#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

#WrestleTirana

Ukraine Puts Four in Women's Finals at Europeans

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 - 19:09 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (April 22) -- Ukraine kicked off Women's Wrestling at the European Championships with four finalists in five weight classes, including two defending champions in Tirana.

Oksana LIVACH (UKR), defending champion at 50kg, and Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), defending champion at 76kg, returned to the finals, while Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR) and Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) made it to the 55kg and 59kg gold-medal bouts.

At 68kg, the only weight class in which Ukraine did not get a finalist, a blockbuster final is set between U23 world champion Nesrin BAS (TUR) and defending champion Alina SHAUCHUK (UWW).

Livach used her aggressive style to score multiple stepouts in her 6-2 victory over Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW), setting up a rematch of the 2025 European final against Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), who was at her defensive best against Emilia GRIGORE VUC (ROU) and won 6-0.

Alpyeyeva reached the final after a clinical 4-0 victory over Martina KUENZ (AUT) in the semifinal. She will now face former European champion Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU), who moved past Enrica RINALDI (ITA), 3-1, in a low-scoring semifinal.

Malanchuk at 55kg came alive in the second period, scoring six points and securing a fall over U23 world silver medalist Tuba DEMIR (TUR). She led 1-1 on criteria at the break, then hit a double-leg attack and tried to hold Demir on the mat for a fall, but she survived.

Demir tried a leg attack, but Malanchuk countered and held her on the mat to secure the fall with 1:45 remaining.

She will now face former European champion Andreea ANA (ROU), who saw off Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 10-0, in the other semifinal.

Vynnyk, who was all but beaten in the semifinal against Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE), 6-2, tripped the Azerbaijan wrestler with less than 10 seconds remaining to claim a stunning victory and reach the 59kg final. After the trip, Vynnyk also scored exposure points.

She will now face Jowita WRZESIEN (POL), who defeated Svetlana LIPATOVA (UWW), 4-2, in a low-scoring bout. Wrzesien led 3-1 and was in danger of giving up a takedown when Lipatova attacked on a single leg. However, the Polish wrestler defended well and gave up only a stepout. Lipatova challenged but lost, conceding one more point to Wrzesien.

Bas vs Shauchuk

Defending champion at 68kg, Shauchuk defeated Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU), 4-3, scoring two second-period takedowns. She had beaten the Romanian in last year’s final. For gold this year, Shauchuk will face Bas, a U23 world champion and returning silver medalist from 72kg.

Bas had no trouble completing a 12-1 technical superiority win over Alina SHEVCHENKO (UWW) in the other semifinal.

RESULTS

50kg
SF 1: Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Emilia GRIGORE VUC (ROU), 6-0
SF 2: Oksana LIVACH (UKR) df. Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW), 6-2

55kg
SF 1: Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR) df. Tuba DEMIR (TUR), via fall
SF 2: Andreea ANA (ROU) df. Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 10-0

59kg
SF 1: Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE), 6-2
SF 2: Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) df. Svetlana LIPATOVA (UWW), 4-2

68kg
SF 1: Alina SHAUCHUK (UWW) df. Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU), 4-3
SF 2: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Alina SHEVCHENKO (UWW), 12-1

76kg
SF 1: Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) df. Martina KUENZ (AUT), 4-0
SF 2: Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) df. Enrica RINALDI (ITA), 3-1