By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling
PARIS, France – Two-time World champion Amit Elor advanced to the women’s freestyle semifinals with two victories at 68 kg during the opening session of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 wrestling competition at the Champ-de-Mars Arena on Monday afternoon.

Competing in her first Olympic Games, Elor was unseeded at the weight class, because she previously competed at 72 kg and did not earn any seeding points at this weight class.

She opened with an impressive 10-2 decision over No. 1 seed and 2023 World champion Buse Cavusoglu Tosun of Turkey. Elor scored a takedown and three step outs for a 5-0 lead at the break. In the second period, she continued to control the action, scoring two takedowns and receiving a shot clock point. Tosun could only muster one takedown with 15 seconds on the clock.

In the quarterfinals, Elor was again dominant, shutting out Wiktoria Choluj of Poland, 8-0. Elor took a 5-0 lead at the break with two takedowns and a step out. In the second period, Elor added a shot clock point, then a final takedown for the victory.

Elor will face unheralded Sol Gum Pak of North Korea in the semifinals. Pak won a crazy 10-8 decision over Nisha Dahiya of India, 10-8. Nisha led 8-1 going into the final minute, but an arm injury greatly hampered her. After taking multiple injury breaks, Nisha was unable to defend Pak’s attacks in the closing seconds. Pak has never competed in any World Championships (Senior or age group) in the past.

Elor came into the Olympics with a pair of Senior World gold medals at 72 kg. Her 2022 World title made her the youngest U.S. Senior World champion in any style or gender. She has won eight UWW World titles in her career, including three at the U20 level, two at the U23 level and one at the U17 level.

In Greco-Roman, Adam Coon was defeated in his opening match at 130 kg by the No. 1 seed and 2023 World champion Amin Mirzazadeh of Iran, 3-1. Coon was hit with a passivity to trail 1-0, and Mirzazadeh scored a gut wrench for two points and a 3-0 lead. In the second period, Mirzazadeh was hit for passivity to make it 3-1. Coon could not turn him, and there were no more points scored in the match.

Mirzazadeh was defeated in the quarterfinals by four-time Olympic champion and five-time World champion Mijian Lopez of Cuba, 3-1. Coon was then not eligible for repechage, as only those who lose to a gold-medal finalist may enter Tuesday’s repechage rounds. Lopez is attempting to become the first Olympian in history to win a gold medal in a single discipline in five straight Olympic Games.

Coon, a 2018 World bronze medalist and two time World Team member, was competing in his first Olympic Games. Coon was a three-time NCAA All-American for Michigan.

The 60 kg Greco-Roman weight class was also contested this afternoon, but the USA did not qualify to compete in this weight class.

The semifinals are set for 9:00 p.m. local time in Paris, which is 3:00 p.m. Eastern time in the USA. All of the matches are live on Peacock.

OLYMPIC GAMES PARIS 2024

At Paris, France, August 5

Semifinal pairings

Women's freestyle 68 kg

Amit Elor (United States) vs. Sol Gum Pak (North Korea)

Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria) vs. Meerim Zhumanazarova (Kyrgyzstan)

Greco-Roman 60 kg

Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) vs. Kenichiro Fumita (Japan)

Se Ung Ri (North Korea) vs. Liguo Cao (China)

Greco-Roman 130 kg

Mijain Lopez (Cuba) vs. Sabah Shariati (Azerbaijan)

Lingzhe Meng (China) vs. Yasmani Acosta (Chile)

Quarterfinal results

Women's freestyle 68 kg

Amit Elor (United States) dec. Wiktoria Choluj (Poland), 8-0

Sol Gum Pak (North Korea) dec. Nisha (India), 10-8

Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria) dec. Koumba Larroque (France), 6-2

Meerim Zhumanazarova (Kyrgyzstan) dec. Nonoka Ozaki (Japan), 8-6

Greco Roman 60 kg

Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) tech fall Razvan Arnaut (Romania) 9-0

Kenichiro Fumita (Japan) tech fall Mehdi Mohsen Nejad (Iran), 9-0

Se Ung Ri (North Korea) tech fall Islomjon Bakhramov (Uzbekistan), 9-0

Liguo Cao (China) dec. Raiber Rodriguez (Venezuela), 5-3

Greco Roman 130 kg

Mijain Lopez (Cuba) dec. Amin Mirzazadeh (Iran), 3-1

Sabah Shariati (Azerbaijan) dec. Alimkhan Syzdykov (Kazakhstan), 4-0

Lingzhe Meng (China) dec. Mantas Knystautas (Lithuania), 1-1

Yasmani Acosta (Chile) dec. Abdellatif Mohamed (Egypt), 2-1

Women’s freestyle results

68 kg – Amit Elor (Walnut Creek, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/NYC RTC), in semifinals

WIN Buse Cavusoglu Tosun (Turkey), 10-2

WIN Wiktoria Choluj (Poland), 8-0

Quarterfinals – Vs.  Sol Gum Pak (North Korea)

U.S. Greco-Roman results

130 kg - Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Calif./New York AC/Cliff Keen WC), eliminatedLOSS Amin Mirzazadeh (Iran), 3-1