#WrestleGuatemalaCity

Bravo-Young and Team USA Seek to Finish Strong on Final Day of #WrestleGuatemalaCity

Friday, June 7, 2019 - 23:18 By Taylor Miller

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Roman BRAVO-YOUNG (USA) and eight of his teammates will wrestle for gold tonight in the Junior Pan American Championships.

Competing at 61 kg in men’s freestyle, this is Bravo-Young’s first international tournament since the 2016 Cadet World Championships.

“International competition is good,” Bravo-Young said. “You get to wrestle different people. In the U.S., we wrestle the same people all the time. Getting a different feel while being able to experience a new country is good. I’m having a good time so far.”

In today’s action, Bravo-Young has collected three wins by technical fall. Tonight he will wrestle Carlos MENDOZA PENA (MEX) in his final match of the round-robin bracket.

If he continues his impressive performance without giving up a point, he will be in the running for the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler award.

As he seeks gold, RBY, as he is called in the U.S., draws some of his motivation for international glory from his college wrestling room at Penn State University.

“Being in the Penn State room and being around David TAYLOR, watching him practice and knowing that he’s a world champion and has reached the pinacle just makes me look up to him. Being around Cael SANDERSON and all the talent and success in that room is definitely a good time.”

Bravo-Young and the rest of Team USA had goals of matching the success of USA’s Senior Pan Am team, which won all 10 gold medals in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in April.

“We just want to see the momentum keep going,” he said. “Nine out of 10 going for gold is pretty good. We wanted to get all 10 like our Senior team, but we’re just going to keep moving forward.”

En español

Roman BRAVO-YOUNG (USA) y ocho de sus compañeros de equipo lucharán por el oro esta noche en el Campeonato Panamericano Juvenil.

Compitiendo en los 61kg del estilo libre masculino, este es el primer torneo internacional de Bravo-Young desde el Campeonato Mundial de Cadetes 2016.

"Es una buena experiencia competir a nivel internacional” dijo Bravo-Young. "Tienes la oportunidad de luchar con diferentes personas. En los Estados Unidos, luchamos con las mismas personas todo el tiempo. La sensación diferente y explorar un nuevo país es interesante. Lo estoy pasando bien hasta ahora.”

En los combates de hoy, Bravo-Young ha ganado por superioridad técnica las tres veces. Esta noche se enfrentara a Carlos MENDOZA PENA (MEX) en su último combate.

Si continua con su actuación destacada y sin que sus oponentes puedan marcarle algún punto, el es el favorito a la Bota de Oro.

Mientras va en camino a obtener la medalla de oro, RBY, como se le llama en los EE. UU., extrae parte de su motivación para la gloria internacional de su gimnasio de lucha universitaria en la Universidad de Penn State.

"Estar en gimnasio de Penn State y estar cerca de David TAYLOR, verlo practicar y saber que es un campeón del mundo y que ha alcanzado el punto más alto en nuestro deporte, me hace admirarlo,” dijo Bravo-Young. “Estar cerca de Cael SANDERSON y todo el talento y el éxito en ese gimnasio es definitivamente una experienca única.”

Bravo-Young y el resto del equipo de EE. UU. tenían como meta igualar el éxito del equipo Panamericano de Mayores de EE. UU., que ganó 10 medallas de oro en Buenos Aires, Argentina, en abril.

"Solo queremos ver que el impulso continúe,” dijo. "Nueve de 10 vamos por el oro es bastante bueno. Queríamos tener a los 10 como nuestro equipo de mayores, pero seguiremos avanzando.”

 

#WrestlePontevedra

U20 Worlds: Iran shines, U.S. surprises in Greco-Roman on Day 1

Monday, September 2, 2024 - 17:46 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (September 2) -- Seven years after it crowned a world champion at U20 level, the United States will have a chance to end that drought on Tuesday.

Two wrestlers, Isaiah CORTEZ (USA) and Otto BLACK (USA), reached the finals of 55kg and 63kg in Greco-Roman at the U20 World Championships which kicked off in Pontevedra, Spain on Monday. Kamal BEY (USA) won the gold medal in 2017 at 74kg and since then the U.S. has been looking for a world champion. It was also the last time the U.S. had two wrestlers in the final.

Cortez had three back-and-forth bouts in the morning session but was at his best in the semifinal against Aibek AITBEKOV (KAZ). He took the par terre position in the first period and finished the bout 9-0 after getting four turns over Aitbekov using the trap-arm.

In his earlier bouts, Cortez pulled off a 9-8 win against Anil MOR (IND), and defeated Peter TOTOK (HUN) 7-4 before going past Maxim SARMANOV (MDA) 9-6.

He will wrestle former U17 world champion Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) for the gold medal. Ahmadi Vafa overcame Alibek AMIROV (AIN), 6-3, in the other semifinal at 55kg.

Black took out Yurik HOVEYAN (ARM) in the semifinal at 63kg after battling hard to keep his 3-2 lead. Hoveyan tried jumping over Black to get a four-pointer but Black defended it and slammed Hoveyan on the mat for four points to win 7-2.

For the gold, he will face Erzu ZAKRIEV (AIN) who had to win the semifinal twice. Zakriev pinned Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) very early in the semifinal but Georgia challenged and won as Khozrevanidze's head was outside the zone when Zakriev was trying to pin him.

Khozrevanidze used his second life in the bout to perform a headlock and got four points. However, Zakriev avoided any fall position and reversed the position and turned Khozrevanidze three times. After a challenge and consultations from referees, Zakriev led the bout 11-4.

He scored four points using a big throw and a lost challenge from Georgia gave him another point as he won 16-4.

Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI)Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) will wrestle for the 77kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Iran had two other finalists, taking the total to three. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) scored a controlled 3-1 win over Tornike MIKELADZE (GEO) at 77kg and will take on Magomed IARBILOV (AIN) for the gold. Iarbilov defeated Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR), 6-4, in the other semifinal.

At 130kg, Abolfazl FATHITAZANGI (IRI) joined a long list of top Iranian super heavyweights in Greco-Roman as he reached the final after beating Aramayis HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) 2-1 in the semifinal. He scored a takedown against Harutyunyan's point for forced par terre.

For the gold medal, he will face former U17 world champion Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) who won 3-1 against Aleksandr MELEKHOV (AIN) in the other semifinal.

Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ)Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) defeated returning champion Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) at 87kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Kyrgyzstan, a country that has grown leaps and bounds in wrestling over the last decade, sent one wrestler in the final. Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) had an epic run at 87kg to reach the final. In the semifinal, he took less than two minutes to beat Patrik GORDAN (ROU) 8-0.

Joju SAMADOV (AZE) will look to stop him from becoming Kyrgyzstan's first U20 world champion in Greco-Roman since 2018. Samadov had a close semifinal against Temirlan TURDAKYN (KAZ) but managed to win 4-2.

df

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Isaiah CORTEZ (USA) vs. Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI)

SF 1: Isaiah CORTEZ (USA) df. Aibek AITBEKOV (KAZ), 9-0
SF 2: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Alibek AMIROV (AIN), 6-3 

63kg
GOLD: Erzu ZAKRIEV (AIN) vs. Otto BLACK (USA)

SF 1: Erzu ZAKRIEV (AIN) df. Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO), 16-4
SF 2: Otto BLACK (USA) df. Yurik HOVEYAN (ARM), 7-2

77kg
GOLD: Magomed IARBILOV (AIN) vs. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI)

SF 1: Magomed IARBILOV (AIN) df. Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR), 6-4
SF 2: Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) df. Tornike MIKELADZE (GEO), 3-1

87kg
GOLD: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) vs. Joju SAMADOV (AZE)

SF 1: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) df. Patrik GORDAN (ROU), 8-0
SF 2: Joju SAMADOV (AZE) df. Temirlan TURDAKYN (KAZ), 4-2

130kg
GOLD: Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) vs. Abolfazl FATHITAZANGI (IRI)

SF 1: Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) df. Aleksandr MELEKHOV (AIN), 3-1
SF 2: Abolfazl FATHITAZANGI (IRI) df. Aramayis HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 2-1