Development

Wrestling's Niamkey Named Chair of ASOIF Sports Development and Education Group

By United World Wrestling Press

Experts from 28 International Federations (IFs) governing summer and winter Olympic sports and representatives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gathered this week at the seventh edition of ASOIF’s Sports Development and Education Forum (ASDEG Forum). The event was held on 28 and 29 May 2019 at the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) headquarters in Mies, Switzerland, led by the ASOIF’s ASDEG Consultative Group.

The group shared best practices of their e-learning programmes for education of anti-doping, pathway to international competitions and athlete’s safeguarding and welfare. The International Judo Federation and International Tennis Federation provided updates of their online academies which offered extensive online resources to educate and support their athletes and coaches. The IFs also exchanged thoughts of how to help their National Federations (NFs) grow into their sports. The FIBA presented its dedicated project to transfer knowledge and optimise investment to the NFs.

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on the horizon, the International Hockey Federation shared its approach to ensure a legacy for next year’s Games. The group explored a collective action plan to be implemented in this regard with close cooperation between the IOC, ASOIF and IFs. In view of the Youth Olympic Games 2022 to be held in Dakar, Senegal, a representative from OlympAfrica Foundation attended the meeting to share their activities of youth and grassroots development in African countries and proposed practical solutions to tackle logistic issues within Africa.

Organised annually, the forum facilitates a united approach of a large number of IFs in the implementation of their projects in the fields of development and education. This allows efficiencies in terms of human and financial resources, ensures a certain consistency across the sports and thereby maximises the impact of the related IF activities overall.

The newly appointed ASDEG Chair Deqa Niamkey, UWW Development Director said on the occasion of the Forum: “I am very pleased and happy to be appointed as the Chair of the ASDEG Consultative Group. The Forum has taken the direction I always anticipated, providing a unique opportunity for the IFs to network, exchange ideas and share best practices of their development activities.”

The forum also provided for productive exchanges about defining and quantifying development and progress achieved since the last meeting. A representative from Olympic Solidarity joined in to give an update on their current activities and discuss new project ideas.

About the ASOIF Sports Development and Education Group (ASDEG)

The ASDEG was created in 2012 and is responsible for giving expert advice in the area of Sports Development and Education. The group meets twice a year and organises an annual forum for all ASOIF member IFs to coordinate their approaches and share knowledge in sports development and education.

The next ASDEG Forum is foreseen for May 2020.

Article from ASOIF.com

#WrestleMonterrey

Orta claims 4th Pan-Am title; U.S. wins five Greco golds

By Vinay Siwach

MONTERREY, Mexico (May 8) -- Olympic and world champion Luis ORTA (CUB) captured his fourth Pan-American Championships title and the United States won five of the eight Greco-Roman gold medals on offer on day one of the Pan-American Championships which got underway in Monterrey, Mexico on Thursday.

Orta, returning to competition for the first time since winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in August 2024, outscored his opponents 26-0 in three bouts.

In the final, he faced Nestor ALMANZA TRUYOL (CHI) and posted an 8-0 technical superiority win to capture the gold medal. He began with a stepout before Almanza Truyol was called passive and put in par terre. However, Orta failed to score from par terre and only added a stepout later to lead 3-0 at the break.

The second period saw more stepouts as Almanza Truyol failed to position his hands for any attack. Orta scored two stepouts and Almanza Truyol was cautioned for one point for fleeing to make it 6-0 for Orta, who later added two more stepouts for the win.

Cuba won its second gold medal at 130kg as Oscar PINO (CUB) defeated Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA) 3-1 in the final with a easy takedown in the final minute of the match. Schultz got the first par terre but he failed to score any points. Pino got the 1-1 criteria lead when he was given the par terre position in the second period. Pino also failed to score any points but he later scored a takedown towin 3-1.

Kamal BEY (USA)Kamal BEY (USA) works on a takedown against Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARG) in the 77kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

The U.S. won five gold medal, including Kamal BEY (USA) winning the gold medal at 77kg after defeating Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARG), 11-7, in the final.

Bey, who has one Pan-Am gold earlier in his career, began the final with a takedown and then lifted Julfalakyan for a suplex for four points to lead 6-0. A lost challenge from Julfalakyan made it 7-0 for Bey.

As Bey tried scoring one more point for a win, Julfalakyan was cautious. Bey went for the stepout to get the point but Julfalakyan threw his hands off him and scored a takedown before a turn gave him two more points as he cut Bey's lead to 7-4.

After the break, Julfalakyan was awarded the par terre position and he scored a turn via gut-wrench to make it 7-7 but Bey led on criteria for his four-pointer.

Bey got a takedown when Julfalakyan was defending a headpinch attempt but Bey jumped over for two points. Julfalakyan tried a duckunder to score but Bey countered it and scored two more points.

The 38-year-old Julfalakyan was celebrating his birthday on Thursday and may have wrestled for the final time in his career. Julfalakyan has a silver medal from 2012 London Olympics and gold medal at the World Championships in 2014, for Armenia.

World U23 silver medalist Beka MELELASHVILI (USA) won the gold medal at 82kg after he won both his matches in the round-robin competition. He defeated Diego MACIAS TORRES (MEX), 6-1, after he had blanked David CHOC HUOC (GUA) 8-0.

Payton JACOBSON (USA)Gold medalist Payton JACOBSON (USA), center, with silver medalist Luis AVENDANO (VEN), left, and bronze medalist Jose VARGAS (MEX). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Paris Olympian Payton JACOBSON (USA) won the 87kg gold medal with a convincing 6-0 win over Luis AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN) in the final match.

In a seven-wrestler Nelson bracket, Jacobson and Avendano Rojas were in the same group and the latter beat Jacobson 7-5 in the first bout. Both made it to the final as they wrestler the top two finishers of the other group.

Avendano Rojas, however, failed to repeat his performance of the group stages. Jacobson was awarded the par terre and he scored two turns from the position to lead 5-0 in the first period. Avendano Rojas would have hoped for a par terre position in the second period but Jacobson began with a stepout and kept the action going to but be hit with passivity.

Jacobson's aggressive style and Avendano Rojas' dwindling conditioning gave him an advantage and he defended his 6-0 for the gold medal.

Maxwell BLACK (USA)Maxwell BLACK (USA) won the gold medal at 60kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

At 60kg, Maxwell BLACK (USA) emerged victorious as he negated a young field and defeated Alexis RODRIGUEZ HERNANDEZ (MEX), 9-0, in the final. He scored two turns from par terre and a beautiful suplex for four points to complete the victory.

Former world U17 champion Jayden RANEY (USA) won the fifth gold for the U.S. as he defeated Isaac MARIN MATA (MEX), 10-1, in the 55kg final. Only two wrestlers were entered in the weight class.

Greco highlight for Ecuador 

Ecuador has won three Greco-Roman gold medals in Pan-American Championships history and all three won by Andres ARROYO (ECU). On Thursday, Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU) became the second wrestler from Ecuador to win a Greco-Roman gold medal at the Pan-Am Championships after he defeated Ellis COLEMAN (USA), 12-4, in the 63kg final.

Incidentally, Arroyo's last two gold medals also came at 63kg [in 2019 and 2021].

Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU)Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU) completes a reverse lift on Ellis COLEMAN (USA) in the 63kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

In an action-packed final, Peralta Gonzalez and Coleman exchanged four-pointers but it was the former's two back-to-back throws that gave him the technical superiority win.

Peralta began with a stepout and then blocked Coleman's attempted throw for a 3-0 lead. In one of the scrambles, Coleman locked Peralta from behind and threw him on the mat for four points and led 4-3.

When Peralta got the par terre position in the second period, he launched two reverse body lifts for four points each and left the crowd in complete awe. He left with the gold medal.

Photo

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Jayden RANEY (USA) df. Isaac MARIN MATA (MEX), 10-1

60kg
GOLD: Maxwell BLACK (USA) df. Alexis RODRIGUEZ HERNANDEZ (MEX), 9-0

BRONZE: Yonaiker MARTINEZ (VEN) df. Pedro DE SOUZA (BRA), 5-1

63kg
GOLD: Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU) df. Ellis COLEMAN (USA), 12-4

BRONZE: Hector SANCHEZ (MEX) df. Matias MUNOZ (CHI), 2-0

67kg
GOLD: Luis ORTA (CUB) df. Nestor ALMANZA TRUYOL (CHI), 8-0

BRONZE: Neiser MARIMON (VEN) df. Andres MONTANO ARROYO (ECU), 3-0
BRONZE: Marco FERNANDEZ (PER) df. Osvaldo YANEZ (MEX), 7-1

77kg
GOLD: Kamal BEY (USA) df. Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARG), 11-7

BRONZE: Leomar CORDERO DEPOOL (VEN) df. Oscar BARRIOS (HON), 2-0
BRONZE: Calebe CORREA (BRA) df. Ryan CUBAS CASTILLO (PER), 11-3

82kg
GOLD: Beka MELELASHVILI (USA)
SILVER: Diego MACIAS TORRES (MEX) 
BRONZE: David CHOC HUOC (GUA)

87kg
GOLD: Payton JACOBSON (USA) df. Luis AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN), 6-0

BRONZE: Jose VARGAS RUEDA (MEX) df. Ariel ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ (HON), 2-1

130kg
GOLD: Oscar PINO (CUB) df. Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA), 3-1

BRONZE: Gino AVILA DILBERT (HON) df. Leonidas MANZABA (ECU), 9-0
BRONZE: Moises PEREZ (VEN) df. Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA), 6-0