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

#WrestleAmman

Olympic champs prevail as Iran bounces back with 4 golds

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - 19:27 By Ken Marantz

AMMAN, Jordan (March 26) -- With its two Olympic champions in action, it was a pretty sure thing that Iran would do better than its disappointing showing the previous day in Greco-Roman at the Asian Championships.

The wrestling powerhouse sure did, rebounding all the way to the top of four medal podiums. Paris Olympic gold medalists Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) defended their Asian titles in leading a quartet of Iranians who captured titles on Wednesday in Amman, a day after Iran came away with just a single gold.

Danial SOHRABI (IRI) and Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) also emerged victorious as Iran stormed to the team title with 201 points, well ahead of the 168 chalked up by second-place Uzbekistan, which claimed three golds on the opening day Tuesday -- all in head-to-head clashes with Iranian opponents. Japan finished third with 131 points.

Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK) won the other gold on offer on Wednesday with a victory at 60kg after taking silvers in 2018 and 2019.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) wrestles Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Saravi, competing for the first time since Paris, showed again why he has been the dominant force at Greco 97kg in recent years when he easily outclassed 2023 world U23 bronze medalist Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) 8-0 in the final.

"This is my first official appearance after the Olympic Games," Saravi said. "Thank God I was able to put on a good performance and win the gold medal."

Put in par terre, Saravi scored a roll against the gutsy but outmanned Nakazato, then added an arm drag takedown for a 5-0 lead. Just seconds into the second period, Saravi got behind for a takedown during a scramble that landed him out of bounds.

The Japanese side took a risk and challenged the call, even though losing it would give Saravi the winning point. That's just what happened, and Saravi was champion at 3:08 with his third technical fall in three matches without conceding a point.

"After the Olympics, I suffered a knee injury, but thankfully, I’m in much better condition now," Saravi said. "Over the past two or three months, I’ve been able to train at the camp under the supervision of the national team and I’ve reached a decent level of readiness and felt good.

"I hope to reach full readiness by the World Championships and deliver a strong performance there to achieve the best possible result."

The 27-year-old Saravi, who also won a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has not lost since falling 3-0 to Gabriel ROSSILO (CUB) in the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships.

Perhaps more impressively, he has finished in the top-three in every competition he has entered since the 2019 worlds, a streak of 18 tournaments that includes a world gold in 2021 and Asian gold in 2020.

Saravi said he looks forward to renewing his rivalry with four-time Olympic medalist Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM), whom he defeated in the final in Paris.

"Artur Aleksanyan is a great wrestler and someone I have a lot of respect for," Saravi said. "I see it as motivation for myself to face him several times in the coming years.

"I hope Aleksanyan can achieve the best results in the European Championships, and that we can put on a great match together at the World Championships so that the fans can enjoy it."

Saied ESMAEILI (IRI) sets up to throw Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) during the 67kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Earlier, Esmaeili, also making his first appearance since the Olympics, had to work a bit harder than Saravi to prevail 3-0 in the 67kg final over world U23 champion Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), a repeat of the outcome of last year's final.

"This edition of the Asian Championships had a high level of competition, with renowned wrestlers from Japan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan," Esmaeili said. "The Kyrgyz wrestler was the world U23 champion and a strong competitor. The Japanese wrestler was the Asian Games champion and showed a high level of performance."

Esmaeili got a 2-point throw from par terre in the first period, then held his ground to avoid giving up a passivity point in a scoreless second to relegate Beishekeev to the silver medal again.

"In the final, I fought for those six minutes, but my opponent wasn’t really there to wrestle with me," Esmaeili said. "I attacked him during those six minutes, and in the second period, he kept stopping the match to catch his breath. Honestly, the final was the toughest match."

Esmaeili said he had to make the tough transition that comes with the notoriety of becoming an Olympic champion.

"After becoming an Olympic champion, people expect a lot from me, and because of the matches I’ve had, their expectations have increased," he said. "Every competition we enter is more stressful than before because people say, 'He’s an Olympic champion, so he has to perform well.'

"That’s why we have to be careful not to lose. The pressure of competition has become much heavier for us since the Olympics."

The loss was Beishekeev's first since last year's final in Bishkek, after which he won titles at the 2024 World U23 Championships and at this year's Tirana Ranking Series tournament. He also has bronze medals from both the Asian Games and Asian Championships in 2023.

Danial SOHRABI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 72kg final against Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 72kg, Sohrabi completed a dominant run to the title by putting away 2024 bronze medalist Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) 8-0 in the final for his fourth technical fall in four matches -- all without giving up a point.

Sohrabi, the 2023 world U23 champion, took advantage of the first shot at par terre by scoring consecutive rolls for a 5-0 lead, added a stepout, then finished the match with a takedown at 2:38.

Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) wrestles Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) in the 82kg final at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

World U23 champion Naghousi had his work cut out for him in forging a 3-1 victory over Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) in the 82kg final.

Naghousi used a body lock throw to score from par terre in the first period, then defended well from the bottom in the second period, avoiding giving up points on a rolling throw attempt by Satayev, whose silver marks his first senior-level medal.

Se Ung RI (PRK) celebrates after winning the gold medal at the 60kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 60kg, Ri used his agility to step over and gain a 2-point exposure on a takedown attempt by world U23 champion Alisher GANIEV (UZB) in the second period, giving him a 6-4 win and his first victory in three trips to the Asian final.

"I trained really hard to make sure I would win first place here," Ri said. "In the match against the Uzbekistan athlete, since I was stronger overall, I tried my best to overpower him tactically and secure the gold medal."

Ri took the early lead with an arm drag takedown and gut wrench to go up 4-0, but Ganiev came back with a lateral drop for 2, then spun behind after stopping an arm throw to make it 4-4 with the criteria in his favor.

In the second period, Ganiev got in tight on a takedown attempt on the mat, but Ri stepped over the top to wrench Ganiev temporarily onto his back for the 2 that would give him the title.

Ri, who prevented Iran from having finalists in all five weight classes when he defeated Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI) 8-4 in the semifinals, said he prepared well for what he knew would be a tough competition in the Olympic weight class.

"The 60kg category is an Olympic category, that's why I studied all of the opponents carefully, watched a lot of match footage and worked hard to win," Ri said.

Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) edged Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 6-5 in the 82kg bronze-medal bout. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Qatar gains 2nd-ever Asian medal, with an Iranian tint

In the bronze-medal matches, Qatar picked up just its second-ever medal -- again thanks to the efforts of an import -- when Iranian-born Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) edged two-time bronze medalist Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 6-5 at 82kg.

Badaghimofrad, who finished fifth for Iran at the 2023 Asian Championships and made his debut for Qatar earlier this year, had fallen behind 5-4 from a scramble that was started from a nice 4-point fireman's carry by Rasulov. But Badaghimofrad used an arm drag for a takedown to go ahead before the break, then held off Rasulov in a second period that saw no passivity points assessed.

Qatar's only previous medal was a silver won at freestyle 125kg by Georgian-born Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (QAT) in 2018 in Bishkek. There have been a handful of fifth-place finishes by native Qataris.

In the other 82kg match, Boseong KANG (KOR) pulls a surprise with a 6-6 victory over dethroned defending champion Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), using an effective arm throw to build a six-point lead before holding off a late charge from the Japanese teen.

At 60kg, Kaito INABA (JPN) added a bronze to the silver he won last year in Bishkek, defeating Iran's Naserpour 1-1 on last-point criteria in a match limited to passivity points.

With Inaba on top in the second period, Naserpour did an amazing job of preventing being thrown, but Inaba clinched the win when he wriggled out of a Naserpour arm spin late in the match.

The second bronze-medal match at 60kg was also decided on last point, as Ziyue XI (CHN) used a high-chest wrap to turn over Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) from par terre and secure a 3-3 victory for the first major medal of his career.

Sulaimanov, who won an Asian U23 bronze here last year, converted a reverse body roll in his turn from par terre in the first period.

At 67kg, Man Gwang SON (PRK) scored a stepout with :43 second left, giving him the criteria advantage and a 2-2 victory over Nozimjon BOYKUZIEV (UZB). Boykuziev had gone ahead with a stepout during a throw in par terre to go up 2-1.

Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) won the 67kg bronze medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Asian Games champion Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) hit a rolling 4-point throw from par terre in the first period and that was more than enough to defeat NEERAJ (IND) 5-0 in a battle between the 2022 bronze medalists. The loss denied Neeraj a third career Asian bronze.

In a bizarre finish at 72kg, Ji LENG (CHN) was on his way to a victory over Omar AL DARAGHMEH (JOR) when a misguided challenge from the Jordan side gave the Chinese the points he needed for an 11-3 technical fall.

Leng had a pair of stepouts and a takedown-roll combination in the second period to build up a 9-3 lead when Al Daraghmeh attempted a pancake that was stopped and originally scored as 2 for Leng. The call was overturned as a slipped throw, but Jordan challenged anyway -- and "won" the challenge because Al Daraghmeh was instead assessed a 2-point leg foul penalty which ended the match.

Issei HONNA (JPN) earned the other 72kg bronze for his first international medal, ripping off three rolls from par terre en route to a 10-0 victory over Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) in 2:13.

At 97kg, NITESH (IND), a two-time Asian U23 medalist, earned his first senior medal with a one-sided 9-0 victory over Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM). Nitesh scored three gut wrenches from par terre, then ended the match with an arm drag takedown with :04 left in the first period.

Youfang ZHANG (CHN) snatched the other 97kg bronze in impressive fashion, reversing Jewoo PARK (KOR) during a gut wrench and securing a fall at 2:00.

Day 2 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Se Ung RI (PRK) df. Alisher GANIEV (UZB), 6-4

BRONZE: Kaito INABA (JPN) df. Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI), 1-1
BRONZE: Ziyue XI (CHN) df. Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ), 3-3

67kg (13 entries)
GOLD: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), 3-0

BRONZE: Man Gwang SON (PRK) df. Nozimjon BOYKUZIEV (UZB), 2-2
BRONZE: Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) df. NEERAJ (IND), 5-0

72kg (14 entries)
GOLD: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) by TF, 8-0, 2:38

BRONZE: Ji LENG (CHN) df. Omar AL DARAGHMEH (JOR) by TF, 11-3, 5:14
BRONZE: Issei HONNA (JPN) df. Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) by TF, 10-0, 2:13

82kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) df. Omar SATAYEV (KAZ), 3-1

BRONZE: Boseong KANG (KOR) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), 6-6
BRONZE: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) df. Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB), 6-5

97kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) by TF, 8-0, 3:08

BRONZE: NITESH (IND) df. Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM) by TF, 9-0, 2:56
BRONZE: Youfang ZHANG (CHN) df. Jewoo PARK (KOR) by Fall, 2:00 (3-3)

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

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Olympic champs prevail as Iran bounces back with 4 golds