#WrestleBuenosAires

USA runs through Pan-Ams with nine golds

By Vinay Siwach

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (May 6) -- There was little doubt that the USA will dominate the final day of the Pan-American Championships in Buenos Aires. And barring one weight class out of the eight in action Saturday, wrestlers from the US won gold medals.

The gold rush began with World Championships silver medalist Thomas GILMAN (USA) defending his 57kg Pan-Am title. In a dominating performance in the final, he defeated Darian CRUZ (PUR) 10-0. In his three bouts, Gilman outscored his opponents 32-0 and showed why he is considered one of the best wrestlers in his category.

John DIAKOMIHALIS (USA)John DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) won the 65kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Apart from Gilman, two other World Championships silver medalists won gold on Saturday.

John DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) was up against two-time world medalist Alejandro VALDES (CUB) in the 65kg final and dug deep to post a 4-1 victory, claiming the title. Both wrestlers traded passivities but Diakomihalis managed to score a takedown for two points late in the final which Valdes challenged but lost.

In the semifinals, Diakomihalis was in deep trouble as Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) led 7-7 on criteria. But he shot a double and after a little struggle, managed to lift Destribats on his shoulders before landing him out of the zone to score a point and win a thrilling bout.

At 70kg, Zain RETHERFORD (USA) made no mistakes in his run to the gold medal. In the final against Connor QUINTON (CAN), Retherford won the match via fall.

Kyle DAKE (USA)Kyle DAKE (USA) defended his 74kg Pan-Am title. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Two world champions from the USA added more gold medals to the country's tally as Kyle DAKE (USA) and Kyle SNYDER (USA) won the 74kg and 97kg weight classes respectively.

Outscoring his opponents 40-0 in four bouts, Dake put on a commanding performance at 74kg and defeated Franklin GOMEZ (PUR) 10-0 to defend his title. Even in 2022, Dake defeated Gomez to win gold.

Snyder was a little less dominant in his three bouts but still got the job done, defending his Pan-Am title at 97kg which he won in 2022. He defeated Arturo Silot TORRES (CUB) 14-3 to win the gold medal.

In a round-robin 61kg bracket, Vitali ARUJAU (USA) won the gold medal as he won all four of his bouts with ease. Jason LUNEAU (CAN) was the only wrestler to score a point against Arujau who still won the Round 2 bout 14-4. In the decisive clash, Arujau defeated Joseph SILVA (PUR) 11-0 to confirm his gold.

Winning the ninth gold medal out of 10 for the USA was 24-year-old Dominique BRADLEY (USA). He faced Jose ROBERTTI (VEN) in the final and pulled off a close 2-1 victory to clinch his third Pan-Am title, six years since he won the second.

Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB)Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB) was the only non-USA champion in freestyle. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Torreblanca denies

Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB) defeated Mark HALL (USA) in the semifinal, denying the USA a clean sweep of the gold medals. He went on to win the gold after defeating Alexander MOORE (CAN) in the 86kg final. Moore tried finding a way to score on Torreblanca but fell short as the Cuban won the gold 5-1.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Thomas GILMAN (USA) df. Darian CRUZ (PUR), 10-0

BRONZE: Pedro MEJIAS RODRIGUEZ (VEN) df. Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN), 10-7
BRONZE: Santiago CHAVECO (CUB) df. Hernan ALMENDRA (ARG), 8-3

61kg
GOLD: Vitali ARUJAU (USA)
SILVER: Joseph SILVA (PUR)
BRONZE: Jason LUNEAU (CAN)

65kg
GOLD: John DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) df. Alejandro VALDES (CUB), 4-1

BRONZE: Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) df. Sixto PEDRAGAS (PER), 11-0
BRONZE: Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) df. Albaro CAMACHO (DOM), 9-2

70kg
GOLD: Zain RETHERFORD (USA) df. Connor QUINTON (CAN), via fall

BRONZE: Mauricio LOVERA (ARG) df. Vinicius DA SILVA JOAQUIM (BRA), 6-4

74kg
GOLD: Kyle DAKE (USA) df. Franklin GOMEZ (PUR), 10-0

BRONZE: Cesar ALVAN (BRA) df. Anthony CHIRINOS (VEN), 4-2
BRONZE: Franklin MAREN (CUB) df. Adam THOMSON (CAN), 4-3

86kg
GOLD: Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB) df. Alexander MOORE (CAN), 5-1

BRONZE: Mark HALL (USA) df. Bruno NICOLETTI (BRA), 11-0
BRONZE: Carlos IZQUIERDO (COL) df. Pedro CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN), 7-6

97kg
GOLD: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB), 14-3

BRONZE: Nishan Preet RANDHAWA (CAN) df. Ricardo BAEZ (ARG), 5-1
BRONZE: Luis PEREZ SOSA (DOM) df. Maxwell LACEY (CRC), via fall

125kg
GOLD: Dominique BRADLEY (USA) df. Jose DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN), 2-1

BRONZE: Catriel MURIEL (ARG) df. Elison GARCIA (DOM), 5-2
BRONZE: Aaron JOHNSON (JAM) df. Reineris SALAS (CUB), via inj. def.

Development

South Asia in search of Women Wrestling High Performance Coach

By United World Wrestling Press

Position Summary: High Performance Training center is seeking a highly motivated, successful coach to lead the Women’s Freestyle Programme. As the head coach, you will work in close collaboration with our multi-disciplinary staff. You will strategize, innovate and implement the technical and tactical training to increase the performance capacities of the female wrestlers. You must be driven, practical, open minded and forward thinking, you will tailor and drive the delivery of your coaching aligned to key responsibilities as outlined below;

Key Responsibilities 

Strategic Leadership 

  1. Work as part of the Women Wrestling Programme Coaching Team in the delivery of the Performance strategy, aligned with the centers strategic goals.
  • Work as part of the Wrestling Coaching Team in the implementation of improving the female Wrestler’s probabilities of success to ensure athlete progression and medal performances in the Women’s Programme.
  • Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of athlete performance, using data insights to inform decisions and refine strategies.
  • Contribute to the Talent Identification, Talent Recruitment and Talent Confirmation strategies in the recruitment campaigns for talented Indian Wrestlers.  

Athlete and Team Development  

  • Work as part of the Wrestling Coaching Team in the design and overseeing of Individual Athlete Plans (IAPs) through a multi-disciplinary tailored to the technical, tactical, physical, and psychological needs of athletes to qualify for and perform at a future Olympic Games.
  • Foster a culture of Commitment, Ownership, Responsibility and Excellence in alignment with the institute CORE performance values. 
  • Ensure daily, weekly, monthly training session plans are designed within a performance plan which ensure clarity of session purpose and session intensities.
  • All sessions are required to be periodised in a way that manages the training load to achieve a balance of intensive progression but reduces the risk of athlete injury.
  • Ensure training camps, competitions, and other key events are planned and executed effectively, adhering to health & safety and safeguarding policies.
  • Ensure compliance with safeguarding, health & safety, anti-doping, and data protection policies across all IIS Judo activities. 

Key achievement targets

  • Achievement of athlete progression milestones and medal-winning performances at the Olympic Games, World Championship, Continental Games and Commonwealth Games.
  • Number of athletes transitioning from Junior to Senior performance standards meeting medal targets at Junior /Junior World Championships.
  • Advanced knowledge of Olympic-level Wrestling technical and tactical strategies.
  • Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain trust with athletes, coaches, and stakeholders.
  • Able to communicate in English (written and verbal) Current safeguarding certification and enhanced background clearance.

HIRING PAY RANGE: Salary dependent on experience 

Application Process: 
Interested candidates should send a cover letter,resume, and/or questions to:

  1. Rishabh.252001@icloud.com

Wishing you a successful application.