#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open day one finals set

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - 09:08 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (February 1) -- The season-opening Ranking Series event Zagreb Open is here. Six freestyle weight classes are in action at the Dom Sportva in the Croatian capital. Stars in action include Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), Haji ALIYEV (AZE), Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) among others. Remember this tournament has a two-kilogram weight allowance in all weight classes and the medal winners will also receive prize money.

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Here are the gold medal bouts for the evening session

57kg
Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) vs. Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)

61kg
Reza ATRI (IRI) vs. Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL)

65kg
Joseph MC KENNA (USA) vs. Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)

70kg
Haji ALIYEV (AZE) vs. Alec PANTALEO (USA)

74kg
Yones EMAMI (IRI) vs. Jason NOLF (USA)

86kg
Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) vs. Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) 

14:20: The last semifinal of the morning session. Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) taking on Ismail MUSUKAEV (HUN). Tulga gets the stepout before Musukaev adds a takedown in the activity period. Tulga with another stepout just before the break. Musukaev leads 2-2 on criteria at the break. The second period starts with another stepout from Tulga. That could have been more dangerous for Musukaev but solid defense. Musukaev is put on the activity period. Tulga gets Musukaev in cross and scores two before getting the passivity point to lead 6-2. Musukaev tries hard to comeback but cannot break the defense of Tulga who wins 6-2 and will wrestle McKenna in the final.

14:10: Yones EMAMI (IRI) moves into the 74kg final with a 3-2 win over Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR). He will face Jason NOLF (USA) for the gold medal.

13:50: Joseph MC KENNA (USA) will take that 4-3 win over Ryoma ANRAKU (JPN) to reach the 65kg final. McKenna had a 4-2 lead at the break and gave up only a point in the second period. Anraku looked slightly tired in the second period. 

13:35: On Mat A, Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) continues his dream run at 86kg and beats Zahid VALENCIA (USA) 12-1. A series of gut wrenches to finish off the bout. He will face Hassan YADANI (IRI) in the final

13:30: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) is coming up on Mat B against Mark HALL (USA) at 86kg. He starts with a takedown for two. Another easy takedown for Yazdani as he extends his lead to 4-0. Hall looks much smaller than Yazdani at 86kg. The pressure from Yazdani is immense. He gut wrenches Hall for a 10-0 win.

13:25: Huge underhook to four for Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) as he beats Evan HENDERSON (USA) in the 65kg quarterfinals. He will face Ismail MUSUKAEV (HUN) next

13:05: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) and Jason NOLF (USA) left it all on the mat but it is Nolf who comes out on top with a 4-3 win. Gadzhiev is showing displeasure for Nolf's passivity but looks clean. Nolf will move into the 74kg semifinal.

12:55: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) moves into the semifinal with a technical superiority win over Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE). Yazdani looks like a man on a mission. He will face Mark HALL (USA) in the semifinal

12:45: There is no stopping Ismail MUSUKAEV (HUN). He takes his time against Nick LEE (USA) in the 65kg quarterfinal but shifts gears so quickly. A takedown and exposure to lead 4-0. He works up two more takedowns and a double leg to win 10-0.

12:35: Mark HALL (USA) over Boris MAKOEV (SVK) at 86kg. Makoev got into positions to score on Hall but the American wrestler was solid in defense and countered with exposure to get his own points. He wins 7-2.

12:30: Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) with a takedown and a fall over European champion Myles AMINE (SMR) at 86kg! Amine looks devasted by that. Ishiguro caught Amine by surprise and got the pin.

12:20: Haji ALIYEV (AZE), wrestling at 70kg, survives a scare against Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO). After leading 4-0, Aliyev gave up a takedown and Elbakidze managed to go behind in the final seconds but the time ran out before Aliyev's three points touched the mat. He wins 4-2

12:00: Quentin STICKER (FRA) managed to score four points on Ismail MUSUKAEV (HUN) but that was all he could. Musukaev gave no more chance to him and won his 65kg bout 10-4 

11:20: Two-time world silver medalist Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) and bronze medalist Yones EMAMI (IRI) are now on Mat B. Both wrestlers take their time to get going. Emami is on the board for Salkazanov's passivity. Not much action in the bout but Emami has eked out a 5-0.

11:00: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) looks strong as ever! His first victim is Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL) who has no answer to the pressure from the former world champion. Yazdani faces Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) in the next round who managed to beat Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO) in the final seconds. Trailing 8-6, Abakarov steps over and forces Gaphrindashvili to put his head on the mat and get the two points to win 8-8.

10:40: At 74kg, Yones EMAMI (IRI) and Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) both begin with wins. Emami gets the better of Kojiro SHIGA (JPN) and Gadzhiev defeats Krisztian BIRO (ROU).

10:25: In early action,  Zane RICHARDS (USA) and Rikuto ARAI (JPN) were involved in a tense battle and after a back-and-forth bout, Richards wins 10-6 at 57kg.

10:15: The tournament has seen an attendance of close to 550 wrestlers which means some long days of wrestling. Beginning with freestyle action in 57kg, 61kg, 65kg, 70kg, 74kg and 86kg, wrestlers will wrestle for the medals on the same day.

10:00: Welcome to the Zagreb Open! The first tournament of the year as we build towards the World Championships later in September. 

#WrestleCoralville

Welker Pins World Champ Reasco to Win Pan-Am Gold

Sunday, May 10, 2026 - 09:57 By Vinay Siwach

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CORALVILLE, IOWA, United States (May 9) -- Olympic bronze medalist, world bronze medalist and world champion. That was the hit-list of Kylie WELKER (USA) as she defended her Pan-American 76kg title in Coralville on Saturday.

Welker, a world bronze medalist herself last year, was among the three United States wrestlers who won gold medals as Women's Wrestling came to a close at the Pan-American Championships. The U.S. was the best team of the tournament with 235 points as all 10 wrestlers won medals including eight golds. Canada finished second with 136 points while Mexico was third with 128 points.

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Welker's path to gold medal was nothing short of a minefield as she faced Paris 2024 bronze medalist Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) in the quarterfinals. But Welker got to work straightaway scoring a stepout to lead 1-0. She then countered Renteria's attack and scored a takedown to extend the lead to 3-0 before adding another to go into the break leading 5-0. She took 30 seconds in the second period to score her third takedown and then rolled Renteria twice to finish the match 11-0.

Up against world bronze medalist Milaimy MARIN (CUB) in the semifinals, Welker finished the bout with 1:18 remaining. Marin was put on the activity clock in the first period before Welker rushed her into a takedown to lead 3-0. Welker then overpowered Marin when the Cuban tried reaching for Welker's legs. It was scored four points as Marin fell straight from standing. A go-behind and then an arm-bar exposure was enough for an 11-0 win but Welker held Marin on the mat for the fall.

 

World champion Genesis REASCO (ECU) reached the final from the other side of the bracket with hopes of avenging her 10-0 loss to Welker from last year's Pan-Am semifinals. But the final did not start in Reasco's favor as she was put on the activity clock in the first period which gave Welker a 1-0 lead. In the second period, Welker was put on the activity clock but with seconds left in the 30-second clock, she tried reaching Reasco's leg.

The Ecuadorian world champion thought it was ideal moment to drag Welker towards the zone, but as she did that, Welker whizzed her for a two-point exposure and then held her on the mat for a fall which was confirmed just before Reasco went out of wrestling area.

With the gold medal, U23 world champion Welker is now a two-time Pan-Am champion.

The two other champions for the U.S. were former world medalist Kayla MIRACLE (USA) and Abigail NETTE (USA) at 65kg and 59kg respectively.

Miracle, returning to wrestling since Paris 2024, won both her bouts via technical superiority. She defeated Alexis GOMEZ (MEX), 10-0, in Round 1 and then Miki ROWBOTTOM (CAN), 10-0, in Round 3. Rowbottom defeated Gomez 6-4 in Round 2 to win the silver medal.

Nette had to win three bouts for the gold medal. She began with a 12-2 win over defending champion Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN) and then secured two falls, first over Daniela MARTINEZ (MEX) and then against Mayara RAMOS (BRA) to confirm her title.

Beauregard, a four-time Pan-Am champion and world bronze medalist, defeated both Martinez and Ramos to secure the silver medal. And since Ramos defeated Martinez earlier in the day, she won the bronze medal.

 

Yepez Wins Fourth Straight Gold

Olympic and world silver medalist Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) captured her fourth straight Pan-American title at 53kg as she won the gold medal after beating Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN), 12-2, in the final.

Yepez scored first in the final when Di Benedetto tried a snap down and Yepez quickly turned it into a leg attack. She scored a takedown and then a turn to lead 4-0 before adding a stepout to lead 5-0. But she missed one of her attack and Di Benedetto scored a go-behind to make it 5-2.

If that takedown gave any hopes to Di Benedetto, Yepez quickly quashed then hitting a double-leg for four points and then a turn to lead 11-2. The two wrestlers split for the break but on return, Yepez took just 20 seconds to score the match-winning takedown, taking her score to 13-2.

Earlier in the quarterfinals, Yepez defeated former U20 world champion Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA), 11-0.

Zahid VALENCIA (USA)Zahid VALENCIA (USA) outscored his opponents 31-0 en route his third Pan-Am title. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Valencia Defends 86kg Gold

Freestyle commenced on Saturday at the Pan-Ams and the U.S., like in Greco-Roman and Women's Wrestling, dominated it.

In the three weight classes in action on Saturday, the U.S. won two golds medals through world champion Zahid VALENCIA (USA) at 86kg and Austin DE SANTO (USA) at 61kg. The third Freestyle gold of the night went to Geannis GARZON (CUB) who denied Phillip WEBSTER (USA) in the 74kg final.

Valencia, the defending champion at 86kg, went 31-0 in his three bouts. He began with a 10-0 win over Nestor TAFUR (COL) before beating Pedro GONCALVES (BRA), 11-0, in the semifinals.

In the final, Valencia opened the scoring against Christopher FOCA (DOM) using a snap down takedown and then scored another at the edge to lead 4-0. He then used a single-leg attack to lift Foca and slam him on the mat for four points and double the lead to 8-0. Foca attempted a head pinch but Valencia defended it and scored two points as Foca landed on the mat, giving Valencia the win with 2:31 remaining.

De Santo won his first two bouts in the Nelson bracket and then the semifinal, all with the score of 10-0, before blanking Caleb SMITH (PUR), 9-0, in the final. While Smith was pace-setter in the first period, it was De Santo who counter efficiently to lead 4-0 at the break.

But De Santo changed it in the second period, scoring a takedown and turn in the first 34 seconds and lead 8-0. He defended his lead without engaging much with Smith and also scored a stepout late in the final to clinch the gold medal.

Geannis GARZON (CUB)Geannis GARZON (CUB) won the 74kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

At 74kg, Garzon made amends after being disqualified for brutality last year, by winning the gold medal this year. Facing Webster in the final, Garzon led 4-0 at the break. In a back-and-forth second period, Garzon tried using a chest wrap to defend an attack from Webster. It was initially scored two for Garzon and one for Webster's reversal, giving Garzon a 6-1 lead.

The U.S. challenged the decision and after the review, the scoring was changed to four points for Garzon and two points for Webster with the former lead 8-2. Webster got a clean takedown soon after to trim the lead to 8-4 but as he was working on the next takedown, Garzon scored exposure lift for two points and Webster got a reversal for one point.

Garzon led 10-5 when Webster scored stepout to make it 10-6 but the U.S. challenged, saying the score should be 10-7. The scoring was deemed correct and Garzon body locked Webster in the final eight seconds to score a takedown and confirm his victory.   

Photo

RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

53kg
GOLD: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN), 13-2

BRONZE: Sabrina GAMA (BRA) df. Antonia VALDES (CHI), 8-2
BRONZE: Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) df. Alexa ALVAREZ (VEN), 7-2

59kg
GOLD: Abigail NETTE (USA)
SILVER: Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN)
BRONZE: Mayara RAMOS PEREIRA (BRA)

65kg
GOLD: Kayla MIRACLE (USA)
SILVER: Miki ROWBOTTOM (CAN)
BRONZE: Alexis GOMEZ (MEX)

76kg
GOLD: Kylie WELKER (USA) df. Genesis REASCO (ECU), via fall

BRONZE: Milaimy MARIN (CUB) df. Tatiana RENTERIA (COL), 7-0
BRONZE: Edna JIMENEZ (MEX) df. Neirili BANGUERO (VEN), 9-5

Freestyle

61kg
GOLD: Austin DE SANTO (USA) df. Caleb SMITH (PUR), 9-0

BRONZE: Garette SAUNDERS (CAN) df. Alex VEGA TUN (GUA), 12-5

74kg
GOLD: Geannis GARZON TAMAYO (CUB) df. Phillip WEBSTER (USA), 12-6

BRONZE: Ibsen AGUILAR (VEN) df. Luis BARRIOS (HON), 8-6
BRONZE: Adam THOMSON (CAN) df. Raul PALACIOS (MEX), 10-0

86kg
GOLD: Zahid VALENCIA (USA) df. Christopher FOCA (DOM), 10-0

BRONZE: Ethan RAMOS (PUR) df. Jose PINERO (VEN), 10-0
BRONZE: Nestor TAFUR (COL) df. Pedro GONCALVES (BRA), 11-0