#kaspeuro2018

Live Notebook - European Championships (Day Three)

Wednesday, May 2, 2018 - 09:02 By Eric Olanowski

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1:20 PM - That'll do it for the morning session on Day 3. We'll be back at 5:15 PM (local time) for the women's wrestling semifinals and the Greco-Roman finals. 

1:08 PM -  Ainztane GORRIA GONI (ESP) scores an early takedown and takes the 2-0 lead on 2017 silver medalist, Emilia Alina VUC (ROU). Vuc immediately comes up to her feet, hits a headlock and picks up the fall with just over a minute gone in the first period. 

12:52 PM -  Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), U23 world champion trails Oksana LIVACH (UKR), 4-0 after the first minute of wrestling. Demirhan closed out the first period with three takedowns and takes the 6-5 lead into the second period. Livach headlocks Demirhan to her back and takes the 9-8 lead, but a late takedown for the Turk gives her the 10-9 victory. 

12:35 PM -  Mariya STADNIK (AZE), seven-time Euro champion is making her way to Mat C. Stadnik picks up back-to-back technical superiority victories. The second 10-0 victory came against Milana DADASHEVA (RUS) in just under three minutes. 

12:26 PM - Yasemin Adar, 2017 world champion leads 2015 world bronze medalist Epp MAE (EST), 4-0 after a feet to back single leg. Adar starts the second period with another thunderous four-point throw to take the 8-0 lead. Her snap-down-spin-behind gives her the 10-0 technical superiority victory. 

12:16 PM - Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), 2017 world bronze medalist is making her way to Mat C. Larroque's takedown in the first period gives her the 2-0 over Monika MICHALIK (POL) heading into the second period.  

12:09 PM - 50kg WW - Milana DADASHEVA (RUS) picks up the first fall of the day over Fatme MANDEVA (BUL). The Russian had a commanding 6-0  lead before throwing the Bulgarian to her back for the fall. 

12:00 PM - Yasemin ADAR (TUR)  2017 world champion and Olympic silver medalist, Mariya STADNIK (AZE) will be headlining the third day of wrestling. Stadnik has never suffered a defeat at a European Championship will be looking for her eighth European gold medal. 

Start of action
11:00 AM -  Qualification rounds for WW 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg, and 76kg
11:00 AM - Repechage for GR 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, and 97kg

 

#WrestleIstanbul

Spencer Lee one step closer to Olympic dream

Friday, May 3, 2024 - 12:37 By Vinay Siwach

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ISTANBUL, Turkiye (May 3) -- The world will finally see the return of Spencer LEE (USA) on a big stage. The one-time phenom is coming to Istanbul in a bid to qualify the United States for the Paris Olympics at 57kg.

Lee is a former U17 and U20 world champion and was primed to be the next superstar from the U.S. However, he could never get going at the international stage and only participated in an international tournament in 2024, eight years after his U20 world title. At the Pan-Am Championships this year, Lee won the gold medal at 57kg.

Despite his three NCAA titles and a college record a few can dream of, Lee hasn't returned to the international scene partly due to injuries and partly due to his college commitments. After two surgeries, battles with health, a heartbreaking loss in NCAAs, a long return and wins over former Iowa teammate Thomas GILMAN (USA) at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Lee is finally here.

"I’ve had such a tough time trying to stay healthy and trying to compete to the best of my ability,” Lee said after winning the trials. "I’m still not healthy but I’m healthy enough to wrestle hard against really, really good opponent.”

That's what he will have to do in Istanbul. In the 57kg bracket, Lee will be unseeded and can be drawn against any of the big names in the first round. Tokyo Olympian Georgi VANGELOV (BUL), former U23 world champion AMAN (IND), world silver medalist Alireza SARLAK (IRI) and local star Muhammet KARAVUS (TUR) are a few names he will have to keep an eye on.

The field also includes world bronze medalists Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) and Horst LEHR (GER) along with former European champion Vladimir EGOROV (MGL), Asian Games silver medalist Chong Song HAN (PRK) and Andrii YATSENKO (UKR).

If his opponents need a form check, Lee won four bouts at the trials, outscoring his opponents 35-11 with wins over Tokyo bronze medalist Gilman and Zane RICHARDS (USA). And his attacks are solid as ever as Gilman found out in the best-of-three series.

Three wrestlers in each Olympic weight class will receive Paris 2024 quotas in Istanbul, two being the winners of the semifinals and the third will be decided with a playoff between the two bronze medal winners. Lee would hope to secure it as the winner of the semifinal and avoid going, if fortunate, through repechage.

Apart from qualifying the U.S. in Istanbul, there is extra motivation for Lee to win in Istanbul. Lee's mother, Carry, is from France where she met Lee's father, Larry, both judokas. And, he can become the first Olympic champion for the U.S. in the lowest weight class since 2008.

Lee is aware that the road to Paris is still 'long and hard'. But the 25-year-old is ready.

"I have work to do."