#panam2018

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

Sunday, May 6, 2018 - 04:44 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)

#WrestleTirana

Kayaalp Breaks European Record with 13th Gold Medal

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 - 18:25 By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (April 21) -- "I truly believe I’ve set a record that will be very difficult to break."

Riza KAYAALP (TUR) knows the true effort it takes to win 12 gold medals at the European Championships. It took him 13 years. Now, on Tuesday, he won his record-breaking 13th gold medal at the European Championships in Tirana, moving past Aleksandr KARELIN.

With that, Kayaalp became the first wrestler in any style to win 13 golds in Europe. He defeated Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-1, in a dominant 130kg final.

Apart from Tuesday's gold, Kayaalp has won European titles in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2010.

"It’s an incredible feeling," Kayaalp said. "This was my 15th final, and in my 15th final, I achieved my 13th title. This title is especially valuable to me because achieving such long-term and consistent success -- especially in Europe, where there are very strong nations -- is not easy. I’m very proud to have broken such a big record."

Wrestling Vitek in the 130kg final, Kayaalp got the par terre position in the first period and brought the strong gut-wrench he has made his own to turn Vitek three times for six points. He went into the break leading 7-0. Vitek got the par terre position in the second period but he failed to move the mountain-of-man Kayaalp.

With chants of "Riza, Riza" reverberating at the Feti Borova Hall, Kayaalp defended his lead and despite a few instances of him slipping, Vitek could not inflict any sort of danger to score any points. After six minutes of the final and history created, Kayaalp celebrated the 13th gold medal and took his own time with the fans.

"The matches were not easy. I had tough matches," he said. "One of my matches ended 1–1. In the semifinal, I can say I was subjected to some disrespect from a strong opponent in a very intense bout. But compared to those, the final match was more meaningful for me.

"When it became 7-0, well, I’m an athlete who doesn’t like to concede points," he said. "I don’t like giving points away, so I managed to protect that score. I can say I went through the second period quite comfortably, and having a 7–0 lead helped."

The last time Kayaalp built a 7-0 lead was back in 2017, when he pinned Balint LAM (HUN) in the 130kg final after a 7-0 lead.

Kayaalp's gold is a testimony to his longevity having won his first European title in 2010, a year in which his opponent in the final, Vitek, was 10 years, five months and 12 days when Kayaalp achieved his first gold.

"When you look back, you realize you’ve made 15 finals," Kayaalp said after winning the 130kg gold medal in Tirana. "Back then, I was just thinking whether I could win one or two medals. But then, making the final every time at the European Championships, it’s like a child being born and growing up to 15 years old."

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) df. Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO), 2-1

BRONZE: Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Omer RECEP (TUR), 8-0
BRONZE: Stefan GRIGOROV (BUL) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 3-1

63kg
GOLD: Sergey EMELIN (UWW) df. Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA), 9-0

BRONZE: Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) df. Mairbek SALIMOV (POL), 11-0
BRONZE: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Pridon ABULADZE (GEO), 6-2

77kg
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), 1-1

BRONZE: Edvin BAFF (SWE) df. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), 2-1
BRONZE: Robert FRITSCH (HUN) df. Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO), 1-1

87kg
GOLD: Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) df. Semen NOVIKOV (BUL), via fall (8-4)

BRONZE: Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) df. Ihar YARASHEVICH (UWW), 1-1
BRONZE: Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df. Dogan KAYA (TUR), 5-1

130kg
GOLD: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-1

BRONZE: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) df. Marat KAMPAROV (UWW), 10-5
BRONZE: Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) df. Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 3-1

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

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Kayaalp Breaks European Record with 13th Gold Medal