#WrestleSamokov

Russia Adds Four Golds, Walks Away with Cadet Euro FS Team Title

By Eric Olanowski

SAMOKOV, Bulgaria (June 16) --- Russia reeled in four additional freestyle gold medals and walked away with the cadet European team title -- 75 points ahead of second-place Armenia. In total, Russia won six golds, two silvers, and a bronze medal and only missed medaling in one weight class.

Russia’s four Day Three gold-medal winners Akhmad GALAEV (45kg), Ramzan ISRAPILOV (51kg), Adam ARKHIEV (60kg) and Kantemir SUANOV (92kg). Alu DUKHAEV (RUS) also medaled on Wednesday. He dropped the 71kg finals to Aren ISRAYELYAN (ARM).

Galaev was the first Russian crowned champion on the third day of wrestling in Bulgaria. He picked up a fall over Hayko GASPARYAN (ARM) and won gold at 45kg.

Ramzan Israpilov’s hand was raised in the 51kg finals after Javid JAVADOV (AZE) injury defaulted out of the match. It was his second career continental title. He also won the ’19 U15 European title at 38kg.

Adam Arkhiev claimed a second European title with a one-point (4-3) win over Abdulrahman IBRAHIMOV (AZE) in the 60kg finals.

Kantemir Suanov closed out the day with Russia’s fourth gold. He beat Sali Yusrefov SALIEV (BUL), 3-1, in the 92kg finals.

Armenia (138 points), Georgia (122 points), Azerbaijan (107 points) and Ukraine (93 points) rounded out the top five in the team race.

Wrestling resumes tomorrow at 11:30 (local time) and can be followed on www.uww.org.

RESULTS

45kg
GOLD - Akhmad GALAEV (RUS) df. Hayko GASPARYAN (ARM), via fall
BRONZE - Oleksandr HRYHORYSHYN (UKR) df. Yunus Emre BATTAL (TUR), 6-0
BRONZE - Yusif ISPAROV (AZE) df. Lasha GOGADZE (GEO), 10-7

51kg
GOLD -Ramzan ISRAPILOV (RUS) df. Javid JAVADOV (AZE), via injury default
BRONZE - Tigran BUNIATYAN (ARM) df. Dmytro HUBANOV (UKR), 10-6
BRONZE - Seyfulla ITAEV (FRA) df. Kacper NOWAKOWSKI (POL), 10-0

60kg
GOLD -Adam ARKHIEV (RUS) df. Abdulrahman IBRAHIMOV (AZE), 4-3
BRONZE - Daniel Marian SANDU (ROU) df. Khizir DASIYEV (FRA), 11-0
BRONZE - Giorgi ABULASHVILI (GEO) df. Batuhan BOKE (TUR), 6-5

71kg
GOLD -Aren ISRAYELYAN (ARM) df. Alu DUKHAEV (RUS), 12-1
BRONZE - Cengizhan Ramazan DOGAN (TUR) df. Slavi Rumenov STAMENOV (BUL), 4-4
BRONZE - Giorgi NATOBIDZE (GEO) df. Vadym TSURKAN (UKR), via injury default

92kg
GOLD - Kantemir SUANOV (RUS) df. Sali Yusrefov SALIEV (BUL), 3-1}
BRONZE - Tamaz NIKOLEISHVILI (GEO) df. Roope Eerik Matias KATAJA (FIN), 10-0
BRONZE - Rifat Eren GIDAK (TUR) df. Yaroslav LISNIAK (UKR), 7-0

#WrestleCoralville

Pan-American Championships 2026 Day 1 Highlights

By Eric Olanowski

CORALVILLE, USA (May 7) -- The opening day of the Pan-American Championships is set to kick off this morning at 10:00 (local time) with Greco-Roman action. The eight weight classes that'll take the mat this morning are 55kg, 60kg, 63kg, 67kg, 77kg, 82kg, 87kg and 130kg. 

Start in Action: 
- Luis ORTA (CUB) – Tokyo 2020 gold, Paris 2024 bronze
- Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) - Paris 2024 silver
- Oscar PINO HINDS - Returning Pan-Am champion, World silver
- Beka MELELASHVILI (USA) - Returning Pan-Am champion
- Jeremy Renzo PERALTA (ECU) - Returning Pan-Am champion

BOUT ORDER | SCHEDULE 

1:11: We're going to take a short four-minute break before heading into the semifinal matches. We'll see you over on UWW+ for those at 1:15 (local time).

12:18: Terrible scene here in Iowa. Olympic runner-up Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) went for a throw in his semifinal match and suffered a tournament-end injury to his right knee. He was take off on a wheel chair, ending his day and tournament here at the Pan-American Championships.

12:01:  Eduardo BERNAL MOLINA (CHI) was just about to give up the tech fall when he caught Diego MARTINEZ DE LEIJA (MEX) on his back for the fall. He moved into the 77kg semifinals with that fall, and will meet the winner of Justin BOYCE (BAR) and Oscar Antonio BARRIOS ROCHEZ (HON).

11:31: U23 world bronze medalist Otto BLACK (USA) earns the 8-0 win in his senior Pan-Am debut, punching his ticket to the 67kg semifinals later today.

11:10: Orta moves into the 67kg semifinals with a fall over Horta after leading 9-0. He awaits the winner of Alejandro VARELA (GUA) and Angelo CAFE DE OLIVEIRA (BRA). That match is underway on Mat B, with the Guatemalan  winning, 9-2

11:01: For a second time today, we have a meeting of Pan-Am champions. This time, it's four-time Pan-Am champ Orta Sanchez taking on Julian HORTA (COL). The Cuban has an early 2-0 lead coming from a pair of step outs.

10:51: As expected when you have two high level Greco guys like Melelashvili and Gregorich, it was a low scoring affair, but in the end it was a 1-1 criteria win for the American. He scored the first point, which gave him the criteria advantage at the end of the bout. I'll tell you what, though, it was weird seeing a Cuban Olympic champion in Borrero, cornering an American, who was beating a Cuban. Borrero certainly knew Gregorich's strengths and helped Melelashvili use them to his advantage.

10:31: We have a pair of Pan-Am champions coming up on Mat B next in Beka MELELASHVILI (USA) and Daniel GREGORICH (CUB). The American is the reigning champ, while the Cuban won the event in 2024. 

10:23: Not wrestling related, but Cuban world and Olympic champion Ismael BORRERO (CUB) is cornering USA WRESTLING athletes. He is now living in Colorado Springs, USA, where he is an Assistant Greco-Roman Coach.

10:08 - Whistles are ringing through the Xtream Arena here in Iowa, which means wrestling is underway. We're only running two mats here. The first star that'll be in action will be world and Olympic champion Luis ORTA (CUB). He's currently 16-0 at the Pan-American Championships and is looking for his fifth continental title.