#WrestleAcapulco

Live Blog: Pan-American Championships (Day One)

By Eric Olanowski

ACAPULCO, Mexico (May 5) -- The opening day of action at the 2022 Pan-Ameican Championships kicks off with Greco-Roman action at 55kg, 60kg, 63kg, 72kg, 97kg and 130kg. 

Finals matches (as they come in):
55kg - Nordic style
60kg - Randon Drew MIRANDA (USA) vs. Winner 21
63kg -  Jose Alberto RODRIGUEZ HERNANDEZ (MEX) vs. Samuel Lee JONES (USA) 
67kg -  Kenedy Anderson MORAES PEDROSA (BRA) vs. Julian Stiven HORTA ACEVEDO (COL) 
72kg - Nordic style
97kg - Juan Luis CONDE IBANEZ (CUB) vs. Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON) 
130kg - Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) vs. Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA) 

2:05: One of the highlights of the morning has been Samuel GURRIA VIGUERAS (MEX). He scored 14 points in his first match and is winning 4-0 against Maikol JOSEFA (DOM). The winner of this match gets Randon Miranda in tonight's 60kg finals.

1:46: Julian HORTA ACEVEDO (COL) put up seven points in the second period and will wrestle Moraes Pedrosa for the 67kg title.

1:42: Last year, Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON) became the first wrestler from Honduras to win a Pan-Am title. He outscored his opponents 16-0 and will wrestle Juan Luis CONDE IBANEZ (CUB) for 97kg gold tonight.

1:32: Julian Stiven HORTA ACEVEDO (COL), after picking up a quick 10-0 win over Nilton Gonzalo Marcos SOTO GARCIA (PER), will try to stop Mexico's  Diego Alberto MARTINEZ DE LEIJA from punching his ticket to the 67kg finals in his home country. They are wrestling on Mat A.

1:20: Kenedy Anderson MORAES PEDROSA (BRA) defeated Enyer Manuel FELICIANO (DOM) by three points, putting Brazil in the gold medal matches at 67kg and 130kg.

12:45 : After upsetting the returning champion in the quarterfinals, Soghomonyan picked up a 9-0 win over  Gino Tanislado AVILA DILBERT (HON) and moved into the 130kg finals. He'll take on Cuba's 2019 world silver medalinst Pino Hines.

12:20:  Diego Alberto MARTINEZ DE LEIJA (MEX) punched his ticket to the 67kg semifinals with a 8-4 win over Hayden Daniel TUMA (USA)

12:17:  Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA) leads reigning champion Leo Dalis SANTANA HEREDIA (DOM) by one point with less than a minute to go. That match is wrapping up over on Mat B.

11:54: The difference in the match was a gut wrench, which Pino Hines scored in the first period. He outlatsted Acosta Fernandez, 3-1, and will take on the winner of  Jacob Fredrick PHILLIPS (CAN) and Edgardo Juan LOPEZ MORELL (PUR). Currently, the Lopez Morell leads the Canadian, 7-0.

11:45: The match of the morning is coming up next on Mat B, where world medalists Pino Hines and Acosta Fernandez will collide in the 130kg quarterfinals. 

11:40: Returning champs Leo Dalis SANTANA HEREDIA (DOM) and Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON) will be in action on Mat B. They'll wrestle in bouts 37 and 41, respectively. 

11:15: Pino Hinds collected a 9-0 win in the first round and will clash with Chilie's first-ever GR world medalist Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI). It's worth noting that Acosta Fernandez transferred from Cuba to Chile in 2017.

11:03: Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) returns to the mat for the first time in two years after relinquishing his 130kg starting spot to Mijian LOPEZ (CUB). He's wrestling on Mat B Tanner Richard FARMER (USA).

World Combat Games: Kyrgyzstan dominates final day in Riyadh

By United World Wrestling Press

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (October 26) -- Central Asian powerhouses Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan returned with a rich haul of gold medals in Belt Wrestling at the World Combat Games in Riyadh on Thursday.

While wrestlers from Kyrgyzstan won four gold medals, their counterparts from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan completed a golden hat-trick each. The competition was held in 10 categories across the two styles: Qazak (men’s 65kg, 75kg, 85kg; women’s 60kg, 70kg) and Alysh (men’s 70kg, 80kg, 90kg; women’s 55kg, 65kg).

Begai BEISHENAALY KYZY (KGZ) began the medal rush for Kyrgyzstan with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Mariam MAZANASHVILI (GEO) by Zhartylai Zheni, the acting of putting your opponent on the mat with three-point contact, in the women's Qazak Style 60kg. Soon after, Marlen ABDURASULOV (KGZ) overcame Mohammad NABIZADEH (IRI) by fall in the Men's Alysh Style 70kg.

Azizkhan MUSABEK UULU (KGZ) beat Arslan HOJAMBERDIYEV (TKM) to extend Kyrgyzstan’s dominance. He won in the Men's Alysh Style 90kg. And in the day’s penultimate gold medal bout, Elzada MOMUNZHANOVA (KGZ) defeated Gantsetseg GANBOLD (MGL) 4-2 in the Women's Alysh Style 55kg to cap off a successful day in office for the country’s wrestlers.

Meanwhile, Zhumazhan KOZHAMBEKOV, Madi AMANGELDI and Roza NYSSANTAIKYZ led the march for Kazakhstan. All three gold medals for the wrestlers from Kazakhstan came in the Qazak style.

In the women's 70kg category, Nyssantaikyz was dominant from the get-go. She began her campaign with a win over Shakhnoza BOZOROVA (UZB) and followed it up with another strong show against the Netherlands’ Sem VAN DUN (NED). In the final, the Kazakh wrestler defeated Mariasole MOMENTE (ITA) via Taza, a throw that lands the opponent with both shoulders on the mat.

There was some consolation for Van Dun as she won a bronze medal along with Reihaneh GILANIASL (IRI).

Kozhambekov, meanwhile, reigned supreme in the men’s 75kg category of the Qazak style as he defeated Tornike GRIGALASHVILI (GEO) 2-0 in the final. It was the only time in the day Kozhambekov was made to work hard as he hardly broke a sweat en route to the gold medal bout.

It was a similar story in the 85kg class, too, where Amangeldi won all three of his bout via Taza, a flawless throw for victory, as he romped to the top of the podium. After making short work of Sanga GOMBOSUREN (MGL) in the quarterfinals and Amir SHEIKH HOSSEINI (NED) in the semifinals, Amangeldi defeated Khamroz RAJABOV (TJK) in the final.

Nur AMANSHUKIROV (KAZ) could have won another gold medal for Kazakhstan but he fell short against an inspired Manucher SHIRINOV (UZB), who didn’t put a foot wrong as he claimed the title in the 65kg category.

Meanwhile, the day that began with a gold medal for Uzbekistan, with Shirinov claiming the title, ended on a similar note after Maftunbonu MAHMUDOVA (UZB) beat Jemal OVLYAKULYYEVA (TKM) 9-6 in the women's Alysh Style 65kg. Khusan ABDUKHAKIMOV (UZB) beat Rozymyrat MEDOV (TKM) via fall to win the title in men’s Alysh Style 80kg.