GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (May 25) - Mexico and the United States of America each had eight wrestlers vying for Greco-Roman gold medals on the first day of competition at Guatemala City’s 2018 Cadet Pan-American Championships. The winner of 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg, and 92kg qualified their nations spot for October’s Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Although USA wrestlers won five gold medals on the first day of competition, none of those came at a Youth Olympic weight class. 

Mexico nabbed three gold medals against American opponents, with all three wins coming in weight categories where there was a Youth Olympic Games spot up for grabs. 

The first Mexico and USA match-up came at 51kg where Axel ESQUIVEL (MEX) used three points in the final minute to steal the 3-2 victory over Paxton CREESE (USA). 

Trailing 2-0 with less than 60 seconds left, Esquivel remained offensive as Creese was knocked with a passivity call and put in the par terre position. The Mexican wrestler picked up a gut wrench and closed out the match on a 3-0 run to capture the 51kg gold medal, 3-2. 

Miguel AGUILAR’s (MEX) punched Mexico's ticket to the Youth Olympic Games with a technical superiority victory over Beau BARTLETT (USA) in the 60kg finals. (Photo by Robbert Wijtman)

At 60kg, Miguel AGUILAR’s (MEX) technical superiority victory over Beau BARTLETT (USA) gave Mexico back-to-back titles over USA wrestlers.

Aguilar punched Mexico's ticket to the Youth Olympic Games by scoring eight points off four gut wrenches to seal the 9-0 technical superiority victory over the American wrestler. 

Mexico’s third Youth Olympic Games qualifier came at 71kg after Juan PEREZ (MEX) fought off a pair of one point sequences in the second period to defeat Aaron GANDARA (USA), 3-2. 

Jeremy GONZALEZ (ECU), 45kg Cadet Pan-American gold medalist. (Photo by Robbert Wijtman)

The remaining two YOG spots were claimed by Igor ALVES DE QUEIROZ (BRA) and Jeremy GONZALEZ (ECU). 

Jeremy Gonzalez used a seven-point second period to score the 7-6 come from behind win over Juan SANABRIA (PER) in the 45kg gold-medal bout. 

Gonzalez trailed by four points heading into the second period when Sanabria was hit with passivity and placed in the par terre position. The Ecuador wrestler scored two for the exposure with a reverse lift and two for a leg foul, taking the 5-4 lead into the final 30 seconds. Gonzalez closed the match out with an arm spin, taking the match, 7-6.

Brazil’s Igor Alves De Queiroz claimed the final Youth Olympic Games spot with a dominating 8-0 performance in the 92kg finals over Camil PEREZ MAYORGA (MEX). 

The United States closed out the tournament with five champions but failed to qualify a wrestler for the Buenos Aires Games. 

Gerrit John NIJENHUIS (USA) bulldozed his way to the 80kg gold medal with an 11-1 technical superiority victory over Daniel PEREZ (MEX). 

Hunter LEWIS (USA), Carson MANVILLE (USA), Sheldon SEYMOUR (USA) and Chase THOMPSON (USA) all went undefeated during round-robin action and walked away with gold medals for the United States. 

Team Scores 
GOLD - United States (215 points) 
SILVER - Mexico (190 points) 
BRONZE - Guatemala (99 points) 
Fourth - Ecuador (61 points)
Fifth - Brazil (51 points) 
Sixth - Peru (46 points) 
Seventh - Venezuela (42 points) 
Eighth - Panama (39 points) 
Ninth - Colombia  (35 points) 
Tenth​ - Argentina ​​​​(33 points) 

RESULTS
45kg 
GOLD -  Jeremy Renzo PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU) df. Juan de Dios GONZALES SANABRIA (PER), 7-6 

BRONZE - Stevo Ross POULIN (USA) df. Richard Jose MONTILLA FLORES (VEN), 8-4
BRONZE -  Fernando PEREZ VAZQUEZ (MEX) df. Yojan Camilo MURCIA SILVA (COL), 10-2 

48kg 
GOLD  Sheldon Keith SEYMOUR (USA) df. Pablo Nehemias TACAM CUA (GUA), 13-6 

51kg
GOLD -  Axel Andre SALAS ESQUIVEL (MEX) df. Paxton Liam CREESE (USA), 3-2

BRONZE - Antonio Jordan RUIZ MORA (ECU) df. Gemerson MOURA DOS SANTOS (BRA), 8-8
BRONZE -  Eduardo LOVERA (ARG) df. Ronaldo SANCHEZ RAMIREZ (COL), 1-1 

55kg
GOLD - Hunter LEWIS (USA) 
SILVER - Roberto MARTINEZ (MEX) 
BRONZE - Julio DE PAZ POP (GUA) 

60kg
GOLD -  Miguel Angel UGALDE AGUILAR (MEX) df. Beau Reynald BARTLETT (USA), 9-0 

BRONZE -  Fernando FERRER CIPRIAN (DOM) df. Joel Israel TURPO VELASQUEZ (PER), 8-0
BRONZE - Jadiel Orlando SILVERIO RODRIGUEZ (PUR) df. Victor Eduardo PEREZ DUARTE (GUA), 4-4

65kg
GOLD - Carson MANVILLE (USA)
SILVER - Hector ZAPATA A (MEX)
BRONZE - Elizon MANZANO (VEN)

71kg
GOLD - Juan Enrique MONTEMAYOR PEREZ (MEX) df. Aaron Isai GANDARA (USA), 5-2 

BRONZE -  Daniel David BELLO VEGA (VEN) df. Franco Gabriel CHIALANZA (ARG), 9-0 
BRONZE -  Brandon CALLE PEREZ (COL) df. Gabriel TELES DO NASCIMENTO (BRA), 8-0

80kg
GOLD - Gerrit John NIJENHUIS (USA)
SILVER - Daniel Alejandro VELIZ PEREZ (MEX) 
BRONZE - Max Antonio MADRID DE LEON (PAN) 

92kg (One Bronze) 
GOLD - Igor Fernando ALVES DE QUEIROZ (BRA) df. Alexander Camil PEREZ MAYORGA (MEX), 8-0 

BRONZE - Santos Domingo CANTU (USA) df. Cristian Daniel SOLANO MENDEZ (CRC), 4-0 

110kg
GOLD - Chase Jordan THOMPSON (USA) 
SILVER - Miguel Alejandro GUTIERREZ GARCIA (MEX) 
BRONZE - Jose Angel TORRES NAVARRO (NCA)