#GC2018

Commonwealth Games Participants Announced

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 20:55 By Eric Olanowski

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GOLD COAST, Australia (April 10) - Over 100 wrestlers from 19 nations are set to compete in the Commonwealth Games, a multi-sport event that takes place every four years between athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. Freestyle and women's wrestling action at the 21st Commonwealth Games kicks off at Carrara Sports Arena 1 on April 12-14 in Gold Coast, Australia.

At the 20th Commonwealth Games, Canada won four freestyle gold medals and India secured the remaining three. Canada, Nigeria, and India dominated the women's wrestling field in Glasgow, Scotland. It was Canada who won a trio of golds, Nigeria nabbed a pair and India bagged the final gold medal. 

Freestyle
57kg (12 Entries) 
Thomas Louis CICCHINI (AUS)
Steven Masao TAKAHASHI (CAN)
George Anthony RAMM (ENG)
Ross Taylor CONNELLY (SCO)
Viorel ETKO (SCO)
Rahul Balasaheb AWARE (IND)
Gary GIORDMAINA (MLT)
Ebikewenimo WELSON (NGR)
Lowe BINGHAM (NRU)
Muhammad BILAL (PAK)
Jan Louwrens COMBRINCK (RSA)
Divoshan CHARLES FERNANDO (SRI)

65kg (12 Entries) 
Mehrdad TARASH (AUS)
Vincent DE MARINIS (CAN)
Charlie James BOWLING (ENG)
Kane Daniel CHARIG (WAL)
Bajrang BAJRANG (IND)
Adam VELLA (MLT)
Jean Guyliane Joris BANDOU (MRI)
Amas DANIEL (NGR)
Maverick KUN (NRU)
Brahm RICHARDS (NZL)
Abdul WAHAB (PAK)
Terry Killy Jr VAN RENSBURG (RSA)

74kg (15 Entries) 
Connor James EVANS (AUS)
Sean Patrick Kelly WRINKLE (BAH)
Mohammad ALI AMZAD (BAN)
Jevon BALFOUR (CAN)
Oleg  GLADKOV (SCO)
Curtis Elliot DODGE (WAL)
Kumar SUSHIL (IND)
Ioabo TEETU (KIR)
Jean Frederic MARIANNE (MRI)
Ebimienfaghe Amos ASSIZECOURT (NGR)
Akash KHULLAR (NZL)
Muhammad Asad BUTT (PAK)
Johannes Petrus BOTHA (RSA)
Abdulai SALAM (SLE)
Suresh Chanaka WARNAKULASURIYA FERNANDO (SRI)

86kg (12 Entries) 
Jayden Alexander LAWRENCE (AUS)
Rashji Leonardo MACKEY (BAH)
Alexander Robert MOORE (CAN)
Syerus ESLAMI (ENG)
Somveer SOMVEER (IND)
Kevin Dave WALLEN (JAM)
Mark Omumasaba INGUYESI (KEN)
Taebontangaroa KOOKOO (KIR)
Melvin BIBO (NGR)
Toby Robert FITZPATRICK (NZL)
Muhammad INAM (PAK)
Michael Eugene GAITSKILL (RSA)

97kg (11 Entries) 
Nicolaas Christiaan VERREYNNE (AUS)
Jordan STEEN (CAN) 
Cedric Yvan NYAMSI TCHOUGA (CMR)
Alexios KAOUSLIDIS (CYP)
Leon Gregory RATTIGAN (ENG)
Joe Samuel HENDRY (SCO)
Mausam KHATRI (IND)
Soso TAMARAU (NGR)
Samuel Stephen BELKIN (NZL)
Umair AHMAD (PAK)
Martin ERASMUS (RSA)

125kg (5 Entries) 
Korey JARVIS (CAN)
Claude KOUAMEN MBIANGA (CMR)
Sumit SUMIT (IND)
Sinivie BOLTIC (NGR)
Tayab RAZA (PAK)

Women's Wrestling 
50kg (4 Entries) 
Rupinder KAUR (AUS)
Jessica Anne Marie MACDONALD (CAN)
Vinesh VINESH (IND)
Miesinnei Mercy GENESIS (NGR)

53kg (5 Entries) 
Carissa Jane HOLLAND (AUS)
Diana Mary Helen WEICKER (CAN)
Kumari BABITA (IND)
Bose SAMUEL (NGR)
Deepika Dilhani Kumari Weerabahu WEERABAHU MUDIYANSELAGE (SRI)

57kg (7 Entries) 
Emily Suzanne SCHAEFER (CAN)
Joseph Emilienne ESSOMBE TIAKO (CMR)
Sarah Louise MCDAID MCCLOSKEY (NIR)
Pooja DHANDA (IND)
Noellancia GENAVE (MRI)
Odunayo Folasade ADEKUOROYE (NGR)
Ana Buiqumu Pauline MOCEYAWA (NZL)

62kg (5 Entries) 
Michelle Christina FAZZARI (CAN)
Berthe Emilienne ETANE NGOLLE (CMR)
Sakshi MALIK (IND)
Aminat Oluwafunmilayo ADENIYI (NGR)
Tayla Tuahine FORD (NZL)

68kg (6 Entries) 
Sherin SULTANA (BAN)
Danielle Suzanne LAPPAGE (CAN)
Gaelle Noelle ALAKAME ANZONG (CMR)
Divya KAKRAN (IND)
Lilian Kiende NTHIGA (KEN)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

76kg (7 Entries) 
Naomi Rachel DE BRUINE (AUS)
Erica Elizabeth WIEBE (CAN)
Georgina Olwen NELTHORPE (ENG)
Kiran KIRAN (IND)
Katouskia PARIADHAVEN (MRI)
Blessing Joy ONYEBUCHI (NGR)
Hajaratu Mariama KAMARA (SLE)

SCHEDULE
April 12 (10:30 LOCAL TIME) 
Freestyle - 57kg and 74kg 
Women's Wrestling - 53kg and 76kg 

April 13 (10:30 LOCAL TIME) 
Freestyle - 65kg and 97kg 
Women's Wrestling - 57kg and 68kg 

April 14 (10:30 LOCAL TIME) 
Freestyle - 86kg and 125kg 
Women's Wrestling - 50kg and 62kg

#WrestleSantiago

Torreblanca, Valdes repeat as Pan-Am Games champs

Thursday, November 2, 2023 - 22:21 By Eric Olanowski

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(Photo credit: Ramon Monroy Panam Sports via Xpress Media)

SANTIAGO, Chile (November 2) --- Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB) and Alejandro VALDÉS (CUB) repeated as Pan-American Games champions after grabbing golds on Thursday night at the Chilean Olympic Center.

Valdes dominated his three opponents, picking up 10-0 wins over Joseph SILVA (PUR) and Albaro RUDECINDO (DOM) before pinning Nahshon GARRETT (USA) in the gold medal bout.

Valdes now has a pair of Pan-American Games gold medals to go along with his three Pan-American Championship titles.

Fellow Cuban Torreblanca was nearly flawless in his quest to repeat as Pan-Am Games champion, scoring four wins on Thursday—three coming via shutouts. Torreblanca blanked Carlos IZQUIERDO (COL), Rashji MACKEY (BAH) and Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN) (8-0, 10-0 and 4-0, respectively) to reach the 86kg finals.

In the championship bout, Torreblanca controlled the six-minute finals bout against Mark HALL (USA), effectively shutting down the American’s offense. The Cuban stopped Hall’s only real shot attempt of the bout, picking up a counter-offensive takedown. After giving up a reversal to end the first, Torreblanca tacked on an additional step-out point and cruised to the 3-1 win.

Meanwhile, in women's wrestling, Yusneylis GUZMÁN (CUB) became the first Cuban woman to win Pan-American Games gold since Lisset HECHEVARRIA (CUB) and Katherine VIDIAUX (CUB) claimed titles at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Guzman defeated Erin GOLSTON (USA) and Jacquline MOLLOCANA (ECU) to end Cuba’s 12-year Pan-Am Games gold drought. She defeated Golston, 10-0, then beat Mollocana, 5-1, cementing a spot in her nation’s wrestling history books.

In the bout of the night, Giullia RODRIGUES (BRA) narrowly edged Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) to win the 57kg gold. She hit two inside trips to score her six points—a two-point trip in the first and a four-point trip in the second—to win her third competition of the season. Rodrigues also won gold medals this season at the Poland Open and Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial. 

Rodrigues joins Joice SILVA (BRA) as the only woman from Brazil to win a Pan-American Games gold medal.

The final gold of the night in women’s wrestling went to Forrest MOLINARI (USA), who defeated Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN), 3-2, in the 68kg finals. Molinari surrendered a high-level single-leg takedown in the first period but scored three unanswered points to win her first Pan-Am Games title.

Friday's opening round matches begin at 10:00 (local time), with the bronze and gold-medal bouts beginning at 17:00.

Freestyle

65kg
GOLD - Alejandro VALDÉS (CUB) df. Nahshon GARRETT (USA), via fall
BRONZE - Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) df. Sixto AUCCAPIÑA (PER), 7-1
BRONZE - Joseph SILVA (PUR) df. Albaro RUDECINDO (DOM), 6-5

86kg 
GOLD - Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB) df. Mark HALL (USA), 3-1
BRONZE - Hunter LEE (CAN) df. Ethan RAMOS (PUR), 14-4
BRONZE - Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN) df. Carlos IZQUIERDO (COL), 7-6

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
GOLD - Yusneylis GUZMÁN (CUB) df. Jacquline MOLLOCANA (ECU), 5-1
BRONZE - Mariana ROJAS (VEN) df. Erin GOLSTON (USA), 3-0

57kg
GOLD - Giullia RODRIGUES (BRA) df. Hannah TAYLOR (CAN), 6-6
BRONZE - Angela ALVAREZ (CUB) df. Xochitl MOTA-PETTIS (USA), 10-0
BRONZE - Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) df. Betzabeth SARCO (VEN), via fall

68kg
GOLD - Forrest MOLINARI (USA) df. Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN), 3-2
BRONZE - Nicoll PARRADO (COL) df. Virginia JIMÉNEZ (CHI), 6-0
BRONZE - Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) df. Ambar GARNICA (MEX), 8-6