#WrestleAcapulco

Live Blog: Pan-American Championships (Day Two)

Friday, May 6, 2022 - 15:00 By Eric Olanowski

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ACAPULCO, Mexico (May 6) -- On Thursday we crowned seven Greco-Roman champions. Today, we'll hand out the final Greco golds at 77kg, 82kg and 87kg and the women's wrestling titles at 55kg, 59kg, 65kg and 72kg.

ICYMI: Day One Photos | Pino Hinds returns to Greco, wins fourth Pan-Am title

Day Two finals (as they come in)

Greco-Roman
72kg: Nordic-style bracket
77kg: Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB) vs. David Elias CHOC HUOC (GUA)
82kg: Reinier JIMENEZ TERRY (GUA) vs. Daniel VICENTE GOMEZ (MEX) 

Women's Wrestling
55kg:  Jacarra Gwenisha WINCHESTER (USA) vs. Karla Lorena GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN) 
59kg: Nordic-style bracket
65kg: Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA) vs. Miki Elizabeth ROWBOTTOM (CAN) 
72kg: Nordic-style bracket

12:45: That does it for the morning session. Reminder: we'll start at 15:00 and not 17:00 as listed on the schedule.

12:40: In the battle of world champions, Winchester made quick work of Winchester, picking up the 11-0 first-period tech fall.

12:29: World champions Winchester and Yepez Guzman are coming up next on Mat B.

12:26: We're waiting for confirmation on a challenge, but it looks like Guatemala is going to put a second wrestler into the Greco-Roman finals. Reinier JIMENEZ TERRY (GUA) just took out Nestor Joaquin TAFUR BARRIOS (COL), 11-0.

12:20: Choc Huoc just punched his ticket to the 77kg finals with a 10-1 win over Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA). He'll wrestle Cuba's Tokoyo Olympian Pena Flores for gold.

12:02: Upset of the day: Karla Lorena GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN) upset U23 world champion Lucia Yamileth YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU), 4-2, punching her ticket to the 55kg semifinals.

11:50: At every event, there are always one or two wrestlers who I've never seen wrestle that catch my eye. Yesterday, it was Mexico's Samuel GURRIA VIGUERAS (MEX). Today, it's Guatamal's David Elias CHOC HUOC (GUA). Thus far, he's  2-0 and has outscored his opponents 17-0.

He'll wrestle the winner of Luis Alfredo DE LEON (DOM) and Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA) in today's 72kg semifinals.

11:22: Tokyo Olympian Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB) leads Emmanuel Alexis BENITEZ CASTRO (MEX) by one point heading into the break over on Mat A.

11:09: Things are happening quick today. World bronze medalist Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA) kicked off her day with a 10-0 win Saidy Lorena CHAVEZ FIGUEROA (HON) and is up 8-0 against Atzimba Morelia LANDAVERDE MORENO (MEX) over on Mat A.

10:42: Jessel Rojas kept her foot on the gas and scored 19 points to win the bout against Mota Pettis, 19-8. She'll wrestle Canada's Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN) next.

10:36: Xochitl Citalli MOTA PETTIS (USA) and Ameyalli Sayil JESSEL ROJAS (MEX) are lighting things up on Mat B. They've put up 16 points in the opening period and there is still 28 seconds left.

10:30: U23 world champion Lucia Yamileth YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU), who is wrestling up a weight class at 55kg, started her day off with a 6-1 win over Brenda Esmeralda Isay FERNANDEZ SALAZAR (MEX). She'll take on Karla Lorena GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN) in the second round of the 55kg Nordic style bracket.

10:20: We apologize for the delay. The on-site ambulance was behind 15 minutes and we couldn't start until it arrived/ But it's here and were wrestling!

10:08: Wolrd champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) kicks off the second day of action over on Mat B. She'll take on Nadia TRUJILLANO (PER).

10:00: Important update for Friday's night session. Wrestling will begin at 15:00 instead of 17:00.

#WrestlePontevedra

U20 Worlds: Iran shines, U.S. surprises in Greco-Roman on Day 1

Monday, September 2, 2024 - 17:46 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (September 2) -- Seven years after it crowned a world champion at U20 level, the United States will have a chance to end that drought on Tuesday.

Two wrestlers, Isaiah CORTEZ (USA) and Otto BLACK (USA), reached the finals of 55kg and 63kg in Greco-Roman at the U20 World Championships which kicked off in Pontevedra, Spain on Monday. Kamal BEY (USA) won the gold medal in 2017 at 74kg and since then the U.S. has been looking for a world champion. It was also the last time the U.S. had two wrestlers in the final.

Cortez had three back-and-forth bouts in the morning session but was at his best in the semifinal against Aibek AITBEKOV (KAZ). He took the par terre position in the first period and finished the bout 9-0 after getting four turns over Aitbekov using the trap-arm.

In his earlier bouts, Cortez pulled off a 9-8 win against Anil MOR (IND), and defeated Peter TOTOK (HUN) 7-4 before going past Maxim SARMANOV (MDA) 9-6.

He will wrestle former U17 world champion Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) for the gold medal. Ahmadi Vafa overcame Alibek AMIROV (AIN), 6-3, in the other semifinal at 55kg.

Black took out Yurik HOVEYAN (ARM) in the semifinal at 63kg after battling hard to keep his 3-2 lead. Hoveyan tried jumping over Black to get a four-pointer but Black defended it and slammed Hoveyan on the mat for four points to win 7-2.

For the gold, he will face Erzu ZAKRIEV (AIN) who had to win the semifinal twice. Zakriev pinned Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) very early in the semifinal but Georgia challenged and won as Khozrevanidze's head was outside the zone when Zakriev was trying to pin him.

Khozrevanidze used his second life in the bout to perform a headlock and got four points. However, Zakriev avoided any fall position and reversed the position and turned Khozrevanidze three times. After a challenge and consultations from referees, Zakriev led the bout 11-4.

He scored four points using a big throw and a lost challenge from Georgia gave him another point as he won 16-4.

Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI)Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) will wrestle for the 77kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Iran had two other finalists, taking the total to three. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) scored a controlled 3-1 win over Tornike MIKELADZE (GEO) at 77kg and will take on Magomed IARBILOV (AIN) for the gold. Iarbilov defeated Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR), 6-4, in the other semifinal.

At 130kg, Abolfazl FATHITAZANGI (IRI) joined a long list of top Iranian super heavyweights in Greco-Roman as he reached the final after beating Aramayis HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) 2-1 in the semifinal. He scored a takedown against Harutyunyan's point for forced par terre.

For the gold medal, he will face former U17 world champion Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) who won 3-1 against Aleksandr MELEKHOV (AIN) in the other semifinal.

Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ)Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) defeated returning champion Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) at 87kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Kyrgyzstan, a country that has grown leaps and bounds in wrestling over the last decade, sent one wrestler in the final. Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) had an epic run at 87kg to reach the final. In the semifinal, he took less than two minutes to beat Patrik GORDAN (ROU) 8-0.

Joju SAMADOV (AZE) will look to stop him from becoming Kyrgyzstan's first U20 world champion in Greco-Roman since 2018. Samadov had a close semifinal against Temirlan TURDAKYN (KAZ) but managed to win 4-2.

df

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Isaiah CORTEZ (USA) vs. Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI)

SF 1: Isaiah CORTEZ (USA) df. Aibek AITBEKOV (KAZ), 9-0
SF 2: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Alibek AMIROV (AIN), 6-3 

63kg
GOLD: Erzu ZAKRIEV (AIN) vs. Otto BLACK (USA)

SF 1: Erzu ZAKRIEV (AIN) df. Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO), 16-4
SF 2: Otto BLACK (USA) df. Yurik HOVEYAN (ARM), 7-2

77kg
GOLD: Magomed IARBILOV (AIN) vs. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI)

SF 1: Magomed IARBILOV (AIN) df. Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR), 6-4
SF 2: Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) df. Tornike MIKELADZE (GEO), 3-1

87kg
GOLD: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) vs. Joju SAMADOV (AZE)

SF 1: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) df. Patrik GORDAN (ROU), 8-0
SF 2: Joju SAMADOV (AZE) df. Temirlan TURDAKYN (KAZ), 4-2

130kg
GOLD: Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) vs. Abolfazl FATHITAZANGI (IRI)

SF 1: Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) df. Aleksandr MELEKHOV (AIN), 3-1
SF 2: Abolfazl FATHITAZANGI (IRI) df. Aramayis HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 2-1