Dominant Hildebrandt leads USA to Pan-Am team title

Sunday, May 8, 2022 - 03:28 By Vinay Siwach

ACAPULCO, Mexico (May 7) -- For three years now, no wrestler has been able to score on Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) at a Pan-American Championships. Such has been her domination on the mat that she is yet to lose a bout at the tournament dating back to 2013, the year she won her first Pan-Am title at 55kg.

She extended her unbeaten record Saturday by winning her seventh Pan-Am title in Acapulco, Mexico and leading team USA to the women's team title on the third day of the tournament. The Tokyo bronze medalist spent only three minutes and 24 seconds on the mat over three bouts, winning all of them by technical superiority.

Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) won her seventh Pan-Am title. (Photos: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Hildebrandt faced Madison PARKS (CAN) in the 50kg final and finished the bout in less than a minute and celebrated the win by holding up seven fingers, symbolizing the seven titles she has won.

"That was my seventh Pan-Am championships or Games title," Hildebrandt said referring to her one Pan-Am Games gold which she won in 2019. "It's up there. This is exposing my age."

Despite being nine years older since she won her first title in 2013, she has only become more dominant on the mat. In Acapulco, she used her preferred leg lace to win the final against Banks, her opponent in the semifinal from a year ago.

"I love my sweep single which gets me close to my lace," she said. "So I am always out for that. I have a par terre idea these days. I feel I can attack from anywhere and I am comfortable from where the match goes."

In the semifinal against Patricia BERMUDEZ (ARG), she switched to a gut-wrench to get the win and it only shows Hildebrandt's creativity on the mat.

After a near-perfect outing in the tournament, Hildebrant is already thinking about the areas in which she would like to improve going into a busy season ahead.

"There are always things in preparation like nerves, mental games, sleep before," she said. "I am always refining outside wrestling and obviously there's a lot in wrestling too.

"Just today in general I felt a little sluggish on my feet. Things could have been better there. Maybe a little hesitant at times. So I am going to go back, watch the film, I always find stuff to pick apart."

The win Saturday will also serve as a big confidence booster for her before she wrestles in the USA for a spot on the World Championships team.

As a '21 silver medalist, she sits in the final of the tournament and will wait for the winner of a trial to wrestle her in a best-of-three series to determine the spot for Belgrade.

Hildebrant said that it's tricky to prepare for such a weight class and tournament which has a number of talented wrestlers entered but she has picked a few names she will keep her eyes on.

"Next step is solidifying a spot on this team and it's a tricky spot," she said. "I am waiting in the final and have to see at the end of this month who makes it out of the position of the trial to wrestle me off.

"It's exciting but tricky too, preparing for multiple, very talented women. I have my eyes on a few people, start zeroing in on that."

Parrish Dominique PARRISH (USA) celebrates after beating World bronze medalist Samantha STEWART (CAN). (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Hildebrandt defending her gold from 2021 was the first of the three the USA won Saturday as Dominique PARRISH (USA) rose above expectations to win the 53kg title while Dymond GUILFORD (USA) came out of an incredibly tough 76kg bracket to win the gold.

Canada added one more gold to the two it had Friday while Cuba and Venezuela crowned a champion each as women's wrestling drew to its close.

The USA won the team title with 190 points, with Canada claiming the second spot with 165 points and host Mexico finishing third with 120 points.

Parrish announced herself to her opponents at team trials by winning the gold at 53kg with a clutch performance. Out of her three bouts, she came from behind in two of them before an asserting win in the final.

"It felt pretty good," Parrish said of her wins. "I don't know if you saw my earlier bouts but they were pretty crazy so it's nice to end that definitively [in the final]."

In her first bout, Parrish was trailing Karla ACOSTA MARTINEZ (MEX) 3-1 but score a buzzer-beating takedown to win. Mexico challenged the takedown call but lost to give a 4-3 win to Parrish.

The semifinal against World bronze medalist Samantha STEWART (CAN) was less dramatic but she still had to mount a comeback after trailing 4-0 at the break.

She first scored a takedown before adding a stepout with over a minute remaining. She utilized that and with 39 seconds still on the clock, she got her decisive two points to win 5-4.

"That was big considering that I started off the first period on my back," she said. "I was thinking about it later that she was a World bronze medalist. It's nice to wrestle everybody as if they are the same level as me and not pay attention to their accolades."

The final against '20 Pan-Am champ Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) was much controlled as she pancaked the Ecuadorian to secure the fall at 1:29 on the clock.

Parrish did find a positive and some areas to improve from the tournament before she wrestles for a spot on the USA world team.

"If I am fighting from behind, I at least know I can score," she said. "[I can] get my hand-fight off to make sure I am moving them and they are not moving me."

Dymond GUILFORD (USA) won the 76kg final 1-1 against Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU). (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

At 76kg, Guilford won the gold medal by beating surprise finalist Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU) 1-1 as the two exchanged activity clock points the USA wrestler got the criteria.

Reasco had stunned world champ and four-time Pan-Am champ Justina DI STASIO (CAN), 10-4, in the quarterfinals before pulling off a nerve-wracking 4-4 win over U23 world silver medalist Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) in the semifinals.

Guilford began the day with a fall over Ruthy PINHAL DOS SANTOS (BRA) before a 10-0 win over Maria ACOSTA (VEN). In the semifinal, she faced Linda MACHUCA (ARG) and secured a 12-2 win.

For the final, she had a clear game plan in her mind and executed it to perfection to win her first Pan-Am title.

"I watched her other matches and knew all she had was doubles," she said. "When she started, I thought I can do this. I thought she has nothing."

That helped Guilford defend all attacks from Reasco including a double-leg blast when she had only three seconds left on the activity clock.

Ana GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN) won the 62kg gold at Pan-Am Championships. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

USA had a silver medalist as well as defending champion Kayla MIRACLE (USA) injury defaulted against U23 world champion Ana GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN) at 62kg.

Godinez's gold makes it two-in-two for the family as her elder sister Kalra had won the 55kg gold Friday.

Despite the gold, the Canadian wrestler did rue the fact that she could not wrestle enough matches in the competition.

"I wish I had more matches but it happens," Godinez said. "Miracle and I are friends. I go to Pheonix to train quite a bit. It sucks because I did want that final match. I only got two matches but I wanted at least three if not four but it's okay. I just felt bad that she got hurt and I hope she feels better."

Godinez did have a testing semifinal against Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) and had to remove a deficit to win it 7-5. She was trailing 4-1 at the break but scored three takedowns in the second period.

The win marks another pit spot in the Godinez sisters' journey to the Paris Olympics as Canada builds a newer crop of wrestlers.

"I definitely did want to go to the Olympics in 2020 but I couldn't. I couldn't make it. But here's the time to do it. I trained with Danielle [Lappage] and Erica [Wiebe] before Tokyo.

"Karla has been working really hard and has had some injuries and hard times with wrestling. She has not been able to show how good she is. Karla can finally show how good she really is. She is up there right. She can be the best in the world as well."

But Godinez knows that it will require more than just performance on the mat to make it to the Games and win a medal as she becomes a more experienced wrestler.

"It (growth) came with experience," she said. "I needed to feel the Europeans and South Americans to know the difference in how I can wrestle to be the best version of myself and my wrestling. I have moved to having one coach for me, working on myself and not to do anything with anyone else. Now, I have a more solid plan coming in and I know what I want. I am in the matches I am more composed rather than before I was more random and I was still trying to figure out my style and I needed more experience and I got that."

Yaynelis SANZ VERDECIA (CUB) added a 57kg senior Pan-Am title to her resume. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

At 57kg, Yaynelis SANZ VERDECIA (CUB) claimed her first senior Pan-Am title by beating Alma VALENCIA ESCOTO (MEX) 5-1 in the final.

But it was not smooth sailing for her before the final as she barely won her quarterfinal against Giullia PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) 12-10 using a big four in the final minute of the bout. It was a similar story in the semifinal as she sneaked past Cameron GUERIN (USA) 12-7.

Hangelen LLANES ECHEVARRIA (CUB) could not join her teammate Sanz as a Pan-Am champ as Soleymi CARABALLO HERNANDEZ (VEN) won the 68kg title by winning the final 12-2. This was her first gold medal at the tournament after finishing with a silver in 2018.

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) is now a five-time Pan-Am champion. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Burrough, Cox win

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) and J'den COX (USA) got their country's team title defense off to a great start by winning the 79kg and 92kg gold in dominant fashion.

Burroughs outscored his opponents 40-1 in his four bouts in the Nordic-style draw to win his fifth Pan-Am title. He also has three Pan-Am Games titles.

Cox had three bouts in the day and like Burroughs, destroyed his competition with ease. He won the title outscoring 31-0.

Cox J'den COX (USA) won the 92kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

RESULTS

Women's wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) df. Madison PARKS (CAN), 10-0

BRONZE: Jacqueline MOLLOCANA ELENO (ECU) df. Yoannia PEREZ NUNEZ (CUB), 12-2
BRONZE: Patricia BERMUDEZ (ARG) df. Shammilka MIRANDA DIAZ (PUR), 10-0

53kg
GOLD: Dominique PARRISH (USA) df. Luisa VALVERDE (ECU), via fall

BRONZE: Betzabeth ARGUELLO VILLEGAS (VEN) df. Anny RAMIREZ PEREZ (DOM), via fall
BRONZE: Karla ACOSTA MARTINEZ (MEX) df. Samantha STEWART (CAN), 10-0

57kg
GOLD: Yaynelis SANZ VERDECIA (CUB) df. Alma VALENCIA ESCOTO (MEX), 5-1

BRONZE: Alexandria TOWN (CAN) df. Camila AMARILLA (ARG), 10-0
BRONZE: Giullia RODRIGUES PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Cameron GUERIN (USA), 7-7

62kg
GOLD: Ana GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN) df. Kayla MIRACLE (USA), via injury default

BRONZE: Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Andrea GONZALEZ GONGORA (COL), 7-0
BRONZE: Alejandra ROMERO BONILLA (MEX) df. Yolanda CORDERO VARGAS (CUB), 5-2

68kg
GOLD: Soleymi CARABALLO HERNANDEZ (VEN) df. Hangelen LLANES ECHEVARRIA (CUB), 12-2

BRONZE: Yessica OVIEDO PEREZ (DOM) df. Yanet SOVERO NINO (PER), 10-2
BRONZE: Grabriela PEDRO DA ROCHA (BRA) df. Kayla BRODNER (CAN), 6-1

76kg
GOLD: Dymond GUILFORD (USA) df. Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU), 1-1

BRONZE: Maria ACOSTA (VEN) df. Linda MACHUCA (ARG), 13-11
BRONZE: Justina DI STASIO (CAN) df. Tatiana RENTERIA (COL), 3-2

Freestyle

79kg
GOLD: Jordan BURROUGHS (USA)
SILVER: Samuel BARMISH (CAN)
BRONZE: Victor J SANTOS ACOSTA (PUR)

92kg
GOLD: J'den COX (USA)
SILVER: Jeremy POIRIER (CAN)
BRONZE: Cristian SANCHEZ (MEX)

#JapanWrestling

Kiyooka, Kusaka secure chance to add first world titles to Paris golds

Sunday, June 22, 2025 - 17:13 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (June 22) -- Kotaro KIYOOKA and Nao KUSAKA both lived up to their lofty status as Olympic champions. Now each will get a chance to add a first world title to their Paris gold.

Kiyooka and Kusaka, competing in their first major competition since triumphing at Paris 2024, both won titles on the final day of the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships, then returned to mat to beat the same opponent in a playoff for this year's World Championships.

In one of the most anticipated duels of the tournament, Kiyooka, the Paris champion at freestyle 65kg, pulled off a double victory over former Nippon Sports Science University teammate and Asian champion Kaisei TANABE, whose chances were hampered by a knee injury in the playoff.

"It's my first time to be involved in a playoff and to face the same opponent twice on the same day," Kiyooka said. "It was a learning experience and a good opportunity."

Also Read: Motoki stuns Ozaki with last-second win in Japan's world team playoff

Kusaka, who has a 2023 world bronze to go along with his Paris gold at Greco 77kg, showed little effects of a recent back injury that curtailed his preparation in defeating Kodai SAKURABA to earn a ticket to the World Championships to be held Sept. 13-22 in Zagreb.

The four-day Meiji Cup at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym was serving as the second of two domestic qualifiers for the team to Zagreb, along with the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships in December. A victory at both tournaments earned an automatic spot, while a playoff was held at the end of each day to decide between separate winners.

Both Kiyooka and Kusaka had participated in the German Bundesliga in the autumn after the Paris Olympics, but otherwise had joined the vast majority of Japan's medalists who reaped the rewards of their new-found fame, attending special events and appearing on variety TV shows.

They, along with Sakura MOTOKI at women's 62kg, were the only ones among Japan's eight gold medalists who decided to return to the mat in earnest at the Meiji Cup.

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) Kotaro KIYOOKA scores four with a unique throw in the freestyle 65kg playoff with Kaisei TANABE. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

For the 24-year-old Kiyooka, making it to his first World Championships gives him a chance to prove that his victory in Paris was no fluke and that he is no one-hit wonder.

"Before the Olympics, the word out there was that I wouldn't win, but I managed to turn that idea on its head," Kiyooka said. "Still, I'm a champion who came out of the blue, so I'm really not the established king. I want to take the world title so that people both at home and abroad recognize that Kotaro Kiyooka is the true champion."

He and Tanabe, who won his first career Emperor's Cup title in December, have often sparred together in practice, but had never faced each other in an official match.

In an entertaining final that featured a constant tangle of legs and arms amid wild scrambles, Tanabe struck first with a takedown, but Kiyooka responded with a takedown-gut wrench combination to go into the second period ahead 4-2.

Tanabe, the son of NSSU coach and 2004 Sydney Olympic bronze medalist Chikara TANABE, put the pressure on, but could only manage a late stepout as Kiyooka held on for a 4-3 victory.

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) Kotaro KIYOOKA works for a takedown against Kaisei TANABE during the freestyle 65kg playoff. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

In the playoff, Kiyooka opened with a stepout off a scramble, then received an activity point. But when he scored a stepout late in the period, Tanabe was slow to get up and indicated he had suffered a knee injury.

Tanabe bravely forged on and scored 2 off a counter lift off a Kiyooka takedown attempt, but Kiyooka kept his leg hold and made it 7-2 with an intriguing 4-point move.

With Tanabe on his back, Kiyooka stood straight up, then moved to the edge, where he launched an aerial cartwheel that caused Tanabe to land flat on his back.

"I wanted to lift him up and get a big point," Kiyooka said. "But Tanabe is a competitor with a high level of talent and athleticism, and if I didn't do it right, he could be the one to get the points. I was glad that I gave it a try.

"To get a big score provides an advantage later on. From now, I'm going to need a move like that, because without it, I'll have to settle for one or two points, which makes it easier for the opponent to catch up. I'm going to add it to my regular practice."

Tanabe stayed down and took an injury timeout, and it was soon after that Kiyooka put the match away with a counter lift and two exposures to win 13-2 in 5:45.

"My opponent's condition wasn't very good in the final, and then his knee became painful in the playoff," Kiyooka said. "So he wasn't at his best, but I couldn't let that sway me and I had to fight to the end.

"At this tournament, the main thing was to win, as it was where I was making my return. I'm also also making a new start with a new company affiliation and wanted it to go right, so I'm glad I could win the title and make the team to the World Championships."

Kiyooka, whose younger sister Moe lost a playoff at women's 53kg on Saturday, said the extended layoff caused him some concern.

"There was some anxiety, but as long as I did what I needed to do, I thought it would lead to a result like this," Kiyooka said. "There are only so many days until the Los Angeles Olympics, and this have given me an idea of what I will need to work on to put it all together."

Nao KUSAKA (JPN) Nao KUSAKA bulls his way to a takedown in the Greco 77kg playoff with Kodai SAKURABA. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Kusaka never seemed in danger in either of his matches against Emperor's Cup champion Sakuraba, nor did he show the dominance that led to Olympic gold.

In the Meiji Cup final, Kusaka came away with a 5-1 win in which he scored no technical points. In the first period, he received a passivity point, then when Sakuraba tried to escape from the bottom of par terre, he was hit with a 2-point penalty for a leg foul, and an unsuccessful challenge made it 4-0. Kusaka then received a second passivity point in the second period and that was it.

Kusaka was more productive in the playoff, bulling his way to a takedown in the first period and a stepout in the second in chalking up a 4-1 victory.

"I became more fatigued that I expected," Kusaka said. "It's been awhile since I went all out. No matter how much you build up in practice, you don't get the tension that you get in a match."

Kusaka revealed that his preparations were curtailed when he suffered a serious back strain while weight training in late May. He said the injury was so serious, it was first time he ever had to be transported on a stretcher.

"I had good luck when it came to the Olympics, but this time I had to go through that," he said. "For two weeks, I couldn't wrestle at all and I spent a week in bed."

Like Kiyooka, Kusaka wants to enhance his relatively slim resume with a world title.

"I've been wrestling 21, 22 years, and it's something I've always aspired to," Kusaka said. "I'm getting attention as an Olympic champion, but I want to be active around the world. The 2024 season went extremely well and I received the MVP award, which was great. But I don't want to be a one-hit wonder. I have to keep getting results."

Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN) Kyotaro SOGABE squares off with longtime rival Katsuaki ENDO in the Greco 67kg playoff. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Another playoff of note occurred at Greco 67kg, where Paris Olympian Kyotaro SOGABE secured his latest triumph over longtime rival and fellow NSSU alum Katsuaki ENDO.

Endo won the Emperor's Cup in Sogabe's absence, but the latter set up the playoff with a 4-0 victory in the Meiji Cup final in which he twice received passivity points, scoring a gut wrench after his second chance at par terre. In the playoff, Sogabe never gave Endo an opening and rolled to a 9-0 victory.

Rin SAKAMOTO (JPN) Teenager Rin SAKAMOTO gestures after securing his ticket to the senior worlds at freestyle 57kg. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Among the two men's weight classes that did not need to go to a playoff, teenager Rin SAKAMOTO secured his ticket to Zagreb at freestyle 57kg by crushing Kento YUMIYA 10-0 to complete the Emperor's Cup-Meiji Cup double.

The 19-year-old Sakamoto is a maverick among Japanese wrestlers, in that he decided to pursue a collegiate career in the United States, where he now competes for powerhouse Oklahoma State University.

He admittedly had trouble at the Emperor's Cup adjusting back to freestyle after practicing in the American folkstyle. But this time, with the U.S. collegiate season over, he was able to focus exclusively on the international style.

Sakamoto had a disappointing showing at the Asian Championships, where he lost in the bronze-medal match, but returned to Japan in April and won the qualifying tournament for the World U20 Championships.

Regarding making his first senior worlds, Sakamoto said, "I'm excited," citing the fact that he can match Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO, who was also 19 when he won the world title in 2018. Unfortunately, should Sakamoto triumph in Zagreb, he will fall one month short of Otoguro's record for Japan's youngest-ever male world champion.

At Greco 60kg, Emperor's Cup champion and two-time Asian medalist Kaito INABA defeated Yu SHIOTANI 5-2 in the final to earn his first trip to the World Championships.

Asian and world U23 champion Kodai TAKAHASHI will get another shot at the senior worlds after he defeated Emperor's Cup champion Hikaru TAKATA 3-0 in the freestyle 74kg playoff.

Takahashi, who missed the Emperor's Cup due to an injury suffered while competing at 79kg at last year's non-Olympic worlds, secured a place in the playoff by beating Takata in Saturday's semifinals. then topping Masaki SATO 3-1 in the Meiji Cup final.

Day 4 Results

Freestyle

57kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Rin SAKAMOTO df. Kento YUMIYA by TF, 10-0, 2:22

BRONZE: Rikuto NAGAI df. Kodai NAKAISHI by TF, 10-0, 5:59
BRONZE: . Rikuto ARAI df. Fuga SASAKI, 4-1

65kg (9 entries)
GOLD: Kotaro KIYOOKA df. Kaisei TANABE, 4-3

BRONZE: Shinnosuke SUWAMA df. Ryuto SAKAKI, 8-5
BRONZE: Yuto NISHIUCHI df. Takuma AKIYAMA by TF, 10-0, 5:45

World Team Playoff: Kiyooka df. Tanabe by TF, 10-0, 5:45

74kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Kota TAKAHASHI df. Masaki SATO, 3-1

BRONZE: Kanata YAMAGUCHI df. Hikaru TAKATA by Def.
BRONZE: Toki OGAWA df. Tenju HOSAKA, 2-1

World Team Playoff: Takahashi df. Takata, 3-0

Greco-Roman

60kg (8 entries)
GOLD: Kaito INABA df. Yu SHIOTANI, 5-2

BRONZE: Seima TOKUHARA df. Eiru TAKAYAMA, 5-2
BRONZE: Koto GOMI df. Maito KAWANA, 7-7

67kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Kyotaro SOGABE df. Katsuaki ENDO, 4-0

BRONZE: Kensuke SHIMIZU df. Chiezo MARUYAMA, 3-2
BRONZE: Haruto YABE df. Kojiro HASEGAWA, 8-5

World Team Playoff: Sogabe df. Endo by TF, 9-0, 5:50

77kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Nao KUSAKA df. Kodai SAKURABA, 5-1

BRONZE: Fuga MISAIZU df. Shu YAMADA by Def.
BRONZE: Isami HORIKITA df. Naoki KADODE, 5-3

World Team Playoff: Kusaka df. Sakuraba, 4-1

Dominant Hildebrandt leads USA to Pan-Am team title

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Kiyooka, Kusaka secure chance to add first world titles to Paris golds