Toronto, Greco-Roman, Pan American Games

Montano Wins First Wrestling Gold for Ecuador at Pan Am Games

Thursday, July 16, 2015 - 03:41 By William May

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TORONTO, Canada (July 14) – Andres MONTAÑO (ECU) won Ecuador’s first gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Pan American Games on Wednesday with an 11-0 technical triumph over Ali SOTO (MEX).

Montaño converted an early takedown into a lift and turn for a 6-0 lead and then slammed the door on Soto with a bodylock takedown to the secure the gold medal.

It was the first gold medal for Ecuador in the classic style and first wrestling gold medal since 1971 when Sergio GONZALEZ (ECU) won the 48kg crown in freestyle in Cali, Colombia.

Meanwhile, U.S. wrestlers won two out of three in the gold medal finals as Andrew BISEK (75kg) and Jon ANDERSON (85kg) both dialed up technical falls in the finals.

Bisek converted in par terre with a chest-high gut wrench and lift to back-arching throw for a quick win over Alvis ALMENDRA (PAN), who takes home Panama’s first wrestling medal from the Games since 1991 despite the loss. Bisek outscored his opponents 25-0.

Anderson won his first Pan Am gold with a dominant tournament, matching Bisek’s output, beating opponents by a combined 25-0 score. Anderson pushed through Querys PEREZ (VEN) 9-0, finishing the bout with two takedowns.

Venezuela stands second in the medals table with one gold and one silver medal. Anderson won last year’s Pan Am Championships in Mexico City at 80kg.

Wuileixis RIVAS (VEN), the 2014 Pan Am champion at 71kg, gave Venezuela a wrestling gold medal for a second straight Games with a 13-1 technical fall win over Bryce SADDORIS (USA).

At 59kg, Cristobal TORRES (CHI) scored with a late go-behind takedown to sew up a 3-0 win over Dylan WILLIAMS (CAN) for one bronze medal.

Spenser MANGO (USA), the Pan American runner-up in April, flipped Jansel RAMIREZ (DOM) with a reverse waistlock and short lift in the first period and held on for a 6-3 win and the other bronze medal.

At 66kg, Miguel MARTINEZ (CUB), the gold medalist at the Pan Am Championships, scored with a go-behind takedown and bodylock before Jair Alexis CUERO (COL) defaulted. Mario MOLINA (PER) shook off an early four-point throw and forced a disqualification on Jefrin MEJIA (HON) in the second period for the second bronze.

Despite a disastrous opening session for Cuba, Martinez and Alan VERA (85kg) were able to secure a pair of bronze medals for the traditional Pan Am powerhouse.

Pan American runner-up Juan ESCOBAR (MEX) was the only wrestler to secure a fall in the medal matches Wednesday, when he stepped over an arm throw attempt by Luis AVENDANO (VEN) and pressed for the fall.

Greco-Roman Medal Match Results
59kg
GOLD: Andres MONTANO (ECU) df. Ali SOTO (MEX) by TF, 11-0
BRONZE: Cristobal TORRES (CHI) df. Dylan WILLIAMS (CAN), 3-0
BRONZE: Spenser MANGO (USA) df. Jansel RAMIREZ (DOM), 6-3

66kg
GOLD: Wuileixis RIVAS (VEN) df. Bryce SADDORIS (USA) by TF, 13-1
BRONZE: Miguel MARTINEZ (CUB) df. Jair Alexis CUERO (COL) by Default (6-0)
BRONZE: Mario MOLINA (PER) df. Jefrin MEJIA (HON) by Disqualification (9-4)

75kg
GOLD: Andrew BISEK (USA) df. Alvis ALMENDRA (PAN) by TF, 8-0
BRONZE: Carlos MUNOZ (COL) df. Maximiliano PRUDENZANO (ARG), 4-3
BRONZE: Juan ESCOBAR (MEX) df. Luis AVENDANO (VEN) by Fall

85kg
GOLD: Jon ANDERSON (USA) df. Querys PEREZ (VEN) by TF, 9-0
BRONZE: Cristian MOSQUERA (COL) df. Alfonso LEYVA (MEX) by TF, 8-0
BRONZE: Alan VERA (CUB) df. Oscar MARTINEZ (HON) by TF, 9-0

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UWW Most Dominant Wrestlers 2025: Amouzad, Motoki, Esmaeili

Thursday, December 25, 2025 - 11:08 By Eric Olanowski

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 24) -- There were several dominant performances in 2025 on the wrestling mat. But it was three wrestlers who remained at the top of their weight classes and racked up dominant wins one after another. Two were Olympic champions while one was an Olympic silver medalist. All three became world champions in Zagreb.

Freestyle Most Dominant Wrester: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI)

- 14–0
- Rank 1 at 65kg 
- 58,000 RS points 
- Outscored world and Olympic medalists 42–4
- World Championships, Tirana RS and ISG golds

Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) was about as perfect as you could be in a season, returning to prominence with title-winning efforts at the World Championships, Islamic Solidarity Games and Muhamet Malo Ranking Series event and finishing the season as the No.1 ranked wrestler in the world at 65kg with 58,000 Ranking Series points.

The Paris silver medalist, collected an unblemished 14-0 record in 2025 -- with five of those wins coming against top-level opponents who have world or Olympic medals on their resumes in Olympic champion Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN), Umidjon JALALOV (UZB), Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) and Real WOODS (USA). The craziest part about those five matches against the world’s best, Amouzad outscored 42-4.

But without a doubt, the highlight of Amouzad’s season came in Zagreb when he finally got his long awaited rematch, beating Kotaro KIYOOKA in a revenge match from the Paris 2024 Olympic finals.

The scariest part about Amouzad’s dominance -- he’s only 23 years old and he’s still getting better.

Women's Wrestling Dominant Wrestler: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)

- 9-0
- Five pins, two technical superiorities
- 45,000 RS points 
- 8/9 bouts finished before regulation
- Completed Golden Grand Slam (U17, U20, U23, Senior World and Olympic gold)

Coming into the 2025 season, Motoki made her goals crystal clear -- become the third wrestler in history of the sport to win wrestling’s Golden Grand Slam -- and for those who don’t know, that is gold medals at the U17, U20, U23, Senior World Championships and the Olympic Games.

The only two missing from the Olympic champ's resume were the U23 and Senior World golds.

At the 2025 U23 and senior World Championships, Motoki showed that she’s in a league of her own, as she went 9-0, with eight  matches finishing before time expired. She scored five falls and two technical superiority wins.

Her win in the final of the World Championships will be one that will be talked about for ages as the most dramatic win of the season. Motoki scored a buzzer-beating takedown against Ok Ju KIM (PRK) with a 10-second flurry that consisted of a head outside single, arm throw, over-under knee pick, before head locking Kim with four tenths of a second left to keep her history making hopes alive.

In the end, Motoki’s heart and courage under fire helped her close out the year as the third wrestler to complete the Golden Grand Slam and she did it with a level of dominance we may not see again for a very long time.

Greco-Roman Dominant Wrestler: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI)

- Rank 1 at 67kg 
- 58,000 RS points  
- 11–0 Record
- World Championships, Asian Championships and  ISG golds

In a 2025 campaign that saw him become a world champion, Esmaeili's season was immaculate, as he cemented his place among the sport’s top pound-for-pound wrestler with a season full of titles, stacking gold-medals at the World Championships, Asian Championships and Islamic Solidarity Games, rounding out the season ranked No. 1 in the world at 67kg.

The Paris Olympic champion remained unbeaten in 2025, winning all 11 bouts of his bouts in dominant fashion -- scoring eight shutout wins, with seven technical falls -- including a pair of 9-0 win against world champions Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) and Sebastian NAD (SRB). The reigning Olympic gold medalist also collected two victories over Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), one in the world final and one in the Islamic Game gold-medal match, where he tossed his Azeri opponent for four as time expired to rob his rival of the title.

His opponents should not ease up because at just 22 years old, Esmaeili is still sharpening his tool set and leveling up his skills.