#panam2018

Cuba Impresses, USA Captures Women’s Team Title at #PanAm2018

By Taylor Miller

LIMA (May 5) – A country on the rise in all styles, Cuba snagged five medals—two gold, one silver and two bronze—in the final day of women’s competition en route to a third-place team finish at the 2018 Pan American Championships in Lima, Peru, on Saturday night.

Leading the way for the Cuban squad was 2017 Junior World silver medalist and U23 bronze medalist Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ, who had a fiery back-and-forth match with Soleymi Antonieta CARABALLO HERNANDEZ (VEN). Between the two, 22 points were scored with Sanchez coming out on top 14-8.

Also picking up gold for Cuba was six-time Pan Am medalist and 2013 champion Yaquelin ESTORNELL ELIZASTIGUE. A bronze-medal winner at the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Memorial, Estornell capped off her day, outlasting 2016 Pan Am champion Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA), 5-4.

USA ran away with the team title, scoring 198 points. Second-place Canada tallied 155 points, followed by third-place Cuba with 106 points.

Coming away with gold for USA in women’s freestyle was Whitney CONDER (USA) at 50 kg, Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) at 53 kg and Adeline GRAY (USA) at 76 kg.

A 2014 World Military silver medalist, Conder lit up the 50 kg bracket, convincingly emerging victorious in all three of her matches on the day. In the finals, she took out past Olympian Carolina CASTILLO HIDALGO (COL), 9-0, to put an exclamation point on her tournament.

Winning her third Pan Am title was Hildebrandt, who teched Luisa Elizabeth VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU). Earlier in the day, Hildebrandt had three first-period falls to advance to the 53 kg finals.

Gray, a three-time World champion, claimed her first gold medal at the Pan American Championships in dominant fashion, winning all of her bouts by fall. In the heavyweight final, she led Andrea OLAYA GUTIERREZ (COL), 10-1, before getting the pin at the 4:49 mark.

The final women’s champion of the night was 2016 Pan Am bronze winner Alejandra ROMERO BONILLA (MEX), who edged out 2017 Junior World silver medalist Lianna MONTERO HERRERA (CUB) with a 2-2 win on criteria for the crown at 57 kg.

In the two men’s freestyle weights that were competed on Saturday, both had U.S. winners, including 2017 Junior World champion Mark HALL at 79 and two-time Olympian Ben PROVISOR at 92 kg.

Provisor collected two medals at the tournament as he earned bronze in Friday’s Greco-Roman competition.

The tournament continues tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET with the remaining men’s freestyle weights (57, 61, 65, 70, 74, 86, 97 and 125). Fans can watch live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

WOMEN'S FREESTYLE RESULTS

50 kg
GOLD - Whitney CONDER (USA) df. Carolina CASTILLO HIDALGO (COL), 9-0
BRONZE
- Mariana DIAZ MUNOZ (MEX) df. Jacqueline Del Rocio MOLLOCANA ELENO (ECU), 3-2
BRONZE - Jade Marie DUFOUR (CAN) df.
Evelin del Carmen SOSA (ARG), 14-2

53 kg
GOLD - Sarah Ann HILDEBRANDT (USA) df.
Luisa Elizabeth VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU), 10-0
BRONZE - Betzabeth Angelica ARGUELLO VILLEGAS (VEN) df.
Kristina Katelyn MCLAREN (CAN), 4-3
BRONZE - Lilianet DUANES ANDRES (CUB) df. Dannia Stefanny FIGUEROA DUQUE (COL), 4-3

57 kg
GOLD - Alejandra ROMERO BONILLA (MEX) dec. Lianna de la Caridad MONTERO HERRERA (CUB), 2-2
BRONZE - Alexandria Rebekkah TOWN (CAN) df.
Yessica Coraima OVIEDO PEREZ (DOM), 10-0
BRONZE - Michaela Hope BECK (USA) win by forfeit Nes Marie RODRIGUEZ TIRADO (PUR)

62 kg
GOLD - Yaquelin ESTORNELL ELIZASTIGUE (CUB) df. Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA), 5-4
BRONZE - Kayla Colleen Kiyoko MIRACLE (USA) df. Linda MORAIS (CAN), 6-1
BRONZE - Jackeline RENTERIA CASTILLO (COL) df. Karla Johanna CAMPOS GONZALEZ (ECU), 12-1

68 kg
GOLD - Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (CUB) df. Soleymi Antonieta CARABALLO HERNANDEZ (VEN), 14-8
BRONZE - Yanet Ursula SOVERO NINO (PER) df. Temitope Lydia OGUNJIMI (CAN), 7-4
BRONZE - Leonela Aleyda AYOVI PARRAGA (ECU) df. Diana Paulina MIRANDA GONZALES (MEX), 3-1

76 kg
GOLD - Adeline Maria GRAY (USA) df. Andrea Carolina OLAYA GUTIERREZ (COL), fall 4:49
BRONZE - Andrimar Daniela LAZARO DIAZ (VEN) df. Gracelynn DOOGAN (CAN), 8-2
BRONZE - Mabelkis CAPOTE PEREZ (CUB) win by injury default Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA)

MEN'S FREESTYLE RESULTS

79 kg
GOLD - Mark John HALL II (USA) df. Ethan Adrian RAMOS (PUR), 6-0
BRONZE - Santiago MARTINEZ RESTREPO (COL) win by forfeit Rashji Leonardo MACKEY (BAH)
BRONZE - Shawn Kenneth DAYE FINLEY (CAN) df.
Marcos Roberto QUESADA MARTINEZ (PER), fall 1:13

92 kg
GOLD - Benjamin Errol PROVISOR (USA)
SILVER - Esdras Carlos LOPEZ PEREZ (MEX)
BRONZE - Dalton James WEBB (CAN)

#UnitedWorldWrestling

UWW President Lalovic meets Azerbaijan Economic Minister, federation President Jabbarov

By United World Wrestling Press

BAKU, Azerbaijan (December 12) -- United World Wrestling President Nenad LALOVIC met with Economic Minister of Azerbaijan Mikayil JABBAROV, who is also the President of the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation, in Baku on Wednesday.

They were accompanied by Namik ALIYEV, UWW Bureau Member and Gordon TEMPLEMAN, Director of Commercial Operations & Communications at UWW.

The discussions between the two parties revolved around the growth of wrestling in Azerbaijan, Grappling, Pankration, Amateur MMA, and an inaugural pro league in wrestling by UWW.

"We were pleased to meet with Nenad LALOVIC, President of United World Wrestling," Jabbarov wrote in a social media post. "During our discussion, we highlighted the initiatives undertaken to develop wrestling in Azerbaijan, including efforts to train young talents and enhance cooperation to further elevate the professionalism and international achievements of our athletes.

We were pleased to meet with Nenad Lalović, President of United World Wrestling (@wrestling). During our discussion, we highlighted the initiatives undertaken to develop wrestling in #Azerbaijan, including efforts to train young talents and enhance cooperation to further elevate… pic.twitter.com/qtwcY80JS1

— Mikayil Jabbarov (@MikayilJabbarov) December 11, 2024

"We also emphasized that the inclusion of the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation in the leadership of UWW’s newly established Committee for Grappling, Pankration, and Amateur MMA reflects the high level of trust placed in our country’s wrestling community."

Azerbaijan has been a hotspot of wrestling and hosted the European Olympic Games Qualifier for the Paris Games in 2024. It also hosted the U23 European Championships and European Grappling Championships. In 2022, it played host to the Greco-Roman World Cup. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Azerbaijan qualified 12 wrestlers and won three bronze medals.