#WrestleRome

U17 World Championships day two semis set

By Vinay Siwach

ROME, Italy (July 26) -- After an eventful first day, the U17 World Championships will see another round of Greco-Roman action on day two. Wrestlers from 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg and 92kg will be eyeing a spot in their respective finals.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER | DAY 1 RECAP

14:45: The semifinals pair for the evening sessions

45kg
Ionut MEREUTA (ROU) vs. Shakhzod RUZIOKHUNOV (UZB)
Payam AHMADI (IRI) vs. Yevhen POKOVBA (UKR)

60kg
Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM) vs. Abolfazl MIRSHEKAR (IRI)
Omar MOURAD (EGY) vs. Lucas Kevin LO GRASSO (FRA)

71kg
Anri PUTKARADZE (GEO) vs. Ibrahim OZDEMIR (TUR)
Ararat VARDERESYAN (ARM) vs. Davud MAMMADOV (AZE)

51kg
Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) vs. AYTJAN KHALMAKHANOV (UZB)
Mohammadreza GHOLAMI (IRI) vs. Ali SUMBUL (TUR)

92kg
Gor AYVAZYAN (GEO) vs. Hamidreza Morteza KESHTKAR (IRI)
Darius KIEFER (GER) vs. Cody MERRILL (USA)

 14:30:  Payam AHMADI (IRI) and Yevhen POKOVBA (UKR) have set up a mouth-watering semifinal at 45kg. Ahmadi has been on a great run today while Pokovba is looking to add world gold to his continental title 

13:50: Returning silver medalist Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) could not have asked for a better start. He beats Hristo VALENTINOV (BUL) 9-0 inside the first period.

13:45: What a battle! Rauan BEKIMOV (KAZ), the Asian champion at 51kg, had the bout in control but Mohammadreza GHOLAMI (IRI) came from behind to win 8-7 and secure a place in the quarterfinals. Gholami is a bronze medalist in the Asian Championships.

13:35: In a battle of European medalists, silver in Bucharest Davud MAMMADOV (AZE) gets the turn from par terre while bronze medalist Maksym RADYK (UKR) fails to do so. Mammadov moves on to the quarterfinals 

13:25: No trouble for Ibrahim OZDEMIR (TUR) against Antal VAMOS (SRB). The European champion did give up three points but controlled the bout to score 11 to reach 80kg quarterfinals.

13:15: Omar MOURAD (EGY) is moving on. After upsetting Mahammad GASIMZADE (AZE) earlier, he now defeats Isa BEKTEMIROV (AUT) 9-0 to enter 60kg quarterfinals 

13:00: The 45kg quarterfinals

Huseyn SAVADOV (AZE) vs. Shakhzod RUZIOKHUNOV (UZB)
Omur YNTYMAK UULU (KGZ) vs. Payam AHMADI (IRI)
Hiro SAKAMOTO (JPN) vs. Ionut MEREUTA (ROU)
Yevhen POKOVBA (UKR) vs. Beknur MUKAN (KAZ) 

12:40: In the other 71kg action, both European bronze medalists Dimitar RACHEV (BUL) and Maksym RADYK (UKR) are through to the next round. Rachev defeated Ding HUANG (TPE) 10-0 while Radyk beat Amirshoh VAHOBOV (UZB) 9-0. 

12:30: The upset! European champ at 60kg Mahammad GASIMZADE (AZE) began with a great four-pointer and led 7-0 when he tried to hip toss Omar MOURAD (EGY), who turns mid-air to have Gasimzade on his back. He secures the fall.

12:20: Ararat VARDERESYAN (ARM) gives no chance to Asian champion Mohammad MORADI (IRI) at 71kg. Moradi did score three points but cannot match the power of Vardersyan who wins 12-3

12:00: European champion at 45kg Yevhen POKOVBA (UKR) works hard for a 6-2 win over Giorgi KOCHALIDZE (GEO). That's a big hurdle he has crossed early in the tournament.

11:50: U17 Asian silver medalist Payam AHMADI  (IRI) kicks off the day with a top win. He was involved in a few scrambles with Neeraj PATEL (IND) but eventually won 10-2

11:30: The day will kick off with the repechage bouts before the qualification bouts of 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg and 80kg.

11:25: Welcome to yet another warm day here in Rome. The wrestlers are ready for their qualification bouts.

#WrestleSantiago

Torreblanca, Valdes repeat as Pan-Am Games champs

By Eric Olanowski

(Photo credit: Ramon Monroy Panam Sports via Xpress Media)

SANTIAGO, Chile (November 2) --- Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB) and Alejandro VALDÉS (CUB) repeated as Pan-American Games champions after grabbing golds on Thursday night at the Chilean Olympic Center.

Valdes dominated his three opponents, picking up 10-0 wins over Joseph SILVA (PUR) and Albaro RUDECINDO (DOM) before pinning Nahshon GARRETT (USA) in the gold medal bout.

Valdes now has a pair of Pan-American Games gold medals to go along with his three Pan-American Championship titles.

Fellow Cuban Torreblanca was nearly flawless in his quest to repeat as Pan-Am Games champion, scoring four wins on Thursday—three coming via shutouts. Torreblanca blanked Carlos IZQUIERDO (COL), Rashji MACKEY (BAH) and Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN) (8-0, 10-0 and 4-0, respectively) to reach the 86kg finals.

In the championship bout, Torreblanca controlled the six-minute finals bout against Mark HALL (USA), effectively shutting down the American’s offense. The Cuban stopped Hall’s only real shot attempt of the bout, picking up a counter-offensive takedown. After giving up a reversal to end the first, Torreblanca tacked on an additional step-out point and cruised to the 3-1 win.

Meanwhile, in women's wrestling, Yusneylis GUZMÁN (CUB) became the first Cuban woman to win Pan-American Games gold since Lisset HECHEVARRIA (CUB) and Katherine VIDIAUX (CUB) claimed titles at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Guzman defeated Erin GOLSTON (USA) and Jacquline MOLLOCANA (ECU) to end Cuba’s 12-year Pan-Am Games gold drought. She defeated Golston, 10-0, then beat Mollocana, 5-1, cementing a spot in her nation’s wrestling history books.

In the bout of the night, Giullia RODRIGUES (BRA) narrowly edged Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) to win the 57kg gold. She hit two inside trips to score her six points—a two-point trip in the first and a four-point trip in the second—to win her third competition of the season. Rodrigues also won gold medals this season at the Poland Open and Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial. 

Rodrigues joins Joice SILVA (BRA) as the only woman from Brazil to win a Pan-American Games gold medal.

The final gold of the night in women’s wrestling went to Forrest MOLINARI (USA), who defeated Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN), 3-2, in the 68kg finals. Molinari surrendered a high-level single-leg takedown in the first period but scored three unanswered points to win her first Pan-Am Games title.

Friday's opening round matches begin at 10:00 (local time), with the bronze and gold-medal bouts beginning at 17:00.

Freestyle

65kg
GOLD - Alejandro VALDÉS (CUB) df. Nahshon GARRETT (USA), via fall
BRONZE - Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) df. Sixto AUCCAPIÑA (PER), 7-1
BRONZE - Joseph SILVA (PUR) df. Albaro RUDECINDO (DOM), 6-5

86kg 
GOLD - Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB) df. Mark HALL (USA), 3-1
BRONZE - Hunter LEE (CAN) df. Ethan RAMOS (PUR), 14-4
BRONZE - Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN) df. Carlos IZQUIERDO (COL), 7-6

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
GOLD - Yusneylis GUZMÁN (CUB) df. Jacquline MOLLOCANA (ECU), 5-1
BRONZE - Mariana ROJAS (VEN) df. Erin GOLSTON (USA), 3-0

57kg
GOLD - Giullia RODRIGUES (BRA) df. Hannah TAYLOR (CAN), 6-6
BRONZE - Angela ALVAREZ (CUB) df. Xochitl MOTA-PETTIS (USA), 10-0

BRONZE - Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) df. Betzabeth SARCO (VEN), via fall

68kg
GOLD - Forrest MOLINARI (USA) df. Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN), 3-2
BRONZE - Nicoll PARRADO (COL) df. Virginia JIMÉNEZ (CHI), 6-0
BRONZE - Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) df. Ambar GARNICA (MEX), 8-6