#WrestleRome

74kg Highlighted by Trio of Top-Five Wrestlers + 20 Total World Medals

Thursday, February 25, 2021 - 16:10 By Eric Olanowski

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It’s no secret that one of the deepest weight classes in the world is freestyle’s 74kg.

That storyline will follow itself into the Matteo Pellicone, as the weight will feature 13 wrestlers who own a combined six world titles, an Olympic gold and bronze, and 20 total world medals. More importantly, three of the four world-medal winners from the weight’s ’19 World Championships – with the exclusion of reigning two-time world champion, Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) – will be in action in the former Italian port city of Ostia (March 4-7).  

Top-ranked Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) will surely have a bullseye on his back and will be targeted by ’19 world bronze-medal winners, No. 3 Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) and No. 4 Jordan BURROUGHS (USA).  

Superstars Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) and Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) could meet for a fifth time at the Matteo Pellicone. The American owns a 3-1 record against the Italian heading into the first Ranking Series event of '21.

But the weight goes much deeper than the trio of top-five ranked competitors. Other wrestlers ranked inside the top-20 heading into the Matteo Pellicone are Puerto Rico’s first-ever four-time Olympian No. 7 Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) and India’s No. 14 Jitender JITENDER (IND). 

Meanwhile, three other guys who have world medals on their resume will be lacing up their boots in Ostia. They are Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ), Yakup GOR (TUR) Jeandry GARZON CABALLERO (CUB). 

Kaipanov, a ’19 world silver medalist at 70kg, is ascending to 74kg for just the third time in his career.  

Gor, who is still looking to build his case as Turkey’s best 74kg option to qualify for Olympic Games, has a pair of world medals on his resume – with his most recent medal coming in ’15.  

Garzon Caballero, the 37-year-old Cuban, is a four-time world medal winner, with his last medal coming in ’10. 

 74kg Entries 
Jeandry GARZON CABALLERO (CUB)

  • ’07 world silver 
  • ’10, ’06 and ‘05 world bronze  

Sandeep Singh MANN (IND) 
Narsingh Pancham YADAV (IND)
No. 14 Jitender JITENDER (IND) 
Mitchell Louis FINESILVER (ISR) 
No. 1 Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA)

  • ’16 Olympic bronze 
  • ’17 and ’15 world gold  
  • ’19 world silver 
  • ’10 world bronze  

No. 3 Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) 

  • ’19 world bronze  

Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ)   

  • ’19 world silver  

No. 7 Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) 

  • ’11 world silver  

Malik Michael AMINE (SMR) 
Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR) 
Yakup GOR (TUR) 

  • ’15 world bronze 
  • ’14 world silver  

No. 4 Jordan BURROUGHS (USA)  

  • ’12 Olympic gold  
  • ’11, ’13, ’15 and ’17 world gold 
  • ’14, ’18 and ’19 world bronze 

#WrestleRome

Mensah Stock, Wiebe cruise to titles at Matteo Pellicone

Friday, March 5, 2021 - 20:45 By Vinay Siwach

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OSTIA, Italy (March 6) --- Tamyra Mariama MENSAH-STOCK (USA) had a perfect 2019. She won gold around the world beginning with the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in January and finishing with the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. She was rising as one of the best in the world. As she stepped into 2020, she was expected to continue her gold-winning rush at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series in Rome. But she failed despite leading 8-0 in the final as Feng ZHOU (CHN) came back to win 8-8 on criteria.

A year later, Mensah-Stock was back at the same arena to try and change the color of her medal. With a display of composure, style and dominance, the American wrestler claimed the 68kg gold medal by defeating European champion Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) 11-0 in the final at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event in Rome on Friday.

The 29-year-old world champion had a little sluggish start but turned it around in her own style to claim the gold medal after coming agonizingly close to it last year. Apart from a surprise toss she suffered in her first-round bout against Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), she looked in total control of her three bouts.

"I performed a lot better at the end compared to the entire tournament," Mensah-Stock said."I was trying to remember who I am and the switch was in my first match when she (Hanzlickova) threw me. I was like 'okay I don't want that to happen again.'"

She did exactly that, outscoring her opponents 28-4 and defending all attacks that were thrown at her. The final in particular saw Mensah Stock display why she was the best in her category in the world. She defended a pair of leg attacks from Hristova and countered them with her own to finish the match.

"When I went to the final I said you know what, I am here to wrestle so let's do this," she said. "I was getting myself motivated and talking to myself. I wrestled my way and did not worry about what she had."

Eica WIEBE (CAN) after winning the gold medal at Matteo Pellicone

Another wrestler who came into the event with high hopes was Rio Olympic champion Erica WIEBE (CAN). The defending champion at 76kg category did have some hiccups but prevailed in all her bouts to win her second consecutive gold medal in Rome.

Wiebe led Canada's dominating show at the event as Michelle FAZZARI (CAN) also won the title down at 62kg weight category after beating Marianna SASTIN (HUN) 2-1. Olivia Grace DI BACCO (CAN) contributed with a bronze medal at the 68kg weight category after a 6-4 win over Alexandria Junis GLAUDE (USA).

Wiebe, who suffered a loss by fall just a week back in Kiev, Ukraine, took her time to get going in all her bouts. She opened the day with a 5-1 cautious win against Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA). Her semi-final against Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) was a 2-0 win, both points scored in the first period.

Even in the final against Hamza, Wiebe took her time to finally start her attacks. She was warned for passivity but got into work mode in the activity period, scoring a four-point throw. She then controlled the entire bout, winning the gold 11-0.

"My nephew's named Matteo and the Matteo Pellicone is my lucky tournament and I am happy to do him proud," Wiebe said. "My first two opponents, they have qualified for the Games, they are great competitors, I have never wrestled Samar (Hamza) before so it's exciting to feel her out."

Wiebe has suffered some unexpected losses in recent times including at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan in 2019 with the latest being the fall in Kiev. But that has not hurt her preparations for the Tokyo Olympics where she will be the defending champion.

"It's great to get on the mat after such a hiatus and everything is building for Tokyo," she said. "I am excited to get back home and continue to do that, trying to get back into the swing of competing and trying to figure out this sport. I just tried to wrestle and be myself there."

At 57kg, Giullia RODRIGUES PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) scored two late takedowns against Asian champion SARITA (IND) to win 4-2 and claim the gold medal.

Both Mensah Stock and Wiebe have five Ranking Series titles to their names. The USA wrestler has won five gold medals, a silver and two bronze in total. Wiebe has six medals in total as she won a bronze medal at the Klippan Lady Open in 2018.

Not revealing much about her plans for the USA Olympic Trials, Mensah Stock said, "Olympic trials are next. I am training for myself, working hard to get better for myself and when it comes to anybody, I really don't know who I am going to be wrestling.

"It can be anybody's day. I don't want to say the name because I am training for anybody. I want to go out and wrestle my way."

Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) won the gold at 77kg

Earlier, three new Greco-Roman champions were also crowned in Rome as Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN) won the gold at 72kg. Zolton LEVAI (HUN) defended his title at 77kg while Russian national champion Adlan AKIEV (RUS) took the top honors at 82kg.

Fritsch was up against returning silver medalist Selcuk CAN (TUR) and was behind 0-2 but staged a comeback in the second period to win 2-2 on criteria. It was a disappointing end for Can who was looking to change the colour of his silver medal from last year to gold. All four points in the bout were either passivity or pushouts.

Levai successfully defendied his title at 77kg after a comfortable 3-1 win against Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR) in the final. En route his gold medal, Levai notched up wins against Patrick Harrison SMITH (USA) 2-0 in quarter-final and Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ) 11-1 in the semi-finals.

Akiev dominated the 82kg final with big throw to take a 5-1 lead against Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), a returning silver medalist in Rome. Akbudak did try to make a comeback but had to be content with the silver.

RESULTS 
Greco-Roman

Final #WrestleRome GR Team Scores:
GOLD: Russia (175 points)
SILVER: Second Hungary (145 points)
BRONZE: Turkey (136 points)
Fourth: Kazakhstan (134 points)
Fifth: India (82 points)

72kg
GOLD - Robert FRITSCH (HUN) df. Selcuk CAN (TUR), 2-2
BRONZE - Kuldeep MALIK (IND) df. Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS), 10-9

77kg
GOLD - Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) df. Yunus BASAR (TUR), 3-1
BRONZE - Askhat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) df. Peyton WALSH (USA), 8-0
BRONZE -Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ) df. Patrick SMITH (USA), via fall

82kg
GOLD - Adlan AKIEV (RUS) df Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), 6-1"
BRONZE - Tamas LEVAI (HUN) df. Matteo MAFFEZZOLI (ITA), 8-0
BRONZE - Laszlo SZABO (HUN) df. Salih AYDIN (TUR), 2-1


Women’s Wrestling
57kg
GOLD - Giullia RODRIGUES PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Sarita SARITA (IND), 4-2
BRONZE - Francesca INDELICATO (ITA) df. Anshu ANSHU (IND), via inj. def.
BRONZE - Emma TISSINA (KAZ) df. Altynay SATYLGAN (KAZ)

62kg
GOLD - Michelle FAZZARI (CAN) df. Marianna SASTIN (HUN), 2-1
BRONZE - Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ), 6-1

68kg
GOLD - Tamyra STOCK MENSAH (USA) df. Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL), 11-0
BRONZE -  Olivia Grace DI BACCO (CAN) df. Alexandria Junis GLAUDE (USA), 6-4
BRONZE -  Sofiya Hristova GEORGIEVA (BUL) df. Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), via inj. def

76kg
GOLD: Erica Elizabeth WIEBE (CAN) df. Samar HAMZA (EGY), 10-0
BRONZE -  Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA), 6-0
BRONZE -   Enrica RINALDI (ITA) df. Matilde CALDARELLI (ITA), 10-0