#WrestlePontevedra

European Champions Khvostova and Priceputu Set to Clash in Thursday Night's Finals

By Eric Olanowski

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (June 5) -- Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) returned to the European Championships for the first time since 2016 and is one match away from repeating the run that she had in Stockholm when she won the 43kg cadet European title. On Thursday night, she’ll wrestle two-time European champion and last year’s U23 world bronze medalist Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU) in the gold-medal bout. 

Khvostova, who’ll wrestle for her second age-level continental title, kick-started her day with a 12-3 win over Taru VAINIONPAEAE (FIN). The Russian obliterated returning cadet world silver medalist Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE), 10-0 in the quarterfinals; then she capped off her run to the finals with a 10-2 win over last year’s European bronze medalist Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA). 

She’ll take on Romania’s U23 world bronze medalist Stefania Priceputu in the 50kg finals. Priceputu, the two-time European champion, will be looking for her first continental title since 2017 after she fell in the bronze-medal bout of last year’s Junior European Championships.

On her way to the finals, Priceputu scored wins over Erika ZSIDEKOVA (SVK) and Zehra DEMIRHAN (TUR); then trailed 1-1 on criteria but scored a counter-offensive takedown with 51 seconds left to defeat Mariia VYNNYK (UKR). 

The Day 4 finals begin on Thursday at 18:00 (local time) and can be followed live on www.unitedworldwrestling.org

RESULTS

50kg 
GOLD - Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) vs. Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU)
SEMIFINAL - Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) df. Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA), 10-2 
SEMIFINAL - Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU) df. Mariia VYNNYK (UKR), 3-1 

55kg
GOLD - Anna Hella SZEL (HUN) vs. Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS)
SEMIFINAL - Anna Hella SZEL (HUN) df. Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), 10- 1
SEMIFINAL - Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS) df. Darya SINKAVETS (BLR), 10-0 

59kg 
GOLD - Erika BOGNAR (HUN) vs. Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR)
SEMIFINAL - Erika BOGNAR (HUN) df. Angelika Agnieszka MYTKOWSKA (POL), 10-0 
SEMIFINAL - Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR) df. Kristina MIKHNEVA (RUS), 9-1 

68kg 
GOLD –  vs. Kadriye AKSOY (TUR) vs. Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE)
SEMIFINAL - Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE) df. Khrystyna MALIAVKA (UKR), 5-4 
SEMIFINAL - Kadriye AKSOY (TUR) df. Johanna MEIER (GER), 12-4 

76kg 
GOLD - Bernadett NAGY (HUN) vs. Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR)
SEMIFINAL - Bernadett NAGY (HUN) df. Marina SUROVTSEVA (RUS), 5-4 
SEMIFINAL - Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR) df. Lilly SCHNEIDER (GER), 8-5 

#WrestleSantiago

USA opens Pan-Am Games with four golds

By Eric Olanowski

SANTIAGO, Chile (November 1) --- The United States had an impressive opening-day showing in Chile at the Pan-American Games, going an unblemished 11-0 and winning four golds.

Kyle SNYDER (USA), Mason PARRIS (USA), Zane RICHARDS (USA) and Tyler BERGER (USA) were the four Americans who reached the top of the podium on Wednesday.

Snyder picked up three lop-sided wins en route to his third Pan-Am Games titles. The Olympic champion scored technical superiority wins against Nishan RANDHAWA (CAN), Maxwell LACEY (CRC) and Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB). Snyder’s blanked Randhawa and Lacey, but gave up a four-point throw against Silot Torres, winning the 97kg finals bout 14-4.

Snyder is now a three-time Pan-American Games gold medalists, winning it all in 2015, '19 and '23.

At 125kg, Mason PARRIS (USA) closed out his three-win day with a chippy 2-0 win over Jose DIAZ (VEN) in the 125kg finals. Parris, the reigning world bronze medalists, and Diaz traded heavy hands for the duration of six-minute bout, but it was ultimately Parris’ two-point first period that determined the match.

Zane RICHARDS (USA) rebounded after a tumultuous World Championships to take 57kg Pan-Am Games gold. Richards’ toughest bout came in the semifinals, where he defeated Darian CRUZ (PUR), 8-2. In addition to his win over the Puerto Rican, Cruz also tech falled Juan RAMIREZ (DOM) and Oscar TIGREROS (COL) on his way to winning gold.

Tyler BERGER (USA) kept the clean slate alive for the United States on Wednesday night after upending Franklin MAREN CASTILLO (CUB, 3-0, in the 74kg finals. Berger scored a shot clock point before finishing a two-point attack with nine seconds left in the first period.

Thursday’s opening round matches begin at 10:00 (local time), with the bronze and gold-medal bouts begin at 16:00.

RESULTS:

57kg
GOLD - Zane RICHARDS (USA) df. Oscar TIGREROS (COL), 10-0
BRONZE - Darian CRUZ (PUR) df. Ramirez Beltre JUAN RUBELIN (DOM), via forfeit
BRONZE - Diversent Martinez OSMANY (CUB) df. Almendra HERNAN DAVID (ARG), via fall

74kg
GOLD - Tyler BERGER (USA) df. Franklin MAREN CASTILLO (CUB), 3-0
BRONZE - Anthony Jose MONTERO CHIRINOS (VEN) df. Anthony VALENCIA (MEX), 7-2
BRONZE - Adam THOMSON (CAN) df. Luis BARRIOS ROCHEZ (HON), 6-5

97kg
GOLD - Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB), 14-4
BRONZE - Nishan RANDHAWA (CAN) df. Maxwell LACEY (CRC), 7-6
BRONZE - Cristian SARCO (VEN) df. Matias URIBE (CHI), 10-0

125kg
GOLD - Mason PARRIS (USA) df. Jose DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN), 2-0
BRONZE - Catriel MURIEL (ARG) df. Jonovan SMITH (PUR), 7-6
BRONZE - Aaron JOHNSON (JAM) df. Elison ADAMES (DOM), 5-1