FRISCO, Texas (March 6) – Cuba and Venezuela each won two Greco-Roman titles as the three-day Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier concluded Sunday night at the Dr. Pepper Arena.

The last 12 Olympic wrestling qualifying spots of the weekend were determined on Sunday in suburban Dallas.

The top two finishers in each of the six Greco-Roman weight classes clinched spots Sunday to advance to August’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The top two finishers in each of the 18 Olympic weight classes in Texas, six weight classes in each style, qualified their nations to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Past Junior World champion Yasmany LUGO CABRERA (CUB) won by medical forfeit over Luillys PEREZ MORA (VEN) to take the gold medal at 98kg.

Yurisandy HERNANDEZ RIOS (CUB) gained a workmanlike 6-0 win over Carlos MUNOZ JARAMILLO (COL) in the finals at 75kg.

Cuba has now qualified for the Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling in 5-of-6 weight categories. Cuba also has qualified for Rio in 5-of-6 weights in men’s freestyle.

Wuileixis RIVAS ESPINOZA (VEN) erased a 2-0 deficit late in the match to rally past Miguel MARTINEZ PALACIO (CUB) 3-2 in the gold-medal bout at 66kg.

Erwin CARABALLO CABRERA (VEN) capped the three-day event with an 8-0 technical fall over Antoine ABOU JAOUDE (BRA) in the finals at 130kg.

2015 Pan American Games champion Andres MONTANO ARROYO (ECU) continued his superb run by defeating Raiber RODRIGUEZ OROZCO (VEN) by a 9-0 technical fall in the 59kg finals. He ended the match by hitting a spectacular five-point throw.

American Jordan HOLM (USA) rolled to a 9-0 technical fall over Alfonso LEYVA YEPEZ (MEX) to earn gold at 85 kg. Holm was the aggressor with a punishing attack in the finals.

The U.S. qualified for the Olympics in 1-of-4 weight classes it entered in Greco-Roman in Texas. The Americans qualified for Rio in 4-of-13 weight classes overall this weekend. The U.S. has now qualified in 9-of-18 weight classes overall for the Olympic Games.

There will be two more Olympic Games qualifiers after the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier, in Mongolia in April and in Turkey in May.

Pan American countries landed a total of four Olympic berths in Greco-Roman during the 2015 Worlds in Las Vegas. Cuba (59kg, 130kg) and the United States (75kg, 130kg) each punched two Olympic tickets this past September.

PAN AMERICAN OLYMPIC GAMES QUALIFIER
Dr. Pepper Arena, Frisco, Texas
March 4-6, 2016

Greco-Roman Sunday’s medal matchups

(Top two finishers qualify their countries for 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

59kg
Gold – Andres MONTANO ARROYO (ECU) df. Raiber RODRIGUEZ OROZCO (VEN) by TF, 9-0
Bronze – Jancel PIMENTEL GONZALEZ (DOM) df. Jose MAGALLANES DURAND (PER), 5-0
Bronze – Steven TAKAHASHI (CAN) df. Diego RIBEIRO ROMANELLI (BRA) by TF, 8-0

66kg
Gold – Wuileixis RIVAS ESPINOZA (VEN) df. Miguel MARTINEZ PALACIO (CUB), 3-2
Bronze – Jose SANCHEZ BETANCOURT (ECU) df. David CHOC HUOC (GUA) by TF, 9-0
Bronze – Jair CUERO MUNOZ (COL) df. Jefrin MEJIA SAMBULA (HON) by Fall, 3:28

75kg
Gold – Yurisandy HERNANDEZ RIOS (CUB) df. Carlos MUNOZ JARAMILLO (COL), 6-0
Bronze – Maximillano PRUDENZANO (ARG) df. Renzo GARCIA MENDOZA (PER), 6-4
Bronze – Juan ANGEL ESCOBAR (MEX) df. Angelo MARQUES MOREIRA (BRA) by TF, 9-0

85kg
Gold – Jordan HOLM (USA) df. Alfonso LEYVA YEPEZ (MEX) by TF, 9-0
Bronze – Yorgen COVA PULIDO (VEN) df. Alex BROWN THERIAULT (CAN) by TF, 8-0
Bronze – Cristian MOSQUERA (COL) df. Ronisson BRANDAO SANTIAGO (BRA), 5-0

98kg
Gold – Yasmany LUGO CABRERA (CUB) df. Luillys PEREZ MORA (VEN), medical forfeit
Bronze – Joe RAU (USA) df. Davi ALBINO (BRA) by TF, 11-2
Bronze – Oscar LOANGO SOLIS (COL) df. Ivan BURTOVOY (ARG) by TF, 9-0

130kg
Gold – Erwin CARABALLO CABRERA (VEN) df. Antoine ABOU JAOUDE (BRA) by TF, 8-0
Bronze – Andres AYUB VALENZUELA (CHI) df. Randy LAMBERT MARTINEZ (HON) by Fall, 1:28
Bronze – Josue ENCARNACION OVANDO (DOM) df. Edgardo LOPEZ MORELL (PUR), 3-0