#WrestleBuenosAires

USA earns four titles, Cuba two in opening day of Pan Ams

Thursday, May 4, 2023 - 00:46 By Taylor GREGORIO

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (May 3) -– The 2023 Pan American Championships kicked off today in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with six Greco-Roman weight classes contested — 55kg, 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 97kg and 130kg. 

Seven weights were scheduled for today; however, no entries were registered at 63kg. 

At 55kg, it was a round-robin tournament with Dalton DUFFIELD (USA) taking the gold with a pair of wins over Jose RODRIGUEZ HERNANDEZ (MEX) and Axel ROLON (ARG), who earned silver and bronze, respectively. 

The USA also added gold medals at 60kg, 72kg and 97kg. 

Dalton ROBERTS (USA) registered a 9-0 technical fall in the 60kg finals over Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU). Roberts opened scoring with a step out for a 1-0 lead and was later awarded a four-point throw, which was overturned after Peralta’s corner challenged the call. Shortly after, Roberts got on top with a takedown and immediately went into a trapped-arm gut for three turns to end the bout. 

For gold at 72kg, Justus SCOTT (USA) outlasted Kenedy MORAES PEDROSA (BRA). The score was knotted, 1-1, at the break, but Scott gained momentum with a passivity call for a chance on top, leading to a pair of turns. Moraes earned a late step out, but it was not enough, and Scott emerged with a 6-2 victory. 

The 97kg finals was a win by injury default for Josef RAU (USA), who was slated to face two-time defending Pan Am champ Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON). The win marks Rau’s third Pan Am title with golds coming in 2015 and 2020. 

There were also injury defaults in the finals at 67kg and 130kg. Both victors in those matches hail from Cuba. Taking the crown at 67kg was Tokyo Olympic champion Luis ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB). It’s his third Pan Am gold. At 130kg, three-time World medalist Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) collected his fifth Pan Am title. 

The tournament continues tomorrow with the conclusion of Greco-Roman (77kg, 82kg, 87kg) and the start of women’s freestyle (55kg, 59kg, 65kg, 72kg). Fans can catch all the action live on UWW.org. 

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD – Dalton DUFFIELD (USA)
SILVER – Jose RODRIGUEZ HERNANDEZ (MEX)
BRONZE – Axel ROLON (ARG) 

60kg
GOLD – Dalton ROBERTS (USA) df. Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU), 9-0 
BRONZE – Kevin DE ARMAS RODRIGUEZ (CUB) df. Ditcher TORO CASTANEDA (COL), win by injury default
BRONZE – Raiber RODRIGUEZ OROZCO (VEN) df. Alexis RODRIGUEZ HERNANDEZ (MEX), 7-2 

67kg
GOLD – Luis ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) df. Nestor ALMANZA TRUYOL (CHI), win by injury default
BRONZE – Julian HORTA ACEVEDO (COL) df. Enyer FELICIANO (DOM), 9-2
BRONZE – Andres MONTANO ARROYO (ECU) df. Edisson OLMOS GUTIERREZ (MEX), 6-1 

72kg
GOLD – Justus SCOTT (USA) df. Kenedy MORAES PEDROSA (BRA), 6-2
BRONZE – Jose VARELA GARCIA (GUA) df. Jesus GUZMAN DAVILA (PER), 3-1 

97kg
GOLD – Josef RAU (USA) df. Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON), win by injury default
BRONZE – Igor ALVES DE QUEIROZ (BRA) df. Ricardo GOMEZ (ARG), 9-0
BRONZE – Carlos ADAMES PALMER (DOM) df. Luillys PEREZ MORA (VEN), 9-0 

130kg
GOLD – Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) df. Gino AVILA DILBERT (HON), win by injury default
BRONZE – Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI) df. Donald LONGENDYKE (USA), 8-0
BRONZE – Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA) df. Moises PEREZ HELLBURG (VEN), 5-3

#WrestleAthens

Greece gets Greco finalist at U17 Worlds; Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan keep up

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 - 15:26 By Vinay Siwach

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ATHENS, Greece (July 29) -- Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan continued their superb show in Greco-Roman at the World U17 Championships in Athens, Greece by earned two more spots in the finals.

On day one, the two countries, along with Georgia, were the only ones to enter multiple wrestlers in the final. On Tuesday, they added more while hosts Greece managed to enter one wrestler in the final, just the third-ever in Greco at World U17 Championships.

Asian U17 champion and returning bronze medalist at 71kg Behruzbek VALIEV (UZB) led the way for his country, reaching the final after beating returning silver medalist from 65kg Yusif AHMADLI (AZE), 9-5, in the semifinal.

Ahmadli raced to a 5-0 lead from par terre but Valiev scored two stepouts before the break to cut the lead to 5-2. He got par terre in the second but failed to score any points. However, another stepout made it 5-4. Valiev kept pushing the pace of the bout and managed an awkward throw for four points. Azerbaijan challenged in vain as Valiev got the win.

It is at this weight class that Greece will look to bag a gold medal as Dimitrios SOULIS (GRE) became just the third finalist for Greece at a World U17 Championships after he defeated Marlen MEIRBEKULY (KAZ), 9-8, in a thrilling semifinal. 

Soulis led 8-4 with 10 seconds remaining in the bout when Meirbekuly hit a four-pointer to make it 8-8. However, Soulis had the criteria with a scoring action of four points, two points and two points while Meirbekuly had actions of one point, one point, two points and four points.

The second finalist for Uzbekistan came at 51kg after Otabek TURSUNOV (UZB) reversed the par terre and then scored four gut-wrenches to beat Polat KARADENIZ (TUR), 9-1, in the semifinals. He will face Hikmat HAGVERDIYEV (AZE) in the final who got a stepout with 18 seconds left against Asian U17 champion Islam KURBANOV (KGZ) to beat him 4-3 in the other semifinal.

Nurkerim KUMARBEKOV (KGZ) became the star for Kyrgyzstan as he surprised European champion Abdurrahman HUSEYNLI (AZE) with a big headlock throw for four points to start the semifinal. A lost challenge from Azerbaijan made it 5-0 for Kumarbekov.

With no passivity call in the second period, Kumarbekov kept his pace and Huseynli tried some desperate moves, getting for a takedown which gave Kumarbekov a 7-0 win.

It would have been an Kyrgyzstan-Iran final but Kuanyshbek ZHANGAZHOL (KAZ) had other ideas. He rallied from behind to beat Benyamin KHEZLI (IRI).

The Iranian took just 20 seconds to get on board with a takedown and turn that was only awarded after a challenge from Iran. He took a 4-0 lead against Kuanyshbek ZHANGAZHOL (KAZ) who used some solid arm-drags to score a stepout and then a takedown to cut it to 4-3.

As the time ran out, Zhangazhol dished out one more attack and got the headlock for four points. While Khezli got a counter turn, that was not enough for a win as Zhangazhol kept his 7-6 lead. Iran challenged the final move but it was a clear throw from Zhangazhol. The loss left Khezli in tears.

At 60kg, European bronze medalist Denys SEREDIN (UKR) suffered a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals as Amangeldi YSAKBAEV (KGZ) used a front headlock throw for four points with just 00:03 left on the clock to win 5-1 and earn a place in the final.

Seredin had defended well for the full match and was leading 1-1 on criteria but he let his guard down for the final five seconds of the bout.

Ysakbaev will take European silver medalist Ali NAZAROV (AZE) in the final after the Azerbaijani defeated Abolfazl ZARE (IRI) 1-1 in the other semifinal. Nazarov was winner based on the criteria that he scored the first point in an 1-1 scoreline match.

At 92kg, Kanstantsin KASYAN (UWW), who was seventh last year, booked a spot in the final this year after a 3-1 win over Ionut PATRU (ROU). Both wrestler got par terre positions but Patru was docked two points for headbutting in the second period which proved to be the difference between the two.

Winning the gold, however, will be a big ask for Kasyan as he faces Amirsam MOHAMMADI (IRI) in the final after he cleaned up Ahmet UZUN (TUR) 7-0 in the other semifinal.

RESULTS

45kg
GOLD: Nurkerim KUMARBEKOV (KGZ) vs. Kuanyshbek ZHANGAZHOL (KAZ)

SF 1: Nurkerim KUMARBEKOV (KGZ) df. Abdurrahman HUSEYNLI (AZE), 7-0
SF 2: Kuanyshbek ZHANGAZHOL (KAZ) df. Benyamin KHEZLI (IRI), 8-6

51kg
GOLD: Otabek TURSUNOV (UZB) vs. Hikmat HAGVERDIYEV (AZE)

SF 1: Hikmat HAGVERDIYEV (AZE) df. Islam KURBANOV (KGZ), 4-3
SF 2: Otabek TURSUNOV (UZB) df. Polat KARADENIZ (TUR), 10-1

60kg
GOLD: Ali NAZAROV (AZE) vs. Amangeldi YSAKBAEV (KGZ)

SF 1: Amangeldi YSAKBAEV (KGZ) df. Denys SEREDIN (UKR), 6-1
SF 2: Ali NAZAROV (AZE) df. Abolfazl ZARE (IRI), 1-1

71kg
GOLD: Behruzbek VALIEV (UZB) vs. Dimitrios SOULIS (GRE)

SF 1: Behruzbek VALIEV (UZB) df. Yusif AHMADLI (AZE), 9-5
SF 2: Dimitrios SOULIS (GRE) df. Marlen MEIRBEKULY (KAZ), 9-8

92kg
GOLD: Amirsam MOHAMMADI (IRI) vs. Kanstantsin KASYAN (UWW)

SF 1: Amirsam MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Ahmet UZUN (TUR), 7-0
SF 2: Kanstantsin KASYAN (UWW) df. Ionut PATRU (ROU), 3-1