#WrestlePontevedra

Russian Women Lead After Day 4; Hungary and Belarus Within Striking Distance

Thursday, June 6, 2019 - 19:09 By Eric Olanowski

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (June 6) – Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) and Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS) mounted come-from-behind victories in the 50kg and 55kg gold-medal matches respectively and assisted the Russian Federation in carrying a six-point lead over Hungary into the final day of women’s wrestling at the Junior European Championships. 

In the 50kg finals, Daria Khvostova used a late takedown and gut wrench to win the battle of former European champions against Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU), 6-3. 

The pair traded takedowns in the first period, but Khvostova found herself fighting from behind after Priceputu, the U23 world bronze medalist, had the 2-2 lead on criteria heading into the second period. 

The score remained unchanged until the 30-second mark of the second period when the Russian shot a low-level knee pull single, then transitioned into a gut wrench and took the 6-2 lead. Khvostova surrendered a stepout as time expired but held onto the three-point lead and won her second European title, and first since 2016 when she won the 43kg cadet European title in Stockholm, Sweden. 


Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS) scored a pair of takedowns in the final minute of the 55kg finals to defeat Anna SZEL (HUN), 6-6. (Photo: Gabor Martin) 

In the 55kg gold-medal match, Ekaterina Verbina mounted a four-point comeback win with one-minute left and robbed Anna SZEL (HUN) of the European title. 

Verbina surrendered a pair of step outs, but scored two off a beautiful high crotch and had the 2-2 lead on criteria heading into the final three minutes. The Russian’s opponent tagged her with a takedown and gut wrench and grabbed the 6-2 lead heading into the final two minutes of the match. 

With 52 seconds remaining, Verbina picked up her offensive attack rate and to fire off high crotch after high crotch. The 2018 junior world bronze medalist scored twice off those high crotches and nabbed the 6-6 lead on criteria. Verbina held on to improve on her bronze-medal finish from last year, and won her first European title since winning the 2017 cadet European title. 

Russia also picked up a third medal on the day when Marina SUROVTSEVA defeated Greta CEPONYTE (LTU), 8-2 in the 76kg gold medal bout. 

Bernadett NAGY (HUN) shutout Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR),3-0 in the 76kg finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Hungary and Belarus Within Striking Distance of Russian in Team Race
Hungary (76 points) and Belarus (67 points) sit it second and third respectively and are in striking distance heading into the final day of wrestling in Spain. They each won a gold and a silver on the fourth day of the Junior European Championships. 

Hungary’s champion was Bernadett NAGY (HUN) and Belarus’ champion was Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR). Nagy won the 76kg title with a 3-0 win over Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR), while Sazykina shutout Erika BOGNAR (HUN), 4-0 in the 59kg finals. 

Freestyle wrestling begins tomorrow morning at 11:00 (local time), and the Day 5 finals will start at 18:00. 

RESULTS

Team Scores (After Day 4) 
GOLD - Russia (79 points)
SILVER - Hungary  (73 points)
BRONZE - Belarus (67 points)
Fourth - Ukraine (64 points)
Fifth - Turkey (52 points)

50kg 
GOLD - Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) df. Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU), 6-3 
BRONZE - Taru Marketta VAINIONPAEAE (FIN) df. Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA), 5-3
BRONZE - Zehra DEMIRHAN (TUR) vs. Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)

55kg
GOLD - Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS) df. Anna Hella SZEL (HUN), 6-6 
BRONZE - Sezen BELBEROVA (BUL) df. Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), 7-0
BRONZE - Patrycja GIL (POL) df. Darya SINKAVETS (BLR), via fall

59kg 
GOLD - Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR) df. Erika BOGNAR (HUN) , 4-0
BRONZE - Veronika RYABOVOLOVA (UKR) df. Kristina MIKHNEVA (RUS), 4-3 
BRONZE - Teresa LUMIA (ITA) df. Angelika MYTKOWSKA (POL), 9-1 

68kg 
GOLD – Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE) df. Kadriye AKSOY (TUR), via fall 
BRONZE - Ewelina CIUNEK (POL) df. Johanna MEIER (GER), via fall 
BRONZE - Khrystyna MALIAVKA (UKR) df. Marta OJEDA NAVARRO (ESP), 13-3 

76kg 
GOLD - Bernadett NAGY (HUN) df. Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR), 3-0 
BRONZE - Romana VOVCHAK (UKR) vs. Lilly SCHNEIDER (GER) 
BRONZE - Marina SUROVTSEVA (RUS) df. Greta CEPONYTE (LTU), 8-2 

#WrestleMonterrey

Orta claims 4th Pan-Am title; U.S. wins five Greco golds

Friday, May 9, 2025 - 09:05 By Vinay Siwach

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MONTERREY, Mexico (May 8) -- Olympic and world champion Luis ORTA (CUB) captured his fourth Pan-American Championships title and the United States won five of the eight Greco-Roman gold medals on offer on day one of the Pan-American Championships which got underway in Monterrey, Mexico on Thursday.

Orta, returning to competition for the first time since winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in August 2024, outscored his opponents 26-0 in three bouts.

In the final, he faced Nestor ALMANZA TRUYOL (CHI) and posted an 8-0 technical superiority win to capture the gold medal. He began with a stepout before Almanza Truyol was called passive and put in par terre. However, Orta failed to score from par terre and only added a stepout later to lead 3-0 at the break.

The second period saw more stepouts as Almanza Truyol failed to position his hands for any attack. Orta scored two stepouts and Almanza Truyol was cautioned for one point for fleeing to make it 6-0 for Orta, who later added two more stepouts for the win.

Cuba won its second gold medal at 130kg as Oscar PINO (CUB) defeated Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA) 3-1 in the final with a easy takedown in the final minute of the match. Schultz got the first par terre but he failed to score any points. Pino got the 1-1 criteria lead when he was given the par terre position in the second period. Pino also failed to score any points but he later scored a takedown towin 3-1.

Kamal BEY (USA)Kamal BEY (USA) works on a takedown against Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARG) in the 77kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

The U.S. won five gold medal, including Kamal BEY (USA) winning the gold medal at 77kg after defeating Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARG), 11-7, in the final.

Bey, who has one Pan-Am gold earlier in his career, began the final with a takedown and then lifted Julfalakyan for a suplex for four points to lead 6-0. A lost challenge from Julfalakyan made it 7-0 for Bey.

As Bey tried scoring one more point for a win, Julfalakyan was cautious. Bey went for the stepout to get the point but Julfalakyan threw his hands off him and scored a takedown before a turn gave him two more points as he cut Bey's lead to 7-4.

After the break, Julfalakyan was awarded the par terre position and he scored a turn via gut-wrench to make it 7-7 but Bey led on criteria for his four-pointer.

Bey got a takedown when Julfalakyan was defending a headpinch attempt but Bey jumped over for two points. Julfalakyan tried a duckunder to score but Bey countered it and scored two more points.

The 38-year-old Julfalakyan was celebrating his birthday on Thursday and may have wrestled for the final time in his career. Julfalakyan has a silver medal from 2012 London Olympics and gold medal at the World Championships in 2014, for Armenia.

World U23 silver medalist Beka MELELASHVILI (USA) won the gold medal at 82kg after he won both his matches in the round-robin competition. He defeated Diego MACIAS TORRES (MEX), 6-1, after he had blanked David CHOC HUOC (GUA) 8-0.

Payton JACOBSON (USA)Gold medalist Payton JACOBSON (USA), center, with silver medalist Luis AVENDANO (VEN), left, and bronze medalist Jose VARGAS (MEX). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Paris Olympian Payton JACOBSON (USA) won the 87kg gold medal with a convincing 6-0 win over Luis AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN) in the final match.

In a seven-wrestler Nelson bracket, Jacobson and Avendano Rojas were in the same group and the latter beat Jacobson 7-5 in the first bout. Both made it to the final as they wrestler the top two finishers of the other group.

Avendano Rojas, however, failed to repeat his performance of the group stages. Jacobson was awarded the par terre and he scored two turns from the position to lead 5-0 in the first period. Avendano Rojas would have hoped for a par terre position in the second period but Jacobson began with a stepout and kept the action going to but be hit with passivity.

Jacobson's aggressive style and Avendano Rojas' dwindling conditioning gave him an advantage and he defended his 6-0 for the gold medal.

Maxwell BLACK (USA)Maxwell BLACK (USA) won the gold medal at 60kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

At 60kg, Maxwell BLACK (USA) emerged victorious as he negated a young field and defeated Alexis RODRIGUEZ HERNANDEZ (MEX), 9-0, in the final. He scored two turns from par terre and a beautiful suplex for four points to complete the victory.

Former world U17 champion Jayden RANEY (USA) won the fifth gold for the U.S. as he defeated Isaac MARIN MATA (MEX), 10-1, in the 55kg final. Only two wrestlers were entered in the weight class.

Greco highlight for Ecuador 

Ecuador has won three Greco-Roman gold medals in Pan-American Championships history and all three won by Andres ARROYO (ECU). On Thursday, Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU) became the second wrestler from Ecuador to win a Greco-Roman gold medal at the Pan-Am Championships after he defeated Ellis COLEMAN (USA), 12-4, in the 63kg final.

Incidentally, Arroyo's last two gold medals also came at 63kg [in 2019 and 2021].

Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU)Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU) completes a reverse lift on Ellis COLEMAN (USA) in the 63kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

In an action-packed final, Peralta Gonzalez and Coleman exchanged four-pointers but it was the former's two back-to-back throws that gave him the technical superiority win.

Peralta began with a stepout and then blocked Coleman's attempted throw for a 3-0 lead. In one of the scrambles, Coleman locked Peralta from behind and threw him on the mat for four points and led 4-3.

When Peralta got the par terre position in the second period, he launched two reverse body lifts for four points each and left the crowd in complete awe. He left with the gold medal.

Photo

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Jayden RANEY (USA) df. Isaac MARIN MATA (MEX), 10-1

60kg
GOLD: Maxwell BLACK (USA) df. Alexis RODRIGUEZ HERNANDEZ (MEX), 9-0

BRONZE: Yonaiker MARTINEZ (VEN) df. Pedro DE SOUZA (BRA), 5-1

63kg
GOLD: Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU) df. Ellis COLEMAN (USA), 12-4

BRONZE: Hector SANCHEZ (MEX) df. Matias MUNOZ (CHI), 2-0

67kg
GOLD: Luis ORTA (CUB) df. Nestor ALMANZA TRUYOL (CHI), 8-0

BRONZE: Neiser MARIMON (VEN) df. Andres MONTANO ARROYO (ECU), 3-0
BRONZE: Marco FERNANDEZ (PER) df. Osvaldo YANEZ (MEX), 7-1

77kg
GOLD: Kamal BEY (USA) df. Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARG), 11-7

BRONZE: Leomar CORDERO DEPOOL (VEN) df. Oscar BARRIOS (HON), 2-0
BRONZE: Calebe CORREA (BRA) df. Ryan CUBAS CASTILLO (PER), 11-3

82kg
GOLD: Beka MELELASHVILI (USA)
SILVER: Diego MACIAS TORRES (MEX) 
BRONZE: David CHOC HUOC (GUA)

87kg
GOLD: Payton JACOBSON (USA) df. Luis AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN), 6-0

BRONZE: Jose VARGAS RUEDA (MEX) df. Ariel ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ (HON), 2-1

130kg
GOLD: Oscar PINO (CUB) df. Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA), 3-1

BRONZE: Gino AVILA DILBERT (HON) df. Leonidas MANZABA (ECU), 9-0
BRONZE: Moises PEREZ (VEN) df. Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA), 6-0