Pino Hinds returns to Greco, wins fourth Pan-Am title

Friday, May 6, 2022 - 02:58 By Vinay Siwach

ACAPULCO, Mexico (May 5) -- Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) could not have asked for a better return to Greco-Roman after trying his hand at freestyle for the last three years.

In 2019, he won the silver medal at the World Championships at 130kg but has since wrestled freestyle. Despite qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, he had to vacate the 130kg spot for the four-time Olympic champion Mijain LOPEZ (CUB).

But as the new Olympic cycle begins, Pino is expected to remain at 130kg and lead Cuba's charge. He took the first steps in that direction by winning the Pan-Am gold in Acapulco, Mexico.

Outscoring his opponents 29-2 on Thursday, Pino won his fourth Pan-Am title and the first since 2018 to remain undefeated in the four editions of the competition.

A relieved Pino said he was happy to be back to his natural Greco-Roman style after trying and winning the gold only made the return sweeter.

"I am very happy," Pino said. "For 2-3 years [four] I didn't wrestle in Pan Am as last time was in Peru. But I am back to Greco-Roman and I feel good. I also became the champion on return so very good."

Meanwhile, the USA crowned four champions on the opening day of the competition taking a giant leap in defending the team title they won last year. Colombia and Honduras had a champion each. The remaining three gold medals will be decided Friday.

In his run to the final, Pino had to encounter a familiar opponent on the mat in Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI) in the quarterfinal which more or less decided Pino's position in the tournament.

Acosta, who finished fifth at the Olympics, was Cuba's second choice at 130kg and had won Pan-Am titles whenever Lopez decided to sit out. He later moved to Chile in 2016.

The two traded passivity points in either half but it was Pino's two points from par terre that made the difference in the 3-1 win.

"The match against Yasmani was the one I had to prepare more," he said. "In this competition, I had opponents from USA, Yasmani and Peru before the final and I knew to be the champion I need to have a strong gut."

He used that effectively in the final against another Tokyo Olympian Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA), scoring six points from that technique in a 9-1 win to claim the gold. The final was a rematch from the 2016 Pan-Am gold-medal bout which Pino had won easily, claiming his first continental title.

Soghomonyan had upset defending champion Leo SANTANA HEREDIA (DOM) in the quarterfinals 2-1 before moving past Gino AVILA DILBERT (HON) 9-0 in the final. But he could not keep up to Pino's game in the final.

While the Pan-Am title is a strong start to the Olympic cycle for Pino, he is taking it one step at a time and focusing on the World Championships later this year in Belgrade, Serbia.

A three-time World medalist, the 28-year-old reached the final in Nursultan but suffered a close defeat at the hands of four-time world champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR). The loss is still fresh in Pino's memory but he says that he is ready to avenge that defeat and win the title.

"I am back and I will compete at the World Championships," he said. "I know I have to beat Riza [KAYAALP] to win the gold. I was close in Nursultan but did a mistake but now I am ready to win."

Randon MIRANDA (USA) won the 60kg final for his first Pan-Am gold. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

USA dominates

Four gold medals on the first day of the competition gave the USA 100 team points, thanks to solid performances by Brady KOONTZ (USA), Samuel JONES (USA), Randon MIRANDA (USA) and Patrick SMITH (USA). Incidentally, all four wrestlers had to overcome tough home wrestlers to claim the gold medals.

At 60kg, Samuel GURRIA VIGUERAS (MEX) had lit up the arena with his high-flying moves including in the final against Miranda but he had to settle for a silver as the USA wrestler had one extra move than him.

The two were involved in a 20-point slugfest in the final with Gurria being egged on by the vocal fans. But it was Miranda who kept the action going in the first period and was giving the advantage.

He awarded two points as Gurria tried to defend and score a reversal from par terre but committed a leg-foul. He was again put in par terre and Miranda scored four points from two chest-wrap exposures. He then had Gurria in a headlock looking to finish the bout but scored only two. He landed on his back in danger in the same motion, giving up two as well and the score read 9-2. It was initially scored four points for Gurria but the USA successfully challenged the call.

They were involved in another two-and-two situation in the second period before Gurria launched a big headlock for four. A reversal gave Miranda a 12-8 lead and it remained that till the end.

"That was a lot of points," Miranda said after the match. "He was looking to score as he was in his hometown and with that, he brought in the energy."

Miranda had suffered a loss in the final at the '21 edition but was focused enough to win it this year. Despite getting stuck in a few situations, he trusted his game plan to pull off the win, which he thought was critical.

"I think staying composed [made the difference]," he said. "I had a little bit of gameplan, not give him too many openings for him as he caught me a couple of times but that was the goal -- to not get caught."

After ascending to the top of the podium, Miranda can definitely take pride in the win, a warm-up before he enters the USA World Team Trials in June.

"I have to work on some of the stuff for the world team trials for the World Championships," he said. "But I am definitely proud of this and this means that I am training good and hard."

Koontz Brady KOONTZ (USA) won the 55kg gold medal in Acapulco. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

His teammate Koontz won the 55kg title with his win over Axel SALAS ESQUIVEL (MEX) in Round 2 proving to be the difference. He scored two gut-wrenches from par terre to lead 5-0 at the break and when Salas was on top in the second period, Koontz scored when Salas failed to complete a head-pinch exposure. He added a takedown to finish the bout 9-1.

At 63kg, USA's world team member Jones defeated Jose RODRIGUEZ HERNANDEZ (MEX) with 2:08 on the clock to win his first Pan-Am title. After scoring a stepout and point from passivity, he launched Rodriguez for two four-point throws from body locks to win the bout 10-0.

Patrick SMITH (USA), red, won his third Pan-Am title and fifth medal overall. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Smith was the USA's fourth gold medalist of the night as he remained undefeated in the 72kg Nordic bracket. The bout which made the difference was against Edsson OLMOS GUTIERREZ (MEX) which Smith won 4-2. This was Smith's third Pan-Am title and fifth medal overall.

Julian HORTA ACEVEDO (COL) celebrates after winning the 67kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Tokyo Olympian Julian HORTA ACEVEDO (COL) won his first senior Pan-Am title by beating Kenedy MORAES PEDROSA (BRA), 5-0, in the 67kg final.

His opening action to go behind and score a takedown on the edge earned him two points before another point was added for Moraes' passivity. He scored a gut-wrench from par terre to lead 5-0 and survived the remaining time to win the gold.

"I feel proud," Horta said. "The work we are doing is good. I managed the bout tactically well to win. This was my second Pan-Am tournament for me and now I start the preparation for the Olympic cycle with the Bolivarian Games in July."

Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON) defended his 97kg Pan-Am title. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

History-maker Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON), who became the first wrestler from Honduras to win a Pan-Am title last year, gave himself a birthday present by defending his 97kg Pan-Am title in Acapulco. To win the gold without giving up a single point in the tournament only made it more memorable for him.

"I am really happy," Mejia said. "I never thought I will be a two-time Pan-Am champ. I thank my trainers who are always with me. Winning was hard here."

The 24-0 scoreline in his three bouts includes an 8-0 win over Juan CONDE IBANEZ (CUB) in the gold medal bout. He began with a four-point move from par terre and then scored another exposure to lead 7-0. He finished the bout in two minutes and 21 seconds with a stepout.

But to take the next step and win medals on the world stage, Mejia says that he needs better training.

"I need to prepare more [to win at Worlds]," he said. "Better training in Europe is important to have better results"

Apart from the three remaining Greco-Roman weight classes, women's wrestling will also begin Friday with four weights in action.

Samuel JONES (USA) became the 63kg Pan-Am champion. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Greco-Roman Results

55kg
GOLD: Brady KOONTZ (USA)
SILVER: Axel SALAS ESQUIVEL (MEX)
BRONZE: Brandon ESCOBAR AMADOR (HON)

Key match: Brady KOONTZ (USA) df Axel SALAS ESQUIVEL (MEX), 9-1 in Round 2

60kg
GOLD: Randon MIRANDA (USA) df. Samuel GURRIA (MEX), 12-8

BRONZE: Dicther TORO (COL) df. Maikol JOSEFA (DOM), 8-0
BRONZE: Joao BENAVIDES (PER) df. Emerson FELIPE (GUA), 5-4

63kg
GOLD: Samuel JONES (USA) df. Jose RODRIGUEZ (MEX), 10-0

67kg
GOLD: Julian HORTA (COL) df. Kenedy MORAES (BRA), 5-0

BRONZE: Enyer FELICIANO (DOM) df. Cristobal TORRES (CHI), 4-3
BRONZE: Nilton SOTO (PER) df. Diego MARTINEZ (MEX), 2-0

72kg
GOLD: Patrick SMITH (USA)
SILVER: Edsson OLMOS (MEX)
BRONZE: Cristian MEJIA TEPEN (GUA)

Key match: Patrick SMITH (USA) df. Edsson OLMOS GUTIERREZ (MEX), 4-2 in Round 2

97kg
GOLD: Kevin MEJIA (HON) df. Juan CONDE (CUB), 8-0

BRONZE: Carlos ADAMES (DOM) df. Igor ALVES (BRA), 7-3
BRONZE: Nicholas BOYKIN (USA) df. Eduardo GAJARDO (CHI), via forfeit

130kg
GOLD: Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) df. Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA), 9-1

BRONZE: Leo SANTANA (DOM) df. Gino AVILA (HON), via injury default
BRONZE: Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) df. Edgardo LOPEZ (PUR), 9-0

#WrestleBratislava

Valiev tops Sidakov; Uguev, Ramazanov win European golds

Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - 23:16 By Vinay Siwach

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (April 9) -- It took Chermen VALIEV (ALB) five bouts, a tense European Championships final, a challenge decision in his favor and a some incredible skill but he finally managed to beat world champion Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW).

Valiev and Sidakov clashed in the final of the European Championships in Bratislava on Wednesday, and the Albanian came out as a 4-2 winner, winning for the first time against Sidakov in five bouts and becoming a European champion at 74kg.

"I've faced Zaurbek before," Valiev said. "Until now, he always came out as the winner. Today, I managed to win, and I'm really happy about that. Zaurbek and I have been good friends since childhood, I have a lot of respect for him. But today, I guess luck was more on my side."

The final sequence between Chermen VALIEV (ALB) and Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW) which resulted in a Valiev win. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The two last clashed in the Russian National Championships which Sidakov won 3-2. But Valiev has since moved to Albania, won a bronze medal at 74kg at the Paris Olympics and emerged as one of the biggest names at 74kg.

Sidakov, world champion in 2023 at the weight class, had wrestled at the European Championships once before -- in 2016 at 70kg but did not win a medal.

In the final, Sidakov held the criteria lead 1-1 when Valiev was put on the activity clock again but he managed to drive Sidakov out of bounds during the 30-second period and get a point for a 2-1 lead.

With 50 seconds left on the clock, Sidakov went for a deep ankle pick, but got countered by Valiev for two-point exposure. Both continued the scramble and Sidakov managed to get a reversal for one point. However, it was initially scored two points for Sidakov which made it 3-2 for Sidakov before the referees awarded two for Valiev and a reversal point for Sidakov. That made the score 4-4 with Sidakov leading on criteria with six seconds remaining.

However, Albania challenged the call and on review, the 44-second scramble was awarded as two points for Valiev and a reversal point for Sidakov which gave Valiev a 4-2 lead to defend which he did. Sidakov limped off the mat which was later confirmed as a knee injury.

"The final was really tough for me, very intense match right up until the last second," he said. "Even at the end, it wasn’t clear who would get the score. But the score was given in my favor. I prepared hard and gave it 100 percent, put everything into my training. And today, God rewarded me with a gold medal."

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Valiev, a former world U23 champion, is now focused on winning the senior world title and said that the gold medal in Bratislava will be a motivation to win in the Zagreb event in September.

"I’ll start preparing for the next competition," he said. "The main goal this year is the World Championships, and I hope to get there healthy and ready. I’ll keep that gold medal in my mind and keep pushing forward."

With that loss Sidakov, Tokyo Olympic champion at 74kg, suffered his first since 2018 when he lost Hetik CABALOV (SRB) in the Ivan Yaryguin Ranking Series.

While Sidakov suffered a loss, fellow Tokyo Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (UWW) pulled off another last-second thrilling win over Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) to win his first-ever European gold medal.

Uguev, who was struggling with form in recent past and finished without a medal at the World Championships last year, rebounded with a 7-5 victory in the 61kg final to win gold.

"I’m truly happy," Uguev said. "I had even forgotten what it feels like to be called up to the top of the podium."

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The final got off to a mesmerizing start with Uguev suplexing Harutyunyan during the Armenian's activity period. He was awarded two points for the move but he challenged for four points but lost, making the score 3-1.

In the second period, Uguev tried to pass behind for a takedown but Harutyunyan got hold of his leg and tripped him for four points to claim a 5-3 lead. Uguev was not giving up though. As Harutyunyan tried pushing him out, Uguev hit a underhook throw for two points to make the score 5-5 but Harutyunyan led on criteria for his bigger technique.

This was settled in the final minute when Uguev got on a single leg attack, elevated and finished with a takedown with 25 seconds left. He defended his 7-5 lead to win the gold medal.

"I had said it was going to be an interesting match and it really was," he said. "I got thrown unexpectedly early on and had to catch up. I was working, pushing forward, but I wasn’t worried — I believed I could close the gap, even though I couldn’t at first."

Uguev had three European medals, a bronze and silver, in the past having lost to Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE) in 2017 and 2018. But he came a two-time world and Olympic champion.

"I was lying down and a thought came to me," he said. "I looked back and realized -- I didn’t actually have a European medal yet. And I thought, “Now it’s time. I have to win one.”

Since winning the gold at 57kg at the Tokyo Games, Uguev has two fifth-place finishes at the World Championships internationally. But with the win on Wednesday, Uguev put his hat in the ring for the world title later this year.

Denis TSARGUSH, who was in the corners of both Sidakov and Uguev, said that Sidakov's loss a bit difficult to digest.

"We performed well overall. It’s just that the final match with Zarubek left a bit of a bitter aftertaste," he said. "He could have won but Chermen also wrestled really well."

Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL), Paris 2024 Olympic champion was also in action on Wednesday and he scored a thrilling 9-5 win against Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (UWW) in the 86kg final.

Kadzimahamedau was leading in 5-1 after he had scored two takedowns and Ramazanov got going only in the final minute. He scored a takedown with a leg-hold before turning Kadzimahamedau four times to make it 9-5. Ramazanov got Kadzimahamedau.

"All my thoughts were about winning — I really didn’t want to lose," Ramazanov said. "If the match had ended like that, without me giving it my all, it would’ve been incredibly disappointing. That’s why I switched into full gear — I wasn’t thinking about tactics anymore, I was just pushing forward. I would rate my performance around 6 out of 10. There were a lot of strong athletes."

Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) gut wrenches Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (UWW) for the win in the 86kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

With the win, Ramazanov won his second European title and he also avenged his 2019 79kg final loss at the European Championships.

"I wanted to avenge for past losses, but it wasn’t about proving anything," he said. "I just always try to choose the toughest opponents — especially the ones I’ve lost to before."

Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) won his fourth European Championships gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 92kg, three-time European champion Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) added a fourth after he sneaked through the final against Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 6-5.

Kurugliev, who also has a European Games gold medal, opened the final with an ankle pick for a takedown in the first thirty second of the bout and maintained till the break. There was no points scored in the bout until the last 25 seconds.

Nurmagomedov asked for a takedown but he lost the challenge which gave Kurugliev another point. He soon scored a stepout to cut the lead to 3-1 and as he tried to score another, Kurugliev circled and scored a go-behind as Nurmagomedov thought he completed the stepout.

A challenge would have helped Nurmagomedov at this point but he had already used it and Kurugliev's lead swelled to 5-1.

Nurmagomedov got a takedown with a ankle pick for two point and he got another point for Kurugliev's fleeing, making the score 5-4. The bout resumed in par terre with four seconds on the clock but Nurmagomedov failed to score a turn and lost the final.

Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) scores the winning throw against Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) during the 125kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

The European Championships had a different winner at 125kg in 13 years as Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) needed a buzzer-beating front body throw for four to defeat Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO), 7-7, in the final.

Meshvildishvili thus became the first wrestler not named Taha AKGUL (TUR) or Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) to win the 125kg gold medal since 2012.

Manashvili was leading 7-3 with seven seconds remaining when Meshvildishvili scored a reverse exposure throw for four, awarded only after the Azerbaijan side challenged.

Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) with Taha AKGUL (TUR) during the European Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

The win also captured the Freestyle team title for Azerbaijan over Georgia. The two countries were tied at 94 points and the winner of 125kg would take his country to the top of the podium.

Meshvildishvili's win gave Azerbaijan 119 points for the top spot while Georgia was second with 114 points. Turkiye finished third with 73 points.

RESULTS

61kg
GOLD: Zavur UGUEV (UWW) df. Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 7-5

BRONZE: Andrii DZHELEP (UKR) df. Dzmitry SHAMELA (UWW), 3-1
BRONZE: Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) df. Leomid COLESNIC (MDA), 11-0

74kg
GOLD: Chermen VALIEV (ALB) df. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW), 4-2

BRONZE: Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE) df. Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL), 6-4
BRONZE: Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN), 3-0

86kg
GOLD: Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) df. Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (UWW), 9-5

BRONZE: Osman GOCEN (TUR) df. Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL), 4-2
BRONZE: Artur NAIFONOV (UWW) df. Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA), 10-0

92kg
GOLD: Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) df. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 6-5

BRONZE: Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) df. Yaraslau IADKOUSKI (UWW), 5-0
BRONZE: Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) df. Ahmed BATAEV (BUL), 8-6

125kg
GOLD: Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) df. Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO), 7-7

BRONZE: Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (UWW) df. Vlagyiszlav BAJCAJEV (HUN), 5-2
BRONZE: Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) df. Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE), 8-0

Pino Hinds returns to Greco, wins fourth Pan-Am title

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Valiev tops Sidakov; Uguev, Ramazanov win European golds