA), who is a native of Armenia. Khachatryan was also perfect in the morning session. Winner of this matchup takes gold.

Perkins will also face an undefeated opponent in Wuileixis de Jesus RIVAS ESPINOZA (VEN) in the 72 kg finals. Rivas Espinoza is a 2014 Pan Am Championships gold medalist, 2015 Pan Am Games gold medalist and three-time Pan Am bronze winner.

Regardless of the outcome of his match against Adam MACFADYEN (CAN), undefeated Mango will be named the winner at 63 kg based on head-to-head wins.

At 97 kg, Luillys Jose PEREZ MORA (VEN) is heading to the finals for the third year in a row. He owns silver medals form the 2016 and 2017 tournaments. In search of his first title, Perez will face Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON), who won the 2017 Central American and Carribbean Games in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.

The finals are set for 7 p.m. U.S. ET and can be watched live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

FINALS MATCHUPS
55 kg – Round five matches
Sargis KHACHATRYAN (BRA) vs. Max Emiliano NOWRY (USA)
Mauricio David PLAZA SANCHEZ (MEX) vs. Javier Eduardo BARRERA PALACIOS (PER)

60 kg
GOLD - Jancel Miguel PIMENTEL GONZALEZ (DOM) vs. Luis Alberto ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB)
BRONZE - Andres Roberto MONTANO ARROYO (ECU) vs. Dicther Hans TORO CASTANEDA (COL)
BRONZE - Cristhian PARAVECINO NAVARRO (PER) vs. Marat GARIPOV (BRA)

63 kg – Round five matches
Ryan Robert MANGO (USA) vs. Adam Takahashi MACFADYEN (CAN)
Gerardo Francisco OLIVA MONTES (PER) vs. Mauri VICENTE SILVERIO JUNIOR (BRA)

67 kg
GOLD - Manuel Alejandro LOPEZ SALCERO (MEX) vs. Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB)
BRONZE - Luis Alfredo DE LEON (DOM) vs. Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA)
BRONZE - Jose Alejandro VARELA GARCIA (GUA) vs. Mario Bernardo MOLINA CORTEZ (PER)

72 kg – Round five matches
Ravaughn Richard Ravelle PERKINS (USA) vs. Wuileixis de Jesus RIVAS ESPINOZA (VEN)
David PEREIRA BARBOSA (BRA) vs. Fernando VICENTE GOMEZ (MEX)

97 kg
GOLD - Luillys Jose PEREZ MORA (VEN) vs. Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON)
BRONZE - Charles Zachary MERRILL (PUR) vs. Oscar LOANGO SOLIS (COL)
BRONZE - Lester Josue ENRIQUEZ CALDERON (GUA) vs. Gabriel Alejandro ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUB)

130 kg
GOLD - Robert Timothy David SMITH (USA) vs. Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB)
BRONZE - Edgardo Juan LOPEZ MORELL (PUR) vs. Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI)
BRONZE - Jose Noel ERAZO HENRIQUEZ (ESA) vs. Luis Alberto ROMAN BARRIOS (MEX)

#BeachWrestling

Youth Olympic quotas in focus as Katerini hosts U17, U20 BW Worlds

Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - 08:47 By United World Wrestling Press

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KATERINI, Greece (September 23) -- Thirty countries, close to 300 wrestlers, a global glory and a Youth Olympic dream.

Over two days this week, on September 25 and 26, the world’s best age-group beach wrestlers descend upon the scenic Katerini Beach, where the sun sets behind the imposing Mount Olympus. In this postcard-perfect surroundings, they will hope to write their scripts at the U17 and U20 World Championships.

The tournament will be live on the YouTube channel of United World Wrestling's Beach Wrestling channel.

The championships will be taken into consideration for quotas for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games qualifier, adding another layer of significance to the U17 event.

United World Wrestling has received a request for quotas from more than 100 National Olympic Committees with a total of 300 male and 269 female wrestlers. Currently, there are 48 quotas per gender. In this context, the World Championships in Katerini will add excitement to the race for the Youth Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in Dakar.

The U17 and U20 World Championships will be held across eight weight classes each in men’s and women’s categories. Last year, Ukraine and the United States reigned supreme in the men’s and women’s events, respectively, of the U17 World Championships. This year, too, they will be among the favorites to lift the team titles.

Once again, this year, Ukraine has entered a jumbo team with eight wrestlers in the U17 men’s competition. Only hosts Greece (12), Georgia (11), and Moldova (9) have a contingent bigger than theirs. On the women’s side, the USA has fielded the largest delegation among the 24 teams, with 9 wrestlers. In Beach Wrestling, a country can register a maximum of 3 athletes per weight category.

It won’t be so straightforward for both teams to retain their titles, with challengers emerging from other nations, particularly hosts Greece, who would hope to put on a good show in front of their home crowd. Romania, Moldova, Georgia and Iran will remain strong contenders despite Ukraine's legacy in the competition, especially the women's.

Earlier this month, the U15, U17 and U20 African Beach Wrestling Championships were held in Casablanca, where Algeria bagged the U17 men’s and women’s titles. The serene Ain Diab beach in the Moroccan capital hosted the age-group tournaments before the Beach Wrestling World Series, marking the first time the event was held in an African city.

Soon after the U17 and U20 Beach World Championships, the Katerini Beach will host the World Series on September 27 and 28. The penultimate stop of the event is set to be the biggest of the 2025 season so far in terms of participation. There have been a record number of entries, underlining the sport’s continued global growth.

The World Series will return to Africa in October for its final instalment of this season, when the tournament will be held in Alexandria, Egypt, on October 18 and 19.