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Polatci wins World freestyle heavyweight title and Russia takes team title; Ren and Sakamoto win World titles in Women’s wrestling
9/28/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
Aydin Polatci of Turkey claimed the 120 kg/264.5 lbs. title, the final event in the men’s freestyle division, at the World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 28.
His victory completed three days of competition in men’s freestyle wrestling. Russia won the team title with 54 points, led by four champions. Cuba was second with 39 points, and Georgia was third with 33 points.
Polatci, a 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, defeated 1998 World champion Alexis Rodriguez of Cuba in the gold-medal finals, 0-1, 2-0, 1-0. Rodriguez won the first period on a takedown. The second period went to Polatci with two takedowns. Polatci won the deciding third period with a takedown with 26 seconds left in the match.
The women’s freestyle competition began with action in two weight divisions. Claiming gold medals were Ren Xueceng of China at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. and Hitomi Sakamoto of Japan at 51 kg/112.25 lbs.
Ren upset three-time World champion and 2004 Olympic champion Irini Merlini of Ukraine in the finals by pin in the second period. Merlini won the first period by a 2-1 margin on two takedowns. Merlini scored the first point in the second period with an arm spin, but Ren stepped over the move and put Merlini to her back, securing the fall in just 29 seconds.
Sakamoto also won her title by fall, pinning Vanessa Boubryemm of France in 1:33 of the first period. After scoring an early takedown, Sakamoto countered a Boubryemm shot, putting her to her back and securing the early fall. It was Sakamoto’s third career World title.
Competition continues in the women’s freestyle division at 55 kg/121 lbs., 59 kg/130 lbs. and 63 kg/138.75 lbs. on Thursday.
FINAL RESULTS
Men’s freestyle
120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Gold - Ayden Polatci (Turkey)
Silver - Alexis Rodriguez (Cuba)
Bronze - Otto Aubeli (Hungary)
Bronze - Tolly Thompson (USA)
5th - Liang Lei (China)
5th - Kuramagomed Kuramogomedov (Russia)
7th - Rares Chintoan (Romania)
8th - Fardi Mousami (Iran)
9th - Vadim Tasoev (Ukraine)
10th - Artur Taymazov (Uzbekistan)
Final Team Standings
1. Russia, 54 pts.
2. Cuba, 39 pts.
3. Georgia, 33 pts.
4. Ukraine, 27 pts.
5. Bulgaria, 26 pts.
6. Iran, 22 pts.
7. Hungary, 20 pts.
8. United States, 20 pts.
9. Mongolia, 18 pts.
10. Kazakhstan, 16 pts.
11. Korea, 14 pts.
12. Uzbekistan, 14 pts.
13. Turkey, 13 pts.
14. Kyrgyzstan, 10 pts.
15. Poland, 9 pts.
16. Armenia, 8 pts.
17. Belarus, 8 pts.
18. North Korea, 8 pts.
19. Moldova, 7 pts.
20. Azerbaijan, 6 pts.
(of 85 nations)
Women’s freestyle results
48 KG/105.5 lbs.
Gold - Xueceng Ren (China)
Silver - Irini Merleni (Ukraine)
Bronze - Carol Huynh (Canada)
Bronze - Makiko Sakamoto (Japan)
5th - Mayelis Caripa (Venezuela)
5th - Liliya Kaskarakova (Russia)
7th - Jenny Wong (USA)
8th - Francine DePaola (France)
9th - Sigrun Dobner (Germany)
10th - Zhyldyz Eshimova (Kyrgyzstan)
51 KG/112.25 lbs.
Gold - Hitomi Sakamoto (Japan)
Silver - Vanessa Boubryemm (France)
Bronze - Tsogtbaz Enkhjargal (Mongolia)
Bronze - Juling Wen (China)
5th - Aleksandra Kohut (Ukraine)
5th - Erica Sharp (Canada)
7th - Stephanie Murata (USA)
8th - Dinara Mirzaeva (Uzbekistan)
9th - Natalya Smirnova (Russia)
10th - Nurzat Shaylobaeva (Kyrgyzstan)
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9/28/2005
Travis Shives/USA Wrestling
Tolly Thompson (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) won a bronze medal at 120 kg/264.5 lbs in freestyle wrestling at the World Championships of Wrestling in Budapest, Hungary, September 28.
After waiting nearly six hours after his first-round loss, Thompson won three straight matches in his first trip to the World Championships to claim his first World medal. He capped his medal winning performance with a 1-0, 1-0 win over past 1997 World champion Kuramagomed Kuramagomedov of Russia.
Thompson scored both period winning points when he drove Kuramagomedov out of bounds. Under the new FILA rules, the offensive wrestler receives a point when his opponent steps out of bounds.
In his first round repechage (wrestleback) match, Thompson defeated Vadim Tasoev of Ukraine, 3-1, 4-1. In the first period, Thompson set the pace scoring early on a 3 point double leg, driving Tasoev to his back only 15 seconds into the match. The only scoring the rest of the period was a 1 point single leg by Tasoev late in the period.
In the second period, Thompson again scored first, this time on a 1 point single leg. Tasoev responded with 1 point of his own when the two wrestlers scrambled for position. Thompson sealed the victory late in the match, scoring a 3 point double leg with only seconds remaining in the period.
In Thompson’s second repechage match, he dominated Rares Chintoan of Romania. Thompson scored 7 points on the Romanian before earning the fall only 47 seconds into the first period.
Thompson scored a 1 point double leg, a 3 point bear hug and a 3 point double leg that eventually earned him the fall. Earlier in the day, Chintoan recorded possibly the biggest upset of the men’s freestyle tournament when he defeated 2003 World Champion and defending Olympic Champion Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan.
Aydin Polatci of Turkey, Thompson’s first round opponent, closed out the competition earning a gold medal with a win against former World Champion, Alexis Rodrigues of Cuba. When Polatci earned his spot in the gold-medal match, Thompson became eligible to enter the wrestleback rounds.
Thompson’s rally to the bronze propelled the Americans to an 8th place finish in the freestyle competition. Overall, the U.S. team ended the competition with two bronze medals, Thompson along with Joe Williams (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs.
The other two U.S. wrestlers competing on Wednesday were unable to advance in the competition after they lost their first match in the evening session. Jenny Wong (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. and Stephanie Murata (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. both lost quarterfinal matches and were eliminated when there opponents failed to reach the championships matches.
Both Wong and Murata finished the tournament in 7th place after going 2 and 1 on the day.
Wong was defeated in the quarterfinals by eventual bronze medalist Makiko Sakamoto of Japan, 6-0, 6-2. Sakamoto scored quickly on a 1 point single leg and controlled the rest of the first period with a 2 point turn and a hold and 2 more single legs. The second period continued with Sakamoto scoring first off of a double leg. She added another takedown followed by a turn with hold to take a commanding 5-0 lead. Wong was able to score a 2 point crotch lift before Sakamoto closed out the match with a 1 point go behind.
Wong was a 2003 World bronze medalist at 51 kg/112.25 lbs.
Murata lost her quarterfinal match to Erica Sharp of Canada, 0-1, 6-0, 4-0. Murata scored the only points of the first period on a 1 point go behind 35 seconds into the match.
Sharp scored 38 seconds into the second period off a tilt in defending Murata’s single leg attack. She finished off the second period on a 1 point go behind followed by a tilt and a hold. There was no scoring in the third period until late, when Sharp scored a 3 point double leg and followed it up with a 1 point go behind for a 4-0 3rd period win.
Murata was a 2001 World silver medalist.
The U.S. women’s team continues tomorrow with Tina George at 55 kg, Sally Roberts at 59 kg and Sara McMann at 63 kg.
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USA freestyle quotes following bronze medal matches at the World Championsips
9/28/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Tolly Thompson, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
“It was an up and down day. My goal was to win. I think the Turk will win tonight. I was a good match. We scrapped. It paid off. I won the bronze and he is in the finals. It is tough waiting. You are so down. I had three tough guys to go through. The Ukrainian was talented. The Romanian beat the Olympic champion earlier today.”
“I talked to coach Jackson forever after my loss. I watched movies. I took a nap. You don’t know you are in until the semifinals are over. I could be in the sauna right now, licking my wounds.”
“Winning in high pressure situation is what our sport is all about. To go out and win under pressure, that is what we wrestle for.”
“We are a tight team. We spent all summer training together. Team USA is tight. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but we support each other.”
“I lost my grandfather Alvin Thompson in May. I’d like to dedicate this to him.”
U.S. Freestyle World Team Coach Mike Duroe
“I am extremely proud of Tolly Thompson. He showed a lot of heart. The USA should be proud of him. It shows a lot of character. It was the second USA/Russia showdown of the tournament. That was a big win for us.”
“You wait all day to see if your opponent gets into the finals. It went down to the last second, when the Turk scored on the Russian and won. The Turk willed himself to beat the Russian. Then you have three matches like that, a good Ukrainian, a good Romanian and a good Russian. That is the ultimate, besides of course winning the gold medal. We came over expecting to wrestle. We had to wait two rounds. Once the Turk won his first match, Tolly was already warming up. The Ukrainian was not ready to wrestle hard, but Tolly was ready. He got on a roll. Conditioning was a big factor for him. He was in the best shape of his life. It paid off. He had to be in great shape to win the bronze.”
U.S. Freestyle World Team Coach Joe Seay
“With the team performance we had, for Tolly to come back and win three in a row, that was great. That is how you should wrestle. He dominated three of the best heavyweights in the world. He had to do it in a short time. That is exactly how you have to wrestle with these new rules. It doesn’t get any better than this. That heavyweight class was loaded. Now he knows what he can do. It may give us another two or three years with Tolly. We need people who can wrestle with the pressure on. It doesn’t get any more intense than this. He was just what we needed right now.”
USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson
“Tolly got a second chance for a medal. You don’t get many second chances in this game. He had to take advantage of it.”
48 kg/105.5 lbs. –Jenny Wong, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
“I knew coming in that the Japanese wrestler is always technical and tough. I would have to bring my game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all there. This is unacceptable to me and it makes me even more motivated for next year.”
“It was different making weight at 105 pounds in a different country. Besides that, it pretty much like any other overseas tournament, except it is so much bigger. With this bracketing system, it is difficult for wrestlers who are go-getters, as it is hard to put your own destiny in someone else’s hands. But, on the same page, it was in my hands to begin with but I gave that up.”
U.S. Women’s World Team Coach Bill Scherr
“I thought we had opportunities. Jenny is still trying to find out how good she really is. She is better than she showed against the Japanese wrestler. She will learn that she can win against athletes at this level. Her competition was solid. She was there with the Japanese opponent in the second period. The Japanese girl was very prepared. Jen was getting beat in her own technical positions. She did get it going in the second period, but it was too little too late.”
“Stephanie wrestled well. The Canadian girl was a good competitor. She went hard against Stephanie. We got turned off in our offense position in the second period, and lost that period. We got a leg and had a chance to score in the third period, but we were not able to finish it. If Stephanie continues, she will have an opportunity again. She knows what intensity level she needs to compete. We will see how she does. In that match, the Canadian girl was more intense in the third period at the end. Stephanie is as good technically as anyone. Her intensity is the missing part.”
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U.S. women wrestlers George, Roberts, McMann weigh in and receive draws at the World Championships
9/28/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
Three U.S. women wrestlers weighed in and received their draws on Wednesday for the World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
At 55 kg/121 lbs., two-time World silver medalist Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) will open by competing against Naidan Otgonjargal of Mongolia.
George has competed in five World Championships and is one of the veterans on the U.S. team. Otgonjargal was a 2003 Asian champion, and has been a medalist at the Asian Championships four times.
At 59 kg/130 lbs., 2003 World bronze medalist Sally Roberts (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) will face Dorj Naramandakh of Mongolia in her first round. Roberts is competing in her second World meet. Naramandakh was third in the 2005 Asian Championships.
In the first round, there will be a rematch of the 2004 Olympic gold medal match, when Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) will face Olympic gold medalist Kaori Icho of Japan.
These two athletes met in the finals of the 2003 World Championships gold-medal match, with Icho winning that showdown as well. Icho has won two previous World gold medals (2002, 2003). McMann has competed in five previous World Championships for the United States.
“We have the heart of our lineup today, in more ways than one,” said U.S. Women’s World Team Coach Bill Scherr. “If we are going to produce as a team, these are the three who will produce for us.”
All three weight divisions will begin and be completed on Thursday, Sept. 29.
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9/28/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
The U.S. women’s freestyle wrestling team had a strong start in their first session of competition at the World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, September 28.
Winning their first two matches to advance to the quarterfinals were Jenny Wong (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. and Stephanie Murata (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 51 kg/112.25 lbs.
Wong opened with a hard-fought decision over Dashdavaa Baasanjargal of Mongolia, 2-3, 2-0, 3-0. Baasanjargal hit a three-point arm spin in the first period and held off a Wong attack to win it 3-2. In the second period, there was no scoring and Wong was in the defensive position from the leg clinch. Wong hit a two-point crotch lift counter to win that period. In the third and deciding period, Wong scored a takedown, then added a two point exposure defending an attack for the 3-0 victory.
In the second round, Wong again needed three period to defeat Francine DePaola of Italy, 2-0, 0-2, 5-1. She scored two takedowns in the first period, but gave up two takedowns in the second period. In the closing period, with the score tied 1-1, Wong hit a three-point reverse body lock to open a lead she never gave up.
In the quarterfinals on Wednesday afternoon, Wong faces Japan’s Makiko Sakamoto. Wong was a 2003 World bronze medalist competing up at 51 kg.
Murata, a 2001 World silver medalist, won two matches with dominance. She stopped Emese Szabo of Hungary, 4-0, 3-0 in the first round, then pinned Nurzat Shaylobaeva of Kyrgyzstan in 42 seconds in the second round.
Murata scored a pair of two-point exposures in the first period against hometown favorite Szabo, then added a takedown and a turn to capture the second period. Against Shaylabaeva, Murata took her down on a double leg attack straight to her back, held her for an additional backpoint, then secured the fall.
Murata will face Canada’s Erica Sharp in the quarterfinals in the evening session.
The final weight class in men’s freestyle is being contested at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. U.S. wrestler Tolly Thompson (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) was defeated in his first bout by 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Aydin Polatci of Turkey, 1-0, 0-1, 5-1.
After the first period ended scoreless, Polatci scored a single leg takedown from the clinch position to win that period 1-0. Thompson came back with a takedown of his own with 20 second left in the second period to win it 1-0. In the deciding third period, Polatci hit a three-point front headlock throw for a 3-0 lead, then after a Thompson takedown, hit a two-point turn from the front headlock for the 5-1 margin of victory.
Polatci won his second round match and has advanced to the quarterfinals. Under the new rules of wrestling, Thompson will be eligible for the wrestleback rounds only if Polatci is able to advance to the gold-medal finals.
All three weight divisions will be completed on Wednesday evening. Three more women’s weight classes will weigh in today and compete on Thursday, 55 kg, 59 kg and 63 kg.