Lima

Surprises Abound Friday Morning at Pan Ams

Friday, May 4, 2018 - 20:14 By Taylor Miller

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LIMA (May 4) – Friday morning’s session of the 2018 Pan American Championships wrapped up with a few surprises as 2017 Junior World champion Kamal BEY (USA) was knocked out of the competition when he suffered a broken rib in his first round of action at 77 kg.

Bey was going back and forth with two-time Pan American silver medalist Jair CUERO MUNOZ (COL) when the setback occurred. Bey was then forced to medical forfeit out of the tournament.

Cuero moved on to the finals at 77 kg and will do battle with 2018 Central American and Caribbean Championships gold medalist Ariel FIS (CUB).

Other notable happenings from Friday morning included 2017 World bronze medalist Becka LEATHERS (USA) sealing a gold medal at 55 kg after she defeated the other two competitors in the field, Lady MORAN VALENZUELA (ECU) and Cara NANIA (CAN). It is her second-consecutive Pan Am title.

Moran Valenzuela and Nania will wrestle for silver tonight.

Also already securing a gold medal is Luis AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN), who has posted a 3-0 record at 82 kg in Greco, so far. Earlier in the day, he defeated the only 3-1 wrestler in the field, Geordan Speiller, a 2016 Pan Am champion, with an 8-0 tech fall.

At 87 kg, the third Greco weight of the day, past Pan American medalists Yorgen COVA PULIDO (VEN) and Daniel GREGORICH (CUB) sailed to the finals and will face each other tonight for the crown.

Gregorich defeated Ben PROVISOR (USA) in a rematch of last year’s Pan Am finals. Their last meeting ended in a 2-2 decision for Provisor. Not only did Gregorich flip the result but he also widened the gap, picking up a 9-0 technical fall.

On the women’s side, Andribeth RIVERA (PUR) knocked off two-time Pan American champion and 2012 Olympian Kelsey CAMPBELL (USA) with an decisive 10-4 win to put herself in position for gold at 59 kg, which is also a round robin weight.

Rivera will face off against Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN) for the top prize in tonight’s session.

There were no matches wrestled at 65 kg in women’s freestyle as there are only two competitors in the bracket, counting 2017 Pan Am bronze winner Forrest MOLINARI (USA) and three-time University World medalist Breanne GRAHAM (CAN). The two will go head to head tonight for gold.

The final round of 72 kg competition will be contested tonight with three in the hunt for the top of the podium. Veronica KEEFE (CAN) leads the pack with a 2-0 record so far. She will take on Diana CRUZ ARROYO (PER), who is 1-1, suffering a loss to Josselyn PORTILLO MEJIA (ESA), who is also 1-1 on the day. Portillo Mejia will meet up with Hannah GLADDEN (USA) tonight.

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

FINALS MATCH UPS

GRECO-ROMAN

77 kg
GOLD - Ariel FIS BATISTA (CUB) vs. Jair Alexis CUERO MUNOZ (COL)
BRONZE - Francisco Albano BARRIO (ARG) vs. Angelo Rafael MARQUES MOREIRA (BRA)
BRONZE - Reinier JIMENEZ TERRY (GUA) vs. Johan Antonio BATISTA (DOM)

82 kg
ROUND 5 - Brayden William AMBO (CAN) vs. Luis Eduardo AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN)
ROUND 5 - Carlos Moises ESPINOZA CASTRO (PER) vs. Adil Hendresson BARROS MACHADO (BRA)

87 kg
GOLD - Yorgen Jose COVA PULIDO (VEN) vs. Daniel GREGORICH HECHAVARRIA (CUB)
BRONZE - Alfonso Antonio LEYVA YEPEZ (MEX) vs. Benjamin Errol PROVISOR (USA)
BRONZE - Phillip Raweriio BARREIRO (CAN) vs. Carlos Alberto ADAMES PALMER (DOM)

WOMEN’S FREESTYLE

55 kg
ROUND 3 - Lady Raysa MORAN VALENZUELA (ECU) vs. Cara Gail NANIA (CAN)

59 kg
ROUND 3 - Andribeth RIVERA BELLIARD (PUR) vs. Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN)
ROUND 3 - Karoline SILVA DE SANTANA (BRA) vs. Kelsey Rene CAMPBELL (USA)

65 kg
GOLD - Breanne Leigh GRAHAM (CAN) vs. Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA)

72 kg
ROUND 3 - Veronica Helen Frances KEEFE (CAN) vs. Diana Luisa Victoria CRUZ ARROYO (PER)
ROUND 3 - Josselyn Tatiana PORTILLO MEJIA (ESA) vs. Hannah La Shae GLADDEN (USA)

Development

2025 UWW Pat Shaw Memorial concludes in Guatemala City

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 - 11:30 By United World Wrestling Press

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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (June 2) -- The 2025 UWW Pat Shaw Memorial - Regional Education Development Tournament (REDT) successfully concluded once again in Guatemala City, continuing the tradition of excellence in wrestling development across the Americas.

From May 26 to June 1, athletes, coaches, referees, and officials gathered at the Center for High-Performance and Development of America (CARDA) and the Erick Barrondo Sports Complex for a week of intensive educational activities and training camps. The event offered a unique platform where participants could simultaneously improve their technical, pedagogical, and competitive skills.

The coaches’ course was conducted under the leadership of Iranian expert Professor Reza AZIMI, assisted by Ardeshir ASGARI (NCA), who also supported with translation. A total of 22 coaches from 11 countries took part in these sessions, which combined theoretical classes with practical on-mat application, allowing for immediate implementation of newly acquired knowledge.

In parallel, the referees’ course was led by Guatemalan international referee Hugo FIGUEROA, with the participation and support of UWW Referee Commission Member Rafael GALVA LEBRON (Puerto Rico). A total of 13 referees from 9 countries attended the seminar, actively engaging in discussions, case studies, and on-mat evaluations.

Throughout the entire week, participants demonstrated strong enthusiasm and commitment, sharing experiences and strengthening the regional wrestling community.

The educational portion of the event officially opened on May 26, with an inauguration ceremony attended by several dignitaries, including Ramón Francisco GONZÁLEZ PINEDA, President of the Guatemalan Wrestling Federation, and Francisco Eduardo LEE LÓPEZ, President of United World Wrestling Americas, who addressed all participants with words of encouragement.

The training camp allowed athletes from across the continent to train together, guided by both educators and coaches from the participating nations. Thanks to the excellent facilities at CARDA and the availability of five official mats, strength and conditioning areas, saunas, and recovery facilities, athletes were able to prepare under optimal conditions.

GUAWrestlers warm up and get ready to compete at the XXXIV "Pat Shaw" Memorial Cup. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

The week culminated with the XXXIV "Pat Shaw" Memorial Cup, held on May 31 and June 1. This year’s competition featured 619 matches across three wrestling styles: Freestyle (FS), Greco-Roman (GR), and Women’s Wrestling (WW), in four age groups: Senior, U20, U17, and U15. Over 308 athletes from 16 countries competed, including delegations from Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the United States.

The entire competition was managed using UWW’s official Arena system, with full implementation of the latest UWW standards in terms of competition management, medical protocols, anti-doping education, and technological support, with valuable collaboration from the UWW Americas T&R team.

The Pat Shaw Memorial - Regional Education Development Tournament continues to serve as a cornerstone for the development of wrestling in the Americas, providing athletes, coaches, and referees an invaluable opportunity for growth within a fully integrated educational and competitive framework.

United World Wrestling firmly believes that programs like these represent the ideal path for sustainable development, offering new generations of participants access to high-level international events while enhancing both their technical and personal growth within our sport.