#Trnava2018

Steveson Eyeing Fourth World Title

Sunday, September 16, 2018 - 12:56 By Eric Olanowski

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TRNAVA, Solvakia (September 16) - Daton FIX (USA) and Gable STEVESON (USA), the duo of American returning champions lead a freestyle #Trnava2018 field that boasts 245 wrestlers from 40 different nations. 

The reigning 55kg champion, Fix, enters the Junior World Championships at 57kg, while Steveson, the 120kg gold-medal winner enters at 125kg. 

Steveson, the reigning three-time world champion will be looking for his fourth age-level world title. Since stepping on the international scene in 2015, Steveson has yet to drop a match on his way to claiming two Cadet World titles, and a Junior World gold medal. 

Daton FIX (USA), 2017 Tampere World champion. (Photo by Marion Stein). 

The other reigning champion, Fix, will be competing in his fifth age-level World Championship. Since taking tenth place at the 2014 Cadet World Championships, Fix has rallied to win three world medals. Fix won back-to-back bronzes, before claiming his first World gold at the Tampere World Championships. 

If Fix has hopes of winning back-to-back Junior World titles, he’ll have to go through returning bronze medalist, Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM). 

Harutyunyan, the two-time age-level European champion dropped his 2017 Junior World quarterfinal bout against Ismail GADZHIEV (RUS), 11-9. Gadzhiev went on to take second place, dropping his finals bout to Fix, 12-1. 

The United States’ roster was scheduled to feature two of the three 2017 cadet world champions that were entered, but due to an undisclosed injury to Daniel KERKVLIET JR (USA), Aaron BROOKS (USA) will be the only American cadet world champion that is entered. 

Mehdi ESHGHIVASOUKOLAEI (IRI), 2017 Cadet World champion. (Photo by Martin Gabor) 

Iran’s Mehdi ESHGHIVASOUKOLAEI is the third cadet world champion that will be in action in Trnava where he’s currently entered at 61kg. 

With the absence of Kerkvliet at 97kg, the gold medal favorites are Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR)  and Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM). 

Akturk is down from 120kg where he grabbed the bronze medal at last years Junior World Champions, while Saparov is down from 100kg where he won a cadet world bronze medal. 


Piotr CARASENI (MDA), 2017 Cadet World bronze medalist. (Photo by Martin Gabor) 

Other previous age-level world medalists to pay attention to are Piotr CARASENI (MDA)(74kg), Abbas Ali FOROUTANRAMI (IRI) (92kg), Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE)  (70kg), and Seyedabolfazl HASHEMIJOUYBARI (IRI) (86kg). 

SCHEDULE
Friday 
10:30 - Qualification rounds FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
17:15 - Semifinal FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg

Saturday 
10:30 - Qualification rounds FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
10:30 - Repechage FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
17:15 - Semifinal FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18:00 - Finals FS – 57-65-70-79-97kgSunday 

Sunday 
16:00 - Repechage FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18:00 - Finals FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg

#Trnava2018

Betschart Ready to Rewrite Swiss Record Books

Tuesday, September 18, 2018 - 08:38 By Eric Olanowski

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TRNAVA, Slovakia (September 18) - Ramon BETSCHART (SUI) will take the mat Tuesday night with an opportunity to rewrite the Swiss Greco-Roman wrestling books when he competes for his country’s first junior world gold medal. 

His historic Trnava run comes a year after Betschart left Tampere, Finland with a 15th place finish at the 2017 World Championships. “I don’t regret anything from those championships, and not much has changed in my life over the past year. I attribute this year’s success to the recent rules changes. Particularly the par terre rule changes.” 

Prior to his Monday semifinal win, Switzerland's highest Greco-Roman finish came from Thomas ROETHISBERGER at the 1992 World Championships when he finished in fourth place.

“I didn’t know the history behind my semifinals match,” said Betschart. “Walking to the mat, I wasn’t thinking about making history, only concentrating on my match. I was just focused on the match and nothing else. But if it was me or another Swiss wrestler, I would have been happy.”

After his semifinals win, flanked by his Swiss teammates, Betschart said “This is an amazing feeling. It’s pure happiness. I really have no word for how I feel. I just hope I get the gold medal tomorrow.” 

Waking up Tuesday morning, nothing is going to change for Betchart. “Preparation-wise, I’m not going to change anything. Normal preparation and focusing on my warmup is going to be key.”  

Betschart will take on the 2018 Asian junior champion Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) in the 87kg gold-medal bout. 

 “I know I will wrestle Mohammadhadi Saravi in tomorrow’s finals. But I don’t think much about my opponent. I have my way, the Swiss way, and that’s all I think about.”

If Betschart scores the gold medal on Tuesday night, he’ll join his uncle Hugo DIETSCHE (SUI) in rewriting the Swiss Greco-Roman record books. Dietsche won Switzerland’s first Olympic medal in 36 years when he finished with the bronze medal at the 1984 Los Angles Olympic Games. That 1984 bronze medal still stands as Switzerland’s last Greco-Roman Olympic medal.