#WrestleOttawa

Destribats Se Convierte en el Primer Luchador Olímpico de Argentina Desde 1996

Sunday, March 15, 2020 - 22:56 By Taylor GREGORIO

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Photo of Augustin DESTRIBATS (ARG). By Tony Rotundo. 

Articulo en espanol abajo

OTTAWA, Canada – For the first time since 1996, Argentina will send a male wrestler to the Olympics as Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) qualified the 65 kg weight class for his nation on Sunday in Ottawa, Canada.

Destribats began his day with a decisive 7-2 quarterfinals win over Albaro RUDESINDO CAMACHO (DOM). To qualify the weight, he faced 2012 Cadet World champion Zain RETHERFORD (USA) in the semifinals.

Entering as the underdog, Destribats was taken down early and capitalized while down in par terre, putting himself in position to get Retherford on his back for the pin in 1:01.  

Cuba and the United States each qualified three weights for the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday.

The United States now has five men’s freestyle weights qualified for the Games after qualifying the 74 kg and 97 kg weights at the 2019 World Championships.

Earning spots on Sunday for the USA was Thomas GILMAN (57 kg), David TAYLOR (86 kg) and Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (125 kg).

Many eyes were the 86 kg bracket as 2018 World champion Taylor wrestled his first since match last May. Taylor opened his tournament with a pin over Pedro Francisco CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN), who was fifth at the 2016 Olympics, before defeating 2020 Pan Am champion Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA (CUB), 8-0, to qualify the weight for USA.

Gilman, a 2018 World silver medalist, knocked off two-time U23 World champion Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB) in the quarterfinals, 4-3, to put himself in position to land a spot in the finals.

Qualifying for Cuba was Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (65 kg), Jeandry GARZON CABALLERO (74 kg) and Reineris SALAS PEREZ (97 kg).

All three Cubans own multiple World medals. Valdes is a two-time World bronze medalist, Garzon has a 2007 World silver and three bronzes and Salas is a two-time silver medalist with a 2010 bronze.

Canada had multiple qualifiers as well, advancing Jordan STEEN (97 kg) and 2014 Junior World champion Amarveer DHESI (125 kg) to their respective finals.

Other wrestlers qualifying their nations for Tokyo included Oscar TIGREROS URBANO (COL) at 57 kg,  Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) at 74 kg and Pool AMBROCIO GREIFO (PER) at 86 kg.

Photo of David TAYLOR (USA). By Tony Rotundo. 

En Espanol

OTTAWA, Canada – Por primera vez desde 1996, Argentina enviará un luchador masculino a los Juegos Olímpicos, ya que Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) calificó la clase de peso de 65 kg para su nación el domingo en Ottawa, Canadá.

Destribats comenzó su día con una decisiva victoria de 7-2 sobre Albaro RUDESINDO CAMACHO (DOM). Para calificar el peso, se enfrentó al 2012 campeón mundial cadete Zain RETHERFORD (USA) en las semifinales.

Entrando como el desvalido, Destribats estaba perdiendo temprano pero gano por puestaespalda de Retherford en solo 1:01.  

Cuba y Estados Unidos calificaron tres pesos para los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio el domingo.

Estados Unidos ahora tiene cinco pesos de estilo libre clasificados para los Juegos después de calificar los pesos de 74 kg y 97 kg en el Campeonato Mundial de 2019.

Thomas GILMAN (57 kg), David TAYLOR (86 kg) y Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (125 kg) ganaron puestos el domingo para Estados Unidos.

Muchos estaban viendo la categoria de 86 kg cuando Taylor, el campeón mundial de 2018, luchó por primera vez desde el mayo pasado. Taylor gano contra Pedro Francisco CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN), quien fue quinto en los Juegos Olímpicos de 2016, en su primer combate antes de derrotar al campeón panamericano de 2020 Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA (CUB), 8-0, para calificar el peso para EE.UU.

Gilman, medallista de plata mundial de 2018, gano contra al dos veces campeón del mundo U23 Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB) en el quartofinal, 4-3, para avanzar a los semifinales.

Los clasificados para Cuba fueron Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (65 kg), Jeandry GARZON CABALLERO (74 kg) y Reineris SALAS PEREZ (97 kg).

Los tres cubanos tienen múltiples medallas mundiales. Valdés es dos veces medallista de bronce mundial, Garzón tiene una plata mundial de 2007 y tres bronces y Salas es dos veces medallista de plata con un bronce de 2010.

Canadá también tuvo múltiples clasificatorios, avanzado a Jordan STEEN (97 kg) y al campeón mundial juvenile de 2014 Amarveer DHESI (125 kg) a sus finales.

Otros luchadores que clasificaron sus naciones para Tokio incluyeron Oscar TIGREROS URBANO (COL) con 57 kg, Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) con 74 kg y Pool AMBROCIO GREIFO (PER) con 86 kg.

Men’s freestyle finals results

57 kg
GOLD - Thomas Patrick GILMAN (USA) df. Oscar Eduardo TIGREROS URBANO (COL), injury default
BRONZE - Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB) df. Juan Rubelin RAMIREZ BELTRE (DOM), fall
BRONZE - Pedro Jesus MEJIAS RODRIGUEZ (VEN) df. Bryan Lucas DE OLIVEIRA PEREIRA (BRA), 10-0

65 kg
GOLD - Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (CUB) df. Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG), injury default
BRONZE – Zain RETHERFORD (USA) df. Albaro RUDESINDO CAMACHO (DOM), fall
BRONZE - Dillon WILLIAMS (CAN) df. Brandon Disair DIAZ RAMIREZ (MEX), 9-2

74 kg
GOLD - Jeandry GARZON CABALLERO (CUB) df. Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR), injury default
BRONZE – Jorge LLANO (ARG) df. Anthony MONTERO CHIRINOS (VEN), 3-2
BRONZE - Jasmit PHULKA (CAN) df. Nestor TAFUR BARRIOS (COL), 5-3

86 kg
GOLD – David TAYLOR (USA) df. Pool AMBROCIO GREIFO (PER), injury default
BRONZE – Gino AVILA DILBERT (HON) df. Angus ARTHUR (JAM), injury default
BRONZE - Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA (CUB) df. Pedro CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN), 2-1

97 kg
GOLD – Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) df. Jordan STEEN (CAN), injury default
BRONZE – Luis PEREZ SOSA (DOM) df. Evan RAMOS (PUR), 12-1

125 kg
GOLD – Nicholas GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) df. Amaveer DHESI (CAN), injury default
BRONZE – Charles MERRILL (PUR) df. Luis VIVENES URBANEJA (VEN), 13-2

Men’s freestyle semifinals results

57 kg
Thomas GILMAN (USA) df. Juan RAMIREZ BELTRE (DOM), 10-0
Oscar TIGREROS URBANO (COL) df. Bryan DE OLIVEIRA PEREIRA (BRA), fall

65 kg
Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (CUB) df. Dillon WILLIAMS (CAN), 10-0
Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) df. Zain RETHERFORD (USA), fall

74 kg
Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) df. Nestor TAFUR BARRIOS (COL), 9-4
Jeandry GARZON CABALLERO (CUB) df. Anthony MONTERO CHIRINOS (VEN), 12-4

86 kg
David TAYLOR (USA) df. Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA (CUB), 8-0
Pool AMBROCIO GREIFO (PER) df. Angus ARTHUR (JAM), injury default

97 kg
Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) df. Evan RAMOS (PUR), 12-1
Jordan STEEN (CAN) df. Luis PEREZ SOSA (DOM), 13-2

125 kg
Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) df. Luis VIVENES URBANEJA (VEN), 10-0
Amarveer DHESI (CAN) df. Charles Zachary MERRILL (PUR), fall

#WrestleBelgrade

Japan secures 2 Olympic spots; Elor returns to World Championships final

Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - 23:48 By Vinay Siwach

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BELGRADE, Serbia (September 20) -- The World Championships in Belgrade has seen a number of champions fall to young stars but the biggest of all could have come on Wednesday as Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) scored five points on Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), who entered the tournament with a 122-match winning streak which goes back to her junior high school days.

In the 53kg quarterfinal, Yepez scored raced to a 5-0 lead against Fujinami, who admitted that she felt anxious after giving up the lead, but composed herself and pinned the Ecuadorian.

Fujinami recovered from that shock match and defeated Maria PREVALORAKI (GRE) to secure a spot for Japan for the Paris Olympics next year. According to Japan Wrestling Federation rules, a wrestler who qualifies the weight for Paris with a medal in Belgrade automatically secures a spot on the Japan team as well.

"In the match against Ecuador, it's something that's never happened up to now," Fujinami said. "It ended up being a good match. Right now, I don't know, it really hasn't sunk in."

Yepez opened the bout with a double leg for two then hit a single leg which Fujinami defended before Yepez grabbed her around the waist and threw the Japanese, earning two more points. A stepout made it 5-0. Fujinami then got back to doing what she does best and locked up a lace to lead 14-5.

She gave up two more points but Fujinami locked the arm and got the fall with 1:10 remaining on the clock. The 2021 world champion explained that she will try to win her second world gold medal on Thursday.

"I came for the Olympic berth and to become the world champion and I want it to carry over to tomorrow," she said. "In the third-round match, I got a little anxious at one point, but I just thought, it's OK, just do what I always do. It was a tough match, but I was able to pull out the win."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) will join Fujinami on that trip to Paris as she entered the final at 62kg, securing her spot on the Japan team.

However, Ami ISHII (JPN), returning silver medalist, will have to slog it out in the bronze medal bouts to secure her spot after she was stunned by Buse TOSUN (TUR) 11-1 in the 68kg semifinals.

Fujinami will now face Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN) for the gold medal after the Individual Neutral Athlete snatched a victory from U20 world champion ANTIM (UWW) in the final second of the semifinal.

Antim scored a takedown with an ankle pick and led 4-3 with three seconds remaining and got her grip loose. The willy Kaladzinskaya locked Antim's elbow and scored an exposure with 0.3 seconds on the clock for a remarkable 5-3 win.

Motoki had to dig deep to beat world silver medalist at 59kg Grace BULLEN (NOR) as she etched out a 2-1 win. Motoki will now face Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ).

Motoki will look to join the list of Japanese wrestlers who have denied Tynybekova a world or Olympic gold medal in the last two years. The Kyrgyz wrestler lost to Yukako KAWAI (JPN) in the Tokyo Olympics final and then to teenage star Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) in the World Championships last year.

Tynybekova has bounced back, beating Ozaki in the Asian Championships and will have her hands full as she takes on Motoki for her third world gold medal.

Kyrgyzstan's first world champion, Tynybekova defeated Tokyo bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 2-2, in the quarterfinal, a completely contrasting win than her 10-0 win in Tokyo over the Ukrainian. Tynybekova then defeated Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) 4-2 in the semifinal.

At 68kg, Tosun did not let Ishii settle down after giving up a stepout, using a headlock when Ishii was going for an underhook for four points. Tosun tried pinning Ishii but the Japanese survived and as she was trying to escape, Tosun put her on the back for two more points to lead 6-1 with four minutes left. And as Ishii tried calming herself, Tosun scored another takedown on the edge.

Ishii tried an underhook again and Tosun hit another headlock, this time getting only two points. But that made the score 10-1 and Tosun managed to push Ishii out to win 11-1 with 3:19 left on the clock.

Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) reached the final from the other side of the bracket as she pinned Emma BRUNTIL (USA) in the other semifinal. She defeated Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

In the non-Olympic weight class 72kg, defending world champion Amit ELOR (USA) entered the final with another dominant display, winning her semifinal against Kendra DACHER (FRA) 12-2. Elor took out 65kg world champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) in the quarterfinals.

Chasing her second straight title, Elor will take on Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL) in the final after the Mongolian defeated two-time returning world silver medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) 6-2.