Russia and Georgia Grab Pair of Greco-Roman Olympic Berths

Saturday, March 20, 2021 - 19:25 By Eric Olanowski

BUDAPEST, Hungary (March 20) --- Russia and Georgia collected a pair of Olympic berths through Saturday’s Tokyo qualification round at the European Olympic Qualifier.

Aleksandr CHEKHIRKIN (RUS) and Sergey SEMENOV (RUS) reached Saturday’s finals and brought Russia’s Greco-Roman Olympic berths total to five out of six weights, while Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) and Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) guaranteed a pair of Georgian Olympic licenses at 67kg and 87kg, respectively, after they each scored nine points en route to their semifinal victories.

At 77kg, Chekhirkin stepped up big after replacing two-time Olympic champion Roman VLASOV (RUS) on less than a weeks notice. He squeezed out a 7-6 win over Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL). Chekhirkin, the ’17 world champion, faced a 4-0 deficit in the first period but scored six unanswered points and gained the two-point lead. He surrendered a takedown and fell behind 6-6 on criteria but snatched a stepout and earned Russia's 77kg Olympic berth, 7-6.

His finals opponent will be now-two-time Olympian Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO). Starcevic qualified Croatia for the Olympic Games at 77kg with a 3-1 win over Oldrich VARGA (CZE).

Semenov was the second Russian Greco-Roman wrestler to book a ticket to Tokyo on Saturday. He was in such a hurry to get off the mat that he pinned Adam VARGA (HUN) in 98 seconds.

Semenov will take on Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU), who punched Lithuania’s 130kg Olympic ticket with a controlling 4-1 semifinal win over Knystautas KRAJEWSKI (POL).

Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) was one of two Georgian wrestlers who earn an Olympic berth on Saturday. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Georgia was the second nation that had a pair of wrestlers earn Olympic berths on Saturday.

Zoidze was the first Georgian to win a semifinal bout. He eased his way to a 9-1 win over the slim and slender Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM). He'll wrestle Hungarian world champion Balint KORPASI (HUN) in Sunday’s finals.

Korpasi dominated Donior ISLAMOV (MDA), 6-0, and handed Hungary a spot at 67kg at the Olympic Games. He has world medals trickled throughout his resume, but the one thing the former world champion's resume was missing was an Olympic appearance. At 33-year-old, that's all going to change as he’s expected to be Hungary’s representative in Japan later this year.

Gobadze was Georgia’s second wrestler to claim an Olympic license on Saturday. Despite trailing early, the ’19 world champ emptied his gas tank and earned the 9-5 win over Milad ALIRZAEV (RUS). Gobadze’s come-from-behind win stopped Russia from earning an Olympic berth at each of the six weight classes.

Kerem KAMAL (TUR) was Turkey's lone wrestler to punch an Olympic ticket on Saturday. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Meanwhile, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, and Turkey each earned a solo Tokyo berth on Saturday night.

Turkey came into the European Olympic Qualifier with four wrestlers who had high hopes of adding to their nation’s pair of Olympic berths. But after failing to reach the semifinals at 67kg, 77kg and 87kg, they turned to 21-year-old Kerem KAMAL (TUR) to save the day.

With the pressure of a nation on his back, the energetic spark plug dug deep against Erik TORBA (HUN) and ended Hungary’s 60kg bid for an Olympic berth with a one-point victory.

As always, Kamal came out on fire. He tossed everything he had into an early correct throw (six seconds into the first period) and controlled the slim 2-0 advantage. His Hungarian opponent was hit with inactivity and placed down in the par terre position. The two-time European medalist lost focus for a split second and surrendered a reversal and an exposure. Trailing on criteria, Kamal picked up what ultimately proved to be the match-deciding takedown before the first period came to an end.

He stayed composed in the second period and became the third Turkish Greco-Roman wrestler (97kg and 130kg) to punch his ticket to the Olympic Games with a 5-4 victory.

Kamal will wrestle Etienne KINSINGER (GER) for gold on Sunday night.

The German hit one of the craziest four-points throws to steal the Olympic berth from Murad MAMMADOV (AZE).

Kinsinger trailed 3-1 late in the second period when he took a peek over at the clock and realized there was only ten seconds left. In what appeared to be a "flying squirrel" attempt, he left his feet, got his hands locked on a side headlock and tossed everything he had into one final attempt. Kinsinger rolled his Azeri opponent over his back and picked up four points. As the clock struck zero, he realized he punched Germany's ticket to the Olympic Games at 67kg and let out a massive roar in excitement.

Although it wasn’t pretty by any means, Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) got the job done at the end of the day and qualified Finland for the Olympic Games at 97kg. Despite having two cautions against him and trailing 5-1 with less than a minute left, the Finnish wrestler stunned Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) with a four-point throw to earn the 5-5 criteria victory.

Savolaninen will take on ’18 world silver medalist Kiril MILOV (BUL) in the finals. Milov qualified Bulgarian for the Olympics after he walked to a 9-0 shutout win over Artur OMAROV (CZE), 9-0.

The Greco-Roman finals begin at 18:00 on Sunday and can be followed live on www.uww.org.

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD - Kerem KAMAL (TUR) vs. Etienne KINSINGER (GER)
SEMIFINAL - Etienne KINSINGER (GER) df. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), 5-3
SEMIFINAL - Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Erik TORBA (HUN), 5-4

67kg
GOLD - Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) vs. Balint KORPASI (HUN)
SEMIFINAL - Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) df. Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM), 9-1
SEMIFINAL - Balint KORPASI (HUN) df. Donior ISLAMOV (MDA), 6-0

77kg
GOLD - Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) vs. Aleksandr CHEKHIRKIN (RUS)
SEMIFINAL - Aleksandr CHEKHIRKIN (RUS) df. Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), 7-6
SEMIFINAL - Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) df. Oldrich VARGA (CZE), 3-1

87kg
GOLD - Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) vs. Islam ABBASOV (AZE)
SEMIFINAL - Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df. Ramon BETSCHART (SUI), 6-1
SEMIFINAL - Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) df. Milad ALIRZAEV (RUS), 9-5

97kg
GOLD - Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) vs. Kiril MILOV (BUL)
SEMIFINAL - Kiril MILOV (BUL) df. Artur OMAROV (CZE), 9-0
SEMIFINAL - Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) df. Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), 5-5

130kg
GOLD - Sergey SEMENOV (RUS) vs. Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU)
SEMIFINAL - Sergey SEMENOV (RUS) df. Adam VARGA (HUN), via fall
SEMIFINAL - Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) df. Rafal KRAJEWSKI (POL), 4-1

#WrestleMonterrey

Freestyle history for Argentina, Mexico at Pan-Ams

Monday, May 12, 2025 - 07:28 By Vinay Siwach

MONTERREY, Mexico (May 11) -- On a historic day in Monterrey, Argentina won its first-ever Freestyle gold medal at the Pan-American Championships while Mexico ended its drought for gold with two golds on Sunday.

Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG), who was silver medalist last year and has four bronze medals, defeated Joseph MC KENNA (USA) in a thrilling final to create history for Argentina. For Mexico, Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) won the gold medal at 57kg, thus ending a 32-year wait for the top medal at Pan-Ams. A few minutes later, Austin GOMEZ (MEX) also won gold to add his name to history.

The United States, however, was the best Freestyle team of the tournament as it won the team title after adding four more golds to the three it won on Saturday. It finished at the top with 230 points, way ahead of second-placed Canada which had 144 points. Mexico was third with 139 points.

Destribats came close to the historic gold medal last year but had to pull out injured in the final and won a silver medal. The story was different this year.

After a tough 4-4 win in the semifinal, Destribats was in for a tougher challenge against McKenna in the final. But his defense in the first period saw him escape McKenna's attacks. He scored a stepout and led 1-0 at the break.

Destribats was about to be hit with an inactivity call when he headlocked McKenna and tried to pin. The pin was called but not upheld as it seemed that McKenna may have lost consciousness due to the hold. However, McKenna sprung back on his feet as soon as the whistle was blown and Destribats let go.

The fall was cancelled but Destribats now led 3-0. McKenna got on the scoreboard with a stepout to cut the lead to 3-1. Destribats, who was avoiding engagement, was hit with the passivity call and as he failed to scored McKenna got a point.

McKenna hit a leg attack and put forward pressure even as Destribats tried to avoid exposure using a chestwrap. But two points were awarded to McKenna which gave him a 4-3 lead with 11 seconds left.

Destribats did not give up and used an inside trip to score. While he failed to execute the trip, he managed to take McKenna out of bounds for a point to take a 4-4 criteria lead as the scorer of the latest point. The U.S. challenged the call but lost it, making the score 5-4 for Destribats which he defended for the final five seconds.

Before Destribats, only three other wrestlers from Argentina had made it to the finals at Pan-Ams in Freestyle with Yuri MAIER (ARG) being the last one in 2013.

Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) battles Lucas RODRIGUEZ (PUR) in the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Mexico rejoiced as Bravo Young won the gold medal at 57kg to start the evening session. He blanked Lucas RODRIGUEZ (PUR), 12-0, for the gold medal which was the first for Mexico in Freestyle since 1993.

Felipe GUZMAN (MEX), the Olympian from 1996, was the last wrestler to win gold for Mexico at the Pan-Ams in Freestyle.

Bravo Young, who moved to Mexico in 2024 before Paris Olympics, used different techniques including sweep single, double-leg attack to score four takedowns and lead 8-0. He finished the match with a fireman's carry for four points.

Austin GOMEZ (MEX), red, celebrates after winning the 70kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Soon after, Gomez, who also transferred to Mexico before the Paris Olympics, posted an 11-0 win over Ian PARKER (USA) in the 70kg final to win the gold medal.

Gomez blanked his opponents 33-0 in three bouts that he wrestled for the gold medal. In the final, Gomez tossed Parker with a headlock for four and then turned him twice using the same for an 8-0 lead. The U.S. challenged for two points as Parker held Gomez on the mat for a moment but it was lost on review, making the score 9-0 for Gomez.

A double-leg blast from Gomez was enough for him to finish the final and win 11-0 and the second gold medal for Mexico on Sunday.

U.S. wins four golds

The gold medals for the U.S. on Sunday began when Evan WICK (USA) won all four of his bouts in the round-robin bracket at 79kg. Wick outscored his opponents 40-0 in four bouts to clinch the gold medal, first of Sunday and fourth overall for the U.S.

Trent HIDLAY (USA) added to the count by winning the 92kg gold medal, winning all four of his bouts in the round-robin.

Justin RADEMACHER (USA) scores a takedown against Arturo SILOT (CUB) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

At 97kg, Justin RADEMACHER (USA) held on to a 5-4 victory over Arturo SILOT (CUB) in the final to clinch the gold medal, the seventh straight year a U.S. wrestler has won at 97kg.

Rademacher was the first to strike, scoring a takedown on the edge for two points. After a bit of struggle, Silot managed to get on board with a takedown and take a 2-2 criteria lead. Rademacher hit back instantly, scoring with a single-leg attack and reclaiming the lead 4-2.

In the second period, Rademacher was awarded a point as both wrestlers went out after a scramble but it was Silot who put his hand outside the zone first. Silot hit back with a counter takedown to cut the lead to 5-4 with two minutes left on the clock. However, Rademacher defended his lead first with attacks and later by seeing off any attacks that Silot did.

Rademacher survived a flurry in the final 10 seconds, including a challenge for fleeing, to win, as Silot tried making sense of the match as he walked off the mat.

Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA) showed little mercy for his 125kg opponents, winning the gold medal via a fall Richard DESCHATELETS (CAN) in the final, which included a slam which left the crowd in awe.

A double-leg attack gave Hendrickson the first four points of the final and he later locked Deschatelets from behind, lifted him well above the mat and slammed him for a five-pointer. He secured the fall in 24 seconds to finish the final.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) df. Lucas RODRIGUEZ (PUR), 12-0

BRONZE: Edwin SEGURA GUERRA (GUA) df. Eduardo PALAS SEQUEIROS (PER), 7-0
BRONZE: Liam CRONIN (USA) df. Pedro MEJIAS (VEN), 5-4

65kg
GOLD: Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) df. Joseph MC KENNA (USA), 5-4

BRONZE: Wilfredo RODRIGUEZ (VEN) df. Matias MUNOZ (CHI), 10-0
BRONZE: Peiman BIABANI (CAN) df. Matheus DA LUZ (BRA), 10-0

70kg
GOLD: Austin GOMEZ (MEX) df. Ian PARKER (USA), 11-0

BRONZE: Sixto AUCCAPINA (PER) df. Jorge GATICA (CHI), 12-2
BRONZE: Jacob ALEXANDER TORRES (CAN) df. Royglen TEMPLE BATISTA (PAN), 10-0

79kg
GOLD: Evan WICK (USA)
SILVER: Shane JONES (PUR)
BRONZE: Jasmit PHULKA (CAN)

92kg
GOLD: Trent HIDLAY (USA)
SILVER: Andrew JOHNSON (CAN)
BRONZE: Edwin MORALES (PUR)

97kg
GOLD: Justin RADEMACHER (USA) df. Arturo SILOT (CUB), 5-4

BRONZE: Nishan Preet RANDHAWA (CAN) df. Ricardo BAEZ (ARG), 11-0

125kg
GOLD: Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA) df. Richard DESCHATELETS (CAN), via fall (9-0)

BRONZE: Jose DIAZ (VEN) df. Maxwell LACEY (CRC), 3-2
BRONZE: Gino AVILA (HON) df. Rizieri CHAVEZ (MEX), 10-0

Russia and Georgia Grab Pair of Greco-Roman Olympic Berths

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Freestyle history for Argentina, Mexico at Pan-Ams