#WrestleSantiago

USA opens Pan-Am Games with four golds

By Eric Olanowski

SANTIAGO, Chile (November 1) --- The United States had an impressive opening-day showing in Chile at the Pan-American Games, going an unblemished 11-0 and winning four golds.

Kyle SNYDER (USA), Mason PARRIS (USA), Zane RICHARDS (USA) and Tyler BERGER (USA) were the four Americans who reached the top of the podium on Wednesday.

Snyder picked up three lop-sided wins en route to his third Pan-Am Games titles. The Olympic champion scored technical superiority wins against Nishan RANDHAWA (CAN), Maxwell LACEY (CRC) and Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB). Snyder’s blanked Randhawa and Lacey, but gave up a four-point throw against Silot Torres, winning the 97kg finals bout 14-4.

Snyder is now a three-time Pan-American Games gold medalists, winning it all in 2015, '19 and '23.

At 125kg, Mason PARRIS (USA) closed out his three-win day with a chippy 2-0 win over Jose DIAZ (VEN) in the 125kg finals. Parris, the reigning world bronze medalists, and Diaz traded heavy hands for the duration of six-minute bout, but it was ultimately Parris’ two-point first period that determined the match.

Zane RICHARDS (USA) rebounded after a tumultuous World Championships to take 57kg Pan-Am Games gold. Richards’ toughest bout came in the semifinals, where he defeated Darian CRUZ (PUR), 8-2. In addition to his win over the Puerto Rican, Cruz also tech falled Juan RAMIREZ (DOM) and Oscar TIGREROS (COL) on his way to winning gold.

Tyler BERGER (USA) kept the clean slate alive for the United States on Wednesday night after upending Franklin MAREN CASTILLO (CUB, 3-0, in the 74kg finals. Berger scored a shot clock point before finishing a two-point attack with nine seconds left in the first period.

Thursday’s opening round matches begin at 10:00 (local time), with the bronze and gold-medal bouts begin at 16:00.

RESULTS:

57kg
GOLD - Zane RICHARDS (USA) df. Oscar TIGREROS (COL), 10-0
BRONZE - Darian CRUZ (PUR) df. Ramirez Beltre JUAN RUBELIN (DOM), via forfeit
BRONZE - Diversent Martinez OSMANY (CUB) df. Almendra HERNAN DAVID (ARG), via fall

74kg
GOLD - Tyler BERGER (USA) df. Franklin MAREN CASTILLO (CUB), 3-0
BRONZE - Anthony Jose MONTERO CHIRINOS (VEN) df. Anthony VALENCIA (MEX), 7-2
BRONZE - Adam THOMSON (CAN) df. Luis BARRIOS ROCHEZ (HON), 6-5

97kg
GOLD - Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB), 14-4
BRONZE - Nishan RANDHAWA (CAN) df. Maxwell LACEY (CRC), 7-6
BRONZE - Cristian SARCO (VEN) df. Matias URIBE (CHI), 10-0

125kg
GOLD - Mason PARRIS (USA) df. Jose DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN), 2-0
BRONZE - Catriel MURIEL (ARG) df. Jonovan SMITH (PUR), 7-6
BRONZE - Aaron JOHNSON (JAM) df. Elison ADAMES (DOM), 5-1

#WrestleIstanbul

Wednesday's U17 World semifinals set

By Eric Olanowski

ISTANBUL, Turkiye (August 2) --- The third day of wrestling at the 2023 U17 World Championships welcomes women's wrestling action at 43kg, 49kg, 57kg, 65kg and 73kg. 

 The morning session, which starts at 11:00 (local time), will run through the quarterfinals before taking our mid-day break. We'll return at 17:00 for the semifinals, then roll directly into the final set of Greco-Roman medal bouts at 18:00.

Wednesday's opening session will feature 19 medalists from this year's continental champions, including seven wrestlers who reached the top of the podium at the 2023 Asian, European, African or Pan-American Championships.

Everything you need to know:
📍Istanbul, Turkiye 🇹🇷
🗓️: July 31-August 6
Qualification: 11:00
🥇🥈🥉= 18:00
#️⃣#WrestleIstanbul
🖥️: uww.org 
📱: UWW App

Here's a list of the reigning continental champs in action on Wednesday:
43kg  - Aleksandra BEREZOVSKAIA (AIN)
43kg -  Parveen PARVEEN (IND)
49kg -  Sviatlana KATENKA (AIN)
57kg  - Sabah KHAMIS (EGY)
57kg  - Neha NEHA (IND)
73kg  - Mouda HAMDOUN (EGY)
73kg -  Shiksha SHIKSHA (IND)

Wednesdays night's women's wrestling semifinals

43kg
Nilufar NURMUKHAMMADOVA (UZB) vs. Morgan Nicole TURNER (USA) 
Mona EZAKA (JPN) vs. Maria Louiza GKIKA (GRE) 

49kg
Rinka OGAWA (JPN) vs. Tana TIULIUSH (AIN) 
Sviatlana KATENKA (AIN) vs. Heather Marie CRULL (USA) 

57kg
Aziza KELDIBEKOVA (KGZ) vs. Eylem ENGIN (TUR) 
YeoJin MIN (KOR) vs. Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) 

65kg
Chisato YOSHIDA (JPN) vs. Margarita SALNAZARIAN (AIN) 
Duygu GEN (TUR) vs. Maryia MAKARCHANKA (AIN) 

73kg
Aliaksandra KAZLOVA (AIN) vs. Piper Meredith FOWLER (USA) 
Lotta ENGLICH (GER) vs. Asaloy AMANGELDIEVA (UZB) 

Japanese score tracker: 68-10 (Record: 9-1 with five technical superiority wins and two falls)

13:30: That'll do it for our morning session. We'll see you back here at 17:00 for the women's wrestling semifinals, followed by the closing session of Greco-Roman action at 18:00.

13:26: Reigning U17 world champion Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) punched her ticket to the 57kg semifinals with a hard-fought 7-4 win over 2023 U17 Asian champion Neha NEHA (IND).

13:02: Morgan Nicole TURNER (USA) at 43kg is someone to keep an eye on. She's picked up consecutive tech falls over Saadat GULIYEVA (AZE) and Alina MAZHAROUSKAYA (AIN). She awaits the winner of Yagmur KARABACAK (TUR) and Nilufar NURMUKHAMMADOVA (UZB).

12:59: Tack on two additional wins for Japan, as they improve to 7-1 in the morning session with back-to-back wins over Indian athletes.

12:42: Piper Meredith FOWLER (USA) takes out Ako UCHIYAMA (JPN), 6-0, at 73kg, handing Japan their first women's wrestling loss of the competition.

12:30: Despite falling to Elmira YASIN (TUR) in the opening round, Sarah RANDRIANANDRASANA (MAD) just became the first U17 wrestler--in women's wrestling, freestyle or Greco-Roman--to compete at the U17 World Championships.

12:23: Shiksha picked up two takedowns before planting Pupp on her back for the first-period fall. Next, she'll wrestle the winner of Sabina Nicoleta PETRACHE (ROU) and Margarita SALNAZARIAN (AIN).

12:05: Reigning U17 Asian gold medalist Shiksha SHIKSHA (IND) will wrestle last year's U15 European champion Viktoria PUPP (HUN) next on Mat C.

11:47: After the first three dominant Japanese performances, it looks like a score tracker is a must for the day. Thus far, they are 3-0 and have outscored their opponents 27-0--including two wins via technical superiority and one by fall.

11:36: The match between Ezaka and Berezovskaia was short-lived. The reigning U17 European champion was no match for the Japanese wrestlers, as Ezaka walked her way to a fall in 75 seconds after leading 6-0.

11:20: That does it for the repechage matches. We're rolling right into the qualification rounds for women's wrestling. The first star-studded match of the day that'll be up will take place on Mat B in three matches. Mona EZAKA (JPN), the reigning U17 world silver medalist, will square off against 2023 U17 European champion Aleksandra BEREZOVSKAIA (AIN).

11:00: Before we get into our women's wrestling matches, we'll start the morning off with Greco-Roman repechage matches to see who will compete in Wednesday night's medal matches.

10:45: We're 15 minutes from kicking off day three action in Istanbul.