It’s 3:30AM here in Texas, which means it’s time to start live blogging day 3 of the 2023 World Championships from Belgrade, Serbia!
Today is a massive day for Team USA, as the final two men’s freestyle weights start their tournaments as long with the first two women’s freestyle weights. Plus, Kyle Dake wrestles Zaurbek Sidakov for gold and Zahid Valencia will seek a bronze.
Americans starting their quests for glory on day 3 in Belgrade are:
And then there’s the team race between USA and Iran (Russia is here but are competing as neutral athletes and do not earn team points). USA has 110 points banked so far compared to 65 for Iran. We haven’t clinched anything yet but things are looking good for the Red White & Blue.
92kg – Zahid Valencia, USA vs Denys Sahaliuk, UKR – the first match of the day for Team USA, and the first match on the mat period, is a key bout for Zahid. A win here puts Zahid in the bronze medal bout vs Yoshida of Japan and a guaranteed 10 team points. Valencia does Valencia things, shooting often, converting the a takedown in the first period for a 2-0 lead after 3 minutes. Sahaliuk can’t get his offense going, and Valencia adds two more takedowns for some scoreboard insurance and takes this match comfortably 6-0. Next match for Zahid is this afternoon with a bronze medal on the line!
65kg – Nick Lee, USA vs Krzysztof Bienkowski, POL – Nick Lee is the first of today’s fresh quartet of Americans to take the mat. 65kg is a massive bracket and Lee has a pigtail round of 64 bout with Poland. The match starts slow, though Lee threatens a couple of times forcing Beinkowski to go on the activity clock first. A point there plus a step out makes it 2-0 at the break. Lee adds a pair of takedowns to ice things and wins 6-0! Never a doubt for Nick Lee in that one.
Nick Lee’s opponent in the round of 32 will be Wisconsin grad Austin Gomez, who is representing Mexico by way of Chicago, and won his first-round match in a shootout, 8-7, over a very tough Anuj from India.
In other 65kg early round news, Russia’s Shamil Mamedov looked outstanding in his 13-3 victory over Kyrgyzstan. Some of the Russians have been looking less than 100% at this tournament but that’s not the case, at least so far, at 65kg.
Elsewhere, North Carolina All-American sophomore Lachlan McNeil, representing Canada, dropped an 11-0 bout against the dynamic Arushanian of Ukraine. Duke grad Josh Finesilver, representing Israel by way of Colorado, defeated Spain 15-5.
And three-time world champ and two-time Olympic medalist Haji Aliev wins a bruising 10-4 bout against China.
74kg – Notably for team race implications, Emami wins his first match in repechage over Kentchadze of Georgia, dominating 10-0. He’ll wrestle Tsabolov of Serbia by way of Ossetia next, with a spot in the bronze medal match on the line.
79kg – In another repechage match featuring an Iranian, and thus, relevant to the team race discussion, Nokhodi beat North Macedonia’s Magomedov to advance to the bronze medal bout for a match with Abasov of Azerbaijan, the wrestler who defeated Chance Marsteller in the championship side of the bracket.
65kg – Back to the monster men’s freestyle bracket. Takuto Otoguro, 2018 world champ and 2020 Olympic gold medalist, dispatched Arushanian 10-0 to end McNeil’s medal hopes.
Additionally, Northern Iowa’s Colin Realbuto defeated his opponent from the Federated States of Micronesia 18-8 to advance to the round of 32.
65kg – Nick Lee, USA vs Austin Gomez, MEX – we may have to wait a minute or two for mandatory recovery time for either or both of these wrestlers. I do not believe Lee and Gomez have wrestled in college before. And here they come now. Nick Lee jumps out to an early 6-0 lead thanks to a takedown and two turns. Gomez answers with a head pinch from short offense to make it 6-2. A step out for Lee makes it 7-2. Or does it? There’s a challenge, and it’s won, and the point goes to Gomez and it’s 6-3. Now we’re in an upper body tussle. 50/50 dueling chest wraps. Is someone going to their back? And Nick Lee gains the advantage and has Gomez in trouble. Pinfall for Nick Lee! His second win of the day already!
And in yet more 65kg news (there will be a lot of 65kg news today), the inimitable Ismail Musukaev did Musukaev things in his round of 32 bout. He has a match with Otoguro. Circle that match (among many others) in the bracket to watch!
97kg – Kyle Snyder, USA vs Nishan Randhawa, CAN – Snyder finally takes the mat over two hours after the round started. Snyder gets poked in the eye but recovers and then runs Randhawa off the mat for a point. A couple more step outs and then four takedowns in quick succession and Snyder has an 11-0 tech. His next opponent will be Radu Lefter of Moldova in the round of 16.
59kg – Jen Page, USA vs Anjli, IND – Jen Page is the first American woman to take the mat. She goes right at Anjli, driving her off the mat for the first point of the bout. Period ends still 1-0. Second period is where Page opens things up, ripping a headlock hip toss for four and nearly a fall. Later in the period age catches Anjli off balance and bulldozers her to her back. So another feet to back makes it 9-0. A takedown to polish things off and Page advances with a dominant win.
74kg – Serbia’s own Khetag Tsabolov wins an exciting 11-4 bout over Iran’s Emami to eliminate the Iranian from medal contention. A bronze is worth worth 15 team points and 5th place is wroth 10. Now the most Emami can score is 8 points for finishing 7th.
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