World champ Maroulis suffers shock loss at Zouhaier Sghaier

Friday, July 15, 2022 - 19:57 By Vinay Siwach

TUNIS, Tunisia (July 15) -- Helen MAROULIS (USA) was closing in on a routine win. She was 7-2 against Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) and had 45 seconds to defend to make the 57kg final.

But Maroulis got hit with a single leg as Kamaloglu built up momentum. Dragging Maroulis to the zone, Kamaloglu scored a takedown and turned the world champion on her back before securing a fall. The U23 European champion celebrated the win, making the final over the Olympic bronze medalist and in a convincing manner.

A gold would have been a cherry on the cake but Kamaloglu could not finish the day on a high as Giullia DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) kept her quiet before securing a fall with two seconds left in the bout.

Kamaloglu led 1-0 at the break as De Oliveira was called passive in the first period. But the Brazil wrestler got the criteria lead 1-1 after Kamaloglu was called for inactivity. With just 30 seconds left on the clock, the Turkey wrestler got on a one-on-one but De Oliveira tossed with her leg and secured the fall.

Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) dominated her way to 68kg gold in Tunis. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

The USA did win two gold medals in women's wrestling as four weight classes were contested on day two of the Zouhaier Sghaier Ranking Series in the Tunisian capital.

Olympic champion Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) and Yelena MAKOYED (USA) came home with the gold medals at 68kg and 76kg respectively. The fourth gold went to Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) at 62kg.

Mensah Stock was making a comeback since the shock loss at the Oslo World Championships. But on Friday it seemed that she was never on a break, winning her three bouts with technical superiority. Silver went to Nisha DAHIYA (IND) who lost only to Mensah Stock while dominating her other bouts.

Makoyed, who had stunned everyone by winning the gold at Matteo Pellicone last month, had to work hard for her gold medal at 76kg as she was up against the USA World team member Dymond GUILFORD (USA).

The two had met in a Round 2 bout which Guilford won 7-6. Both then qualified for the final and it looked like Guilford will once again come out on top but a late takedown turned the bout in favor of Makoyed who won 5-2.

Makoyed broke the deadlock with a stepout despite Guilford getting on a single leg. But she was then called passive and Guilford led 1-1 at the break. In the second period, Guilford was called passive but as soon as the activity period ended, she scored a stepout to maintain the criteria lead of 2-2.

But with 22 seconds remaining, Makoyed managed to takedown Guilford and score the all-important two points. A lost challenge added the final point.

Guilford would rue the missed chances to score a takedown especially when she got behind Makoyed early in the bout but instead of putting her on the mat, she turned and scored a stepout.

For Makoyed, the win meant that she has now finished at the top of the podium in the three international tournaments she has been part of. Last year, she won the U20 Pan-Am Championships before the Matteo Pellicone high two weeks back.

World bronze medalist Samar HAMZA (EGY) won the bronze medal after beating Francy RAEDELT (GER) 3-1.

At 62kg, Niemesch defeated Lais NUNES (BRA) 4-2 in Round 2 and followed that up with a 4-2 win over Sakshi MALIK (IND) to win the gold. Nunes had earlier pinned Malik which proved crucial as she secured the silver.

Tunisian star Marwa AMRI was also entered in the draw but she did not take the mat and all her bouts were forfeited.

Emrah KUS (TUR) won the 82kg gold for Turkey. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

Turkey wins 2 GR gold

The three remaining Greco-Roman weight classes were also in action on Friday and Turkey added two more golds to the three it won on Thursday.

Murat DAG (TUR) won the gold at 72kg while Emrah KUS (TUR) sneaked through to win the gold at 82kg based on classification points.

Dag faced Radhwen TARHOUNI (TUN) in Round 3 and in a tense bout, he came out on top 4-0. He was awarded a stepout before Tarhouni was called passive which made Dag's lead 2-0. He then got a turn from par terre to make it 4-0 and maintained that lead for the win.

At 82kg, Kus had lost a bout to Lamjed MAAFI (TUN) while Harpreet SINGH (IND) came into the third round with two wins under his belt. A win for Kus would tie him with Singh with two wins each.

He led 1-0 when Singh was called passive and then a front chest wrap got him four points to make it 6-0. A takedown then confirmed his 8-0 win and the gold. Since Singh and Kus were the only wrestlers with two wins each, the gold went to Kus due to the head-to-head win.

At 77kg, Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) first defeated Furkan BAYRAK (TUR) 6-1 in the morning session and later dominated Belhasan AZAOUZI (TUN) in an 8-0 win.

The remaining six women's and two freestyle weight categories will be in action Saturday.

Day 2 Results

Greco-Roman

72kg
Round 3: Murat DAG (TUR) df. Radhwen TARHOUNI (TUN), 4-0

Final standings
GOLD: Murat DAG (TUR)
SILVER: Kenedy PEDROSA (BRA)
BRONZE: Radhwen TARHOUNI (TUN)

77kg
Round 3: Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) df. Belhasan AZAOUZI (TUN), 8-0
Round 3: Furkan BAYRAK (TUR) df. Joilson DE BRITO (BRA), 8-0

Final standings
GOLD: Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
SILVER: Furkan BAYRAK (TUR)
BRONZE: Joilson DE BRITO (BRA)

82kg
Round 3: Emrah KUS (TUR) df. Harpreet SINGH (IND), 8-0
Round 3: SAJAN (IND) df. Lamjed MAAFI (TUN), via fall

Final standings
GOLD: Emrah KUS (TUR)
SILVER: Harpreet SINGH (IND)
BRONZE: SAJAN (IND)

Women's Wrestling

57kg
GOLD: Giullia DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR), via fall

BRONZE: Mansi AHLAWAT (IND) df. Helen MAROULIS (USA), via injury default

62kg
Round 3: Lais NUNES (BRA) df. Marwa AMRI (TUN), via forfeit
Round 3: Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) df. Sakshi MALIK (IND), 5-2

Final standings
GOLD: Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
SILVER: Lais NUNES (BRA)
BRONZE: Sakshi MALIK (IND)

68kg
Round 3: Nisha DAHIYA (IND) df. Ranim SAIDI (TUN), 10-0
Round 3: Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) df. Grabriela DA ROCHA (BRA), 10-0

Final standings
GOLD: Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA)
SILVER: Nisha DAHIYA (IND)
BRONZE: Grabriela DA ROCHA (BRA)

76kg
GOLD: Yelena MAKOYED (USA) df. Dymond GUILFORD (USA), 5-2

BRONZE: Samar HAMZA (EGY) df. Francy RAEDELT (GER), 3-1

#WrestleMonterrey

Freestyle history for Argentina, Mexico at Pan-Ams

Monday, May 12, 2025 - 07:28 By Vinay Siwach

MONTERREY, Mexico (May 11) -- On a historic day in Monterrey, Argentina won its first-ever Freestyle gold medal at the Pan-American Championships while Mexico ended its drought for gold with two golds on Sunday.

Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG), who was silver medalist last year and has four bronze medals, defeated Joseph MC KENNA (USA) in a thrilling final to create history for Argentina. For Mexico, Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) won the gold medal at 57kg, thus ending a 32-year wait for the top medal at Pan-Ams. A few minutes later, Austin GOMEZ (MEX) also won gold to add his name to history.

The United States, however, was the best Freestyle team of the tournament as it won the team title after adding four more golds to the three it won on Saturday. It finished at the top with 230 points, way ahead of second-placed Canada which had 144 points. Mexico was third with 139 points.

Destribats came close to the historic gold medal last year but had to pull out injured in the final and won a silver medal. The story was different this year.

After a tough 4-4 win in the semifinal, Destribats was in for a tougher challenge against McKenna in the final. But his defense in the first period saw him escape McKenna's attacks. He scored a stepout and led 1-0 at the break.

Destribats was about to be hit with an inactivity call when he headlocked McKenna and tried to pin. The pin was called but not upheld as it seemed that McKenna may have lost consciousness due to the hold. However, McKenna sprung back on his feet as soon as the whistle was blown and Destribats let go.

The fall was cancelled but Destribats now led 3-0. McKenna got on the scoreboard with a stepout to cut the lead to 3-1. Destribats, who was avoiding engagement, was hit with the passivity call and as he failed to scored McKenna got a point.

McKenna hit a leg attack and put forward pressure even as Destribats tried to avoid exposure using a chestwrap. But two points were awarded to McKenna which gave him a 4-3 lead with 11 seconds left.

Destribats did not give up and used an inside trip to score. While he failed to execute the trip, he managed to take McKenna out of bounds for a point to take a 4-4 criteria lead as the scorer of the latest point. The U.S. challenged the call but lost it, making the score 5-4 for Destribats which he defended for the final five seconds.

Before Destribats, only three other wrestlers from Argentina had made it to the finals at Pan-Ams in Freestyle with Yuri MAIER (ARG) being the last one in 2013.

Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) battles Lucas RODRIGUEZ (PUR) in the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Mexico rejoiced as Bravo Young won the gold medal at 57kg to start the evening session. He blanked Lucas RODRIGUEZ (PUR), 12-0, for the gold medal which was the first for Mexico in Freestyle since 1993.

Felipe GUZMAN (MEX), the Olympian from 1996, was the last wrestler to win gold for Mexico at the Pan-Ams in Freestyle.

Bravo Young, who moved to Mexico in 2024 before Paris Olympics, used different techniques including sweep single, double-leg attack to score four takedowns and lead 8-0. He finished the match with a fireman's carry for four points.

Austin GOMEZ (MEX), red, celebrates after winning the 70kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

Soon after, Gomez, who also transferred to Mexico before the Paris Olympics, posted an 11-0 win over Ian PARKER (USA) in the 70kg final to win the gold medal.

Gomez blanked his opponents 33-0 in three bouts that he wrestled for the gold medal. In the final, Gomez tossed Parker with a headlock for four and then turned him twice using the same for an 8-0 lead. The U.S. challenged for two points as Parker held Gomez on the mat for a moment but it was lost on review, making the score 9-0 for Gomez.

A double-leg blast from Gomez was enough for him to finish the final and win 11-0 and the second gold medal for Mexico on Sunday.

U.S. wins four golds

The gold medals for the U.S. on Sunday began when Evan WICK (USA) won all four of his bouts in the round-robin bracket at 79kg. Wick outscored his opponents 40-0 in four bouts to clinch the gold medal, first of Sunday and fourth overall for the U.S.

Trent HIDLAY (USA) added to the count by winning the 92kg gold medal, winning all four of his bouts in the round-robin.

Justin RADEMACHER (USA) scores a takedown against Arturo SILOT (CUB) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Osvaldo Aguilar)

At 97kg, Justin RADEMACHER (USA) held on to a 5-4 victory over Arturo SILOT (CUB) in the final to clinch the gold medal, the seventh straight year a U.S. wrestler has won at 97kg.

Rademacher was the first to strike, scoring a takedown on the edge for two points. After a bit of struggle, Silot managed to get on board with a takedown and take a 2-2 criteria lead. Rademacher hit back instantly, scoring with a single-leg attack and reclaiming the lead 4-2.

In the second period, Rademacher was awarded a point as both wrestlers went out after a scramble but it was Silot who put his hand outside the zone first. Silot hit back with a counter takedown to cut the lead to 5-4 with two minutes left on the clock. However, Rademacher defended his lead first with attacks and later by seeing off any attacks that Silot did.

Rademacher survived a flurry in the final 10 seconds, including a challenge for fleeing, to win, as Silot tried making sense of the match as he walked off the mat.

Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA) showed little mercy for his 125kg opponents, winning the gold medal via a fall Richard DESCHATELETS (CAN) in the final, which included a slam which left the crowd in awe.

A double-leg attack gave Hendrickson the first four points of the final and he later locked Deschatelets from behind, lifted him well above the mat and slammed him for a five-pointer. He secured the fall in 24 seconds to finish the final.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) df. Lucas RODRIGUEZ (PUR), 12-0

BRONZE: Edwin SEGURA GUERRA (GUA) df. Eduardo PALAS SEQUEIROS (PER), 7-0
BRONZE: Liam CRONIN (USA) df. Pedro MEJIAS (VEN), 5-4

65kg
GOLD: Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) df. Joseph MC KENNA (USA), 5-4

BRONZE: Wilfredo RODRIGUEZ (VEN) df. Matias MUNOZ (CHI), 10-0
BRONZE: Peiman BIABANI (CAN) df. Matheus DA LUZ (BRA), 10-0

70kg
GOLD: Austin GOMEZ (MEX) df. Ian PARKER (USA), 11-0

BRONZE: Sixto AUCCAPINA (PER) df. Jorge GATICA (CHI), 12-2
BRONZE: Jacob ALEXANDER TORRES (CAN) df. Royglen TEMPLE BATISTA (PAN), 10-0

79kg
GOLD: Evan WICK (USA)
SILVER: Shane JONES (PUR)
BRONZE: Jasmit PHULKA (CAN)

92kg
GOLD: Trent HIDLAY (USA)
SILVER: Andrew JOHNSON (CAN)
BRONZE: Edwin MORALES (PUR)

97kg
GOLD: Justin RADEMACHER (USA) df. Arturo SILOT (CUB), 5-4

BRONZE: Nishan Preet RANDHAWA (CAN) df. Ricardo BAEZ (ARG), 11-0

125kg
GOLD: Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA) df. Richard DESCHATELETS (CAN), via fall (9-0)

BRONZE: Jose DIAZ (VEN) df. Maxwell LACEY (CRC), 3-2
BRONZE: Gino AVILA (HON) df. Rizieri CHAVEZ (MEX), 10-0

World champ Maroulis suffers shock loss at Zouhaier Sghaier

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Freestyle history for Argentina, Mexico at Pan-Ams