#WrestleMorelia

USA Recalama Ocho Titulos del Estilo Libre Femenino en #WrestleMorelia

By Taylor Miller

MORELIA, Mexico – Los Estados Unidos obtuvo su segundo título de equipo del fin de semana con una actuación de ocho oros el sábado en el Campeonato Panamericano de Cadetes en Morelia, México.

Ganando títulos por USA fueron Virginia FOARD en 40 kg, Lizette RODRIGUEZ en 43 kg, Samara CHAVEZ en 49 kg, Melanie MENDOZA en 53 kg, Skye REALIN en 57 kg, Mia MACALUSO en 61 kg, Tiffani BAUBLITZ en 69 kg and Tristan KELLY en 73 kg.

Macaluso, quien clamó una medalla de bronce en el Campeonato Panamericano Juvenil, recibió la bota de oro por ser la luchadora más destacada del torneo. Ganó cuatro de sus cinco combates con puesta de espalda. La otra victoria fue de superioridad técnica.

Adriana HERNANDEZ SANCHEZ (MEX) ganó el título en 46 kg y Nicoll PARRADO OSORIO (COL) fue el campeón en 65 kg.

Como un equipo, Canadá termino en segundo lugar con 147 puntos, y México fue tercer con 137 puntos.

Team scores
1. USA - 220
2. Canada - 147
3. Mexico -137
4. Peru - 76
5. Ecuador - 67
T6. Brazil - 36
T6. Panama - 36
8. Colombia - 35
9. Chile - 20
10. Puerto Rico - 15

Final results
40 kg
GOLD – Virginia FOARD (USA)
SILVER - Ruth FRANCO BAJANA (ECU)

43 kg
GOLD – Lizette RODRIGUEZ (USA)
SILVER - Jeyla HERRERA VILLEGAS (ECU)
BRONZE - Samaris FUENTES HUICAB (MEX)

46 kg
GOLD - Adriana HERNANDEZ SANCHEZ (MEX)
SILVER – Nyla VALENCIA (USA)
BRONZE - Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN)

49 kg
GOLD – Samara CHAVEZ (USA)
SILVER – Samantha ADAMZ (CAN)
BRONZE - Shanitzia MERCADO ORTIZ (PUR)
BRONZE - Gloria ASCA VILCAPOMA (PER)

53 kg
GOLD – Melanie MENDOZA (USA)
SILVER - Grecia BERNAL BETANCOURT (MEX)
BRONZE - Selena ROJAS ASTORAY (PER)

57 kg
GOLD – Skye REALIN (USA)
SILVER - Antonia VALDEZ ARRIAGADA (CHI)
BRONZE - Diana ARSAGOVA (CAN)

61 kg
GOLD – Mia MACALUSO (USA)
SILVER - Makitha BRISTOL (CAN)
BRONZE - Wendy CAICEDO NAZARENO (ECU)

65 kg
GOLD - Nicoll PARRADO OSORIO (COL)
SILVER - Sandra ESCAMILLA MENCHACA (MEX)
BRONZE - Nyla BURGESS (CAN)

69 kg
GOLD – Tiffani BAUBLITZ (USA)
SILVER - Vianne ROULEAU (CAN)
BRONZE - Ximena SUAREZ RODRIGUEZ (MEX)

73 kg
GOLD – Tristan KELLY (USA)
SILVER - Kaylee WELSH (CAN)
BRONZE - Erinn VALDEZ ENRIQUEZ (MEX)

Saitiev, three-time Olympic champion, passes away aged 49

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (March 2) -- Wrestling legend, three-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world champion Buvaisar SAITIEV passed away Sunday. He was 49 years old and nine days short of his 50th birthday.

Saitiev was buried in the village of Novokuli in the Novolaksky district of Dagestan on Tuesday, March 4.

Saitiev, widely considered the best Freestyle wrestler of all time, was born in Dagestan but moved to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia to train at the Mindiashvili wrestling academy under the legendary coach Dmitri Mindiashvili.

The 49-year-old announced his retirement soon after winning his third Olympic title in Beijing 2008. His other two titles came in 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2004 Athens Olympics. In 2000 Sydney Olympics, Brandon SLAY (USA) defeated him.

Apart from the world and Olympic titles, Saitiev was six-time European champion.

 

United World Wrestling President Nenad LALOVIC expressed his shock on the untimely passing of Saitiev.

"The wrestling family is in shock with the passing of Saitiev," Lalovic said. "He was a legend of the sport and we lost him at a very young age of 49. Saitiev inspired wrestlers around the world and many took up the sport because of him. It's an unrepairable loss to the wrestling community and we are with the Saitiev family during this time of grief."

In 2007, Saitiev was awarded as the best Freestyle wrestler in history by UWW [then FILA].

Wrestling majorly in the 74kg weight class, Saitiev stood at 183 centimetres and made his World Championships debut in Atlanta, 1995. A year later, he won the gold medal at 74kg at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

He became world champion in 1997 and 1998 but did not participate in 1999. He lost to Slay in early rounds of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and finished ninth.

But he captured the gold medals again at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships and returned to the top at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He became the world champion in 2005 and 2006 and claimed his third Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games.