#WrestleSantiago

Torreblanca, Valdes repeat as Pan-Am Games champs

Thursday, November 2, 2023 - 22:21 By Eric Olanowski

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(Photo credit: Ramon Monroy Panam Sports via Xpress Media)

SANTIAGO, Chile (November 2) --- Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB) and Alejandro VALDÉS (CUB) repeated as Pan-American Games champions after grabbing golds on Thursday night at the Chilean Olympic Center.

Valdes dominated his three opponents, picking up 10-0 wins over Joseph SILVA (PUR) and Albaro RUDECINDO (DOM) before pinning Nahshon GARRETT (USA) in the gold medal bout.

Valdes now has a pair of Pan-American Games gold medals to go along with his three Pan-American Championship titles.

Fellow Cuban Torreblanca was nearly flawless in his quest to repeat as Pan-Am Games champion, scoring four wins on Thursday—three coming via shutouts. Torreblanca blanked Carlos IZQUIERDO (COL), Rashji MACKEY (BAH) and Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN) (8-0, 10-0 and 4-0, respectively) to reach the 86kg finals.

In the championship bout, Torreblanca controlled the six-minute finals bout against Mark HALL (USA), effectively shutting down the American’s offense. The Cuban stopped Hall’s only real shot attempt of the bout, picking up a counter-offensive takedown. After giving up a reversal to end the first, Torreblanca tacked on an additional step-out point and cruised to the 3-1 win.

Meanwhile, in women's wrestling, Yusneylis GUZMÁN (CUB) became the first Cuban woman to win Pan-American Games gold since Lisset HECHEVARRIA (CUB) and Katherine VIDIAUX (CUB) claimed titles at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Guzman defeated Erin GOLSTON (USA) and Jacquline MOLLOCANA (ECU) to end Cuba’s 12-year Pan-Am Games gold drought. She defeated Golston, 10-0, then beat Mollocana, 5-1, cementing a spot in her nation’s wrestling history books.

In the bout of the night, Giullia RODRIGUES (BRA) narrowly edged Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) to win the 57kg gold. She hit two inside trips to score her six points—a two-point trip in the first and a four-point trip in the second—to win her third competition of the season. Rodrigues also won gold medals this season at the Poland Open and Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial. 

Rodrigues joins Joice SILVA (BRA) as the only woman from Brazil to win a Pan-American Games gold medal.

The final gold of the night in women’s wrestling went to Forrest MOLINARI (USA), who defeated Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN), 3-2, in the 68kg finals. Molinari surrendered a high-level single-leg takedown in the first period but scored three unanswered points to win her first Pan-Am Games title.

Friday's opening round matches begin at 10:00 (local time), with the bronze and gold-medal bouts beginning at 17:00.

Freestyle

65kg
GOLD - Alejandro VALDÉS (CUB) df. Nahshon GARRETT (USA), via fall
BRONZE - Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) df. Sixto AUCCAPIÑA (PER), 7-1
BRONZE - Joseph SILVA (PUR) df. Albaro RUDECINDO (DOM), 6-5

86kg 
GOLD - Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB) df. Mark HALL (USA), 3-1
BRONZE - Hunter LEE (CAN) df. Ethan RAMOS (PUR), 14-4
BRONZE - Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN) df. Carlos IZQUIERDO (COL), 7-6

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
GOLD - Yusneylis GUZMÁN (CUB) df. Jacquline MOLLOCANA (ECU), 5-1
BRONZE - Mariana ROJAS (VEN) df. Erin GOLSTON (USA), 3-0

57kg
GOLD - Giullia RODRIGUES (BRA) df. Hannah TAYLOR (CAN), 6-6
BRONZE - Angela ALVAREZ (CUB) df. Xochitl MOTA-PETTIS (USA), 10-0
BRONZE - Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) df. Betzabeth SARCO (VEN), via fall

68kg
GOLD - Forrest MOLINARI (USA) df. Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN), 3-2
BRONZE - Nicoll PARRADO (COL) df. Virginia JIMÉNEZ (CHI), 6-0
BRONZE - Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) df. Ambar GARNICA (MEX), 8-6

#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open: Snyder beats Ghasempour, Zare vs Masoumi in 125kg final

Thursday, January 11, 2024 - 09:09 By United World Wrestling Press

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ZAGREB, Croatia (January 11) -- Zagreb Open day two is about to give wrestling fans a Kyle SNYDER (USA) vs Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) and Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) vs Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) at 125kg. Yui SUSAKI (JPN) will also be in action.

Catch all the action from the Zagreb Open Ranking Series free using promo code ZAGREB100.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER

The finals for the evening session are set:

Women's Wrestling

50kg: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) vs. Ziqi FENG (CHN)
55kg: Samantha STEWART (CAN) vs. Roksana ZASINA (POL)

Freestyle

79kg:  Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) vs Mohamad NOKHODI (IRI)
92kg: Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO) vs Nathan JACKSON (USA)
97kg: Kyle SNYDER (USA) vs Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)
125kg: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) vs Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)

13:45: Over on Mat A, world bronze medalist Ziqi FENG (CHN) rolled to a 12-2 win over world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) to reach the 50kg final. She will take on Yui SUSAKI (JPN) in a rematch of the World Championships semifinal which Susaki won 4-2.

13:40: Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) step out for the 97kg semifinal. Snyder with the first attacks and gets a stepout. Ghasempour is warned for activity and put on the 30-second clock. Snyder leads 2-0 at the break. Ghasempour gets a single leg but switches for a stepout. Snyder circles and scores a takedown with ease. Snyder leads 4-0 with a minute left. Snyder will hold off Ghasempour and march into the 97kg final with a 4-0 win. He will face Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI).

13:30: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) and Mason PARRIS (USA) on Mat A now. An underhook heavy Masoumi scores the first stepout but Parris with a takedown. Masoumi with another stepout. Parris shoots for a single leg but Masoumi blocks and gets exposure but Parris rolls him over for two points. 4-4 criteria lead for Parris. Masoumi with a takedown and Parris is put in par terre for fleeing the hold. Masoumi gets a gut wrench and makes it 8-4 at the break. Parris gets on some of the leg attacks but doesn't finish any. Masoumi still leads 8-4. Parris gives up a stepout but scores a takedown to make it 9-6. Masoumi is still with the lead. Two to finish the match and Masoumi wins 11-6 and sets up a final against Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)

13:20: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) pulls out injured against Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) in their 125kg semifinal. Zare had defeated Petraishvili in the World Championships final last year.

13:15: World bronze medalist Anna LUKASIAK (POL) had the world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) in trouble with four points but Dolgorjav hung on for a 5-4 win.

13:10: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) keeps off a stunning comeback from Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) t to win 8-7 and advance to the 97kg semifinals.

13:05: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) is called for passivity against Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR) and gives up the activity point. Ghasempour with a takedown just before the break to lead 2-1. He begins the second period with a takedown and adds another to lead 6-1. No more scores in the bout and we have Kyle SNYDER vs Kamran GHASEMPOUR semifinal at 97kg.

12:55: Kyle SNYDER (USA) into the semifinals at 97kg with a 10-0 win over Cristian SARCO (VEN). Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) taking on Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR) now to see if he can set up the semifinal against Snyder. 

12:50: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) with another victory via superiority and she moves into the 50kg semifinals. Susaki looks in dominant form so far, as expected.

12:45: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) with a technical superiority win over Nicholas GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) at 125kg. He will get Petriashvili in the semifinals.

12:40: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), leading 3-0 against Robert BARAN (POL) at 125kg, seems to have pulled a muscle around his ribs. He has called for medical attention. He resumes the bout and wins 10-0 but looks in trouble. He also has a heavily tapped left knee.

12:30: A surprise entry into the semifinals at 97kg as VICKY (UWW) beat Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO) 5-0. Solid performance from Vicky so far for his three wins.

12:15: Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (AIN) scored a takedown on Yui SUSAKI (JPN) but the Japanese answered with a reversal and then an arm bar to pin Smirnova! Into the quarterfinals at 50kg.

12:00: That was a long bout for Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) against Awusayiman HABILA (CHN). Perhaps saving some energy for later but Habila cut the lead to 4-2 before Ghasempour scored a takedown to win 6-2.

11:30: Kyle SNYDER (USA) wins at 97kg and Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) holds off Youssif HEMIDA (EGY) at 125kg. Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) is up next on Mat B

11:20: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) survives a scare. Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) scored a takedown to lead 2-0 but Petriasvili, seemingly in some trouble, managed to crawl back and win 3-2. On Mat B, Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) blanks Zhewei DENG (CHN) 10-0.

10:55: 20 seconds! That's the time Yui SUSAKI (JPN) needed to pin Mariana ROJAS (VEN) at 50kg.

10:50: Two-time world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) rolls to a 10-0 lead before securing a fall against Agata WALERZAK (POL) at 50kg to kick off Women's Wrestling at the Zagreb Open.

10:45: Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Tuerxunbieke MUHEITE (CHN) wrestling on Mat C. Snyder with a stepout. Mueite answers with his own. Snyder with a double-leg with a four. He adds one more in the second and a takedown to win 11-1 at 97kg.

10:30: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) and Givi MATCHRASHVILI (GEO) wrestling at 125kg. The Georgian is a 97kg wrestler but has decided not to cut weight at the start of the season. He is up at 125kg but trailing 4-0 at the break against Masoumi. A match that was never in Matchrashvili's grabs as Masoumi beats him 6-2 at 125kg.

10:00: Welcome to day two of the Zagreb Open! Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Daniel LIGETI (HUN) at 125kg put on a show, sort of. Petriashvili was trailing 3-0 but added three takedowns in the second period to win 6-3 and advance.