Gilman earns silver, Cox and Gwiazdowski win bronze
USA in first place at World Championships
By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling
PARIS, France – The United States claimed three individual medals on the first day of men’s freestyle competition at the World Wrestling Championships at the AccorHotels Arena on Friday, and was in first place in the team standings.
In his first Senior World Championships, Thomas Gilman (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC), who was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for Nebraska in 2012, won a silver medal at 57 kg/125.5 lbs. in men’s freestyle.
Gilman was defeated in the gold-medal finals by 2017 Asian champion Yuki Takahashi of Japan, 6-0, a match where he could not get is effective offense untracked.
The match did not start well for Gilman, as Takahashi drove him out of bounds, and the officials awarded Takahashi two points and a caution against Gilman for fleeing the mat. Another Takahashi takedown late in the first period made it 4-0 at the break. In the second period, although Gilman pressed the action, Takahashi was able to get the only takedown to win the match 6-0.
“The guy is a good wrestler. I was a little racy, as we say. We talked about it, that I need to score in the first 20 seconds. I don’t have a problem with that, but I have got to be smarter. I didn’t score on any of his attacks or his reattack. I can only wrestle so hard against the best guys in the world. I have to wrestle smart, too,” said Gilman.
Gilman won four tough bouts in the morning session to reach the finals. In his first match, he earned a 5-2 win over 2016 European silver medalist Andrey Yatsenko of Ukraine. In the second round, he edged 2017 Asian bronze medalist Reza Ahmad Atrinagharchi of Iran, 3-0. After a 12-1 technical fall over Nadirjon Safarov of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals, Gilman emerged from a tough semifinals with a 5-4 win over two-time World Military Champion Hakjin Jong of North Korea.
Gilman was a three-time All-American for Iowa. A 2014 Junior World bronze medalist, Gilman made two Junior World Teams and a Cadet World Team.
The United States added World bronze medals from 2016 Olympic bronze medalist J’den Cox (Titan Mercury WC/Missouri WF) at 86 kg/189 lbs. and Nick Gwiazdowski (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack WC) at 125 kg/275 lbs. Cox was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for Missouri and the Central Region in 2013 and Gwiazdowski was the New York winner in 2011.
Cox got his takedown offense untracked in the bronze-medal bout, defeating 2010 World champion Mihail Ganev of Bulgaria, 8-0. Cox went into the break with a 1-0 lead when Ganev was put on the shot clock and unable to score within 30 seconds. In the second period, Cox was moving and shooting, getting three takedowns and forcing a step out to dominate the action.
A three-time NCAA champion for Missouri, Cox now boasts a pair of bronze medals, his 2016 Olympic bronze from Rio de Janeiro, and a 2017 World bronze in Paris.
“It was a tough day. I had some tough matches. I didn’t come out on top in one of them, but I ended the day on a high note. I want to thank my parents who are here. I want to thank the USA Wrestling team, which has been awesome. Today was awful for me. I wrestled really bad. My body was feeling bad, I was hurting. No excuses though. When I show up to the mat, I am ready to go. Sometimes, the other guys out did me in the battles. At the end of the day, I had fun,” said Cox.
Cox opened with a 6-1 win against 2012 Junior World silver medalist Ahmed Dudarov of Germany. In the second round, he came from behind with a six point deficit, before beating Campbell University wrestler Ville Tapa Heino of Finland, 9-6. His quarterfinals win was a close 3-2 victory over Zbigniew Baranoski of Poland. In the semifinals, he fell behind to Boris Makoev of Slovakia, 6-0, before eventually losing 6-3.
Gwiazdowski controlled the action in his bronze-medal bout, defeating 2014 Asian silver medalist Zolboo Natsagsuren of Mongolia, 6-1. Gwiazdowski was ahead 3-0 at the break, on a shot clock violation against Natsagsuren and a double leg takedown. He finished another takedown and pushout for the margin of victory.
“Today was a good day on the mats, minus one match. At the World Championships, it feels good leaving with something. I don’t know if it was what the staff was telling me and I started believing it, or if it was true. But every day they said I was looking good. I don’t know about that. But it showed out there in the ones I won. I did good,” said Gwiazdowski.
Gwiazdowski scored a 10-0 technical fall over Moldova’s Andrei Romanov in round one. He came back with a strong 10-1 win over No. 4 seed Daniel Ligeti of Hungary. In the quarterfinals, Gwiazdowski won a tough battle against 2017 Asian champion Yadolla Mohebi of Iran, 5-4. 2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Taha Akgul of Turkey defeated In the semifinals, Gwiazdowski in the semifinals, 10-0.
The other U.S. athlete competing on Friday, 2016 World champion Logan Stieber (Columbus, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) went 1-2 for the day and did not reach the medal rounds. Seeded No. 1, his losses were to 2016 European champion Gadzhimurad Rashidov of Russia and Olympic and World champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia.
The United States is in first place in the team standings after day one with 25 points, ahead of second place Russia with 23 points and Turkey in third place with 19 points.
Trackwrestling and Titan Mercury Wrestling Club are partnering to provide the live stream from Paris. Fans can watch live and archived video by purchasing a single World Championship pay-per-view for a special promotional price of $9.99 by going to www.trackwrestling.com/UWW.
World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France
Results for August 25
57 kg/125.5 lbs.
Gold - Yuki Takahashi (Japan)
Silver - Thomas Gilman (USA)
Bronze –Andrey Yatsenko (Ukraine)
Bronze – Bekhbayar Erdenebat (Mongolia)
5th - Hak-Jin Jong (North Korea)
5th - Vladimer Dubov (Bulgaria)
7th - Sandeep Tomar (India)
8th - Nodirjon Safarov (Uzbekistan)
9th - Sunggwon Kim (Korea)
10th - Givi Davidovi (Italy)
Gold - Yuki Takahashi (Japan) dec. Thomas Gilman (USA), 6-0
Bronze –Andrey Yatsenko (Ukraine) tech. fall Hak-Jin Jong (North Korea), 12-2
Bronze – Bekhbayar Erdenebat (Mongolia) dec. Vladimer Dubov (Bulgaria), 9-2
61 kg/134 lbs.
Gold - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
Silver - Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia)
Bronze –Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia)
Bronze – Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba)
5th - Cengizhan Erdogan (Turkey), 3-0
5th - Rinya Nakamura (Japan), 10-0
7th - Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan)
8th - Ivan Guidea (Romania)
9th - Mykola Bolotnjuk (Slovakia)
10th - Ivan Bileichuk (Ukraine)
Gold - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) pin Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia), 5:31
Bronze –Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia) dec. Cengizhan Erdogan (Turkey), 3-0
Bronze – Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba) tech. fall Rinya Nakamura (Japan), 10-0
86 kg/189 lbs.
Gold - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran)
Silver - Boris Makoev (Slovakia)
Bronze –Vladislav Valiev (Russia)
Bronze – J’den Cox (United States)
5th - Aleksander Gostiev (Azerbaijan)
5th - Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria)
7th - Selim Yasar (Turkey)
8th - Yurieski Torreblanca Queralta (Cuba)
9th - Zbigniew Baranowski (Poland)
10th - Piotr Ianulov (Moldova)
Gold - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) tech. fall Boris Makoev (Slovakia), 10-0
Bronze –Vladislav Valiev (Russia) dec. Aleksander Gostiev (Azerbaijan), 3-1
Bronze – J’den Cox (United States) dec. Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria), 8-0
125 kg/275 lbs.
Gold - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia)
Silver - Taha Akgul (Turkey)
Bronze –Nick Gwiazdowski (United States)
Bronze –Levan Berianidze (Armenia)
5th - Zolboo Natsagsuren (Mongolia)
5th - Anzor Khizriev (Russia)
7th - Korey Jarvis (Canada)
8th - Aiaal Lazarev (Kyrgyzstan)
9th - Yadollah Mohebi (Iran)
10th - Taiki Yamamoto (Japan)
Gold - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) dec. Taha Akgul (Turkey), 10-8
Bronze –Nick Gwiazdowski (United States) dec. Zolboo Natsagsuren (Mongolia), 6-1
Bronze –Levan Berianidze (Armenia) dec. Anzor Khizriev (Russia), 3-0
U.S. performances
57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman, Council Bluffs, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC), silver medal
WIN Andrey Yatsenko (Ukraine), 5-2
WIN Reza Ahmad Atrinagharchi (Iran), 3-0
WIN Nadirjon Safarov (Uzbekistan), tech. fall 12-1
WIN Hakjin Jong (North Korea), 5-4
LOSS Yuki Takahashi (Japan), 6-0
61 kg/134 lbs. - Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC), dnp/12th
LOSS Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia), tech. fall 11-0
WIN Joszef Molnar (Hungary), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia), tech fall, 10-0
86 kg/189 lbs. - J’den Cox, Columbia, Mo. (Titan Mercury WC/Missouri WF), bronze medal
WIN Ahmed Dudarov (Germany), 6-1
WIN Ville Tapa Heino (Finland), 9-6
WIN Zbigniew Baranoski (Poland), 3-2
LOSS Boris Makoev (Slovakia), 6-3
WIN Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria), 8-0
125 kg/275 lbs. - Nick Gwiazdowski, Raleigh, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack WC), bronze medal
WIN Andrei Romanov (Moldova), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Daniel Ligeti (Hungary), 10-1
WIN Yadolla Mohebi (Iran), 5-4
LOSS Taha Akgul (Turkey), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Zolboo Natsagsuren (Mongolia), 6-1
Top 10 team standings after day one
1 UNITED STATES 25
2 RUSSIA 23
3 TURKEY 19
4 GEORGIA 18
5 JAPAN 17
6 AZERBAIJAN 16
7 MONGOLIA 14
8 IRAN 12
9 BULGARIA 12
10 SLOVAKIA 12
USA Wrestling
PARIS, France – The United States claimed three individual medals on the first day of men’s freestyle competition at the World Wrestling Championships at the AccorHotels Arena on Friday, and was in first place in the team standings.
In his first Senior World Championships, Thomas Gilman (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC), who was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for Nebraska in 2012, won a silver medal at 57 kg/125.5 lbs. in men’s freestyle.
Gilman was defeated in the gold-medal finals by 2017 Asian champion Yuki Takahashi of Japan, 6-0, a match where he could not get is effective offense untracked.
The match did not start well for Gilman, as Takahashi drove him out of bounds, and the officials awarded Takahashi two points and a caution against Gilman for fleeing the mat. Another Takahashi takedown late in the first period made it 4-0 at the break. In the second period, although Gilman pressed the action, Takahashi was able to get the only takedown to win the match 6-0.
“The guy is a good wrestler. I was a little racy, as we say. We talked about it, that I need to score in the first 20 seconds. I don’t have a problem with that, but I have got to be smarter. I didn’t score on any of his attacks or his reattack. I can only wrestle so hard against the best guys in the world. I have to wrestle smart, too,” said Gilman.
Gilman won four tough bouts in the morning session to reach the finals. In his first match, he earned a 5-2 win over 2016 European silver medalist Andrey Yatsenko of Ukraine. In the second round, he edged 2017 Asian bronze medalist Reza Ahmad Atrinagharchi of Iran, 3-0. After a 12-1 technical fall over Nadirjon Safarov of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals, Gilman emerged from a tough semifinals with a 5-4 win over two-time World Military Champion Hakjin Jong of North Korea.
Gilman was a three-time All-American for Iowa. A 2014 Junior World bronze medalist, Gilman made two Junior World Teams and a Cadet World Team.
The United States added World bronze medals from 2016 Olympic bronze medalist J’den Cox (Titan Mercury WC/Missouri WF) at 86 kg/189 lbs. and Nick Gwiazdowski (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack WC) at 125 kg/275 lbs. Cox was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for Missouri and the Central Region in 2013 and Gwiazdowski was the New York winner in 2011.
Cox got his takedown offense untracked in the bronze-medal bout, defeating 2010 World champion Mihail Ganev of Bulgaria, 8-0. Cox went into the break with a 1-0 lead when Ganev was put on the shot clock and unable to score within 30 seconds. In the second period, Cox was moving and shooting, getting three takedowns and forcing a step out to dominate the action.
A three-time NCAA champion for Missouri, Cox now boasts a pair of bronze medals, his 2016 Olympic bronze from Rio de Janeiro, and a 2017 World bronze in Paris.
“It was a tough day. I had some tough matches. I didn’t come out on top in one of them, but I ended the day on a high note. I want to thank my parents who are here. I want to thank the USA Wrestling team, which has been awesome. Today was awful for me. I wrestled really bad. My body was feeling bad, I was hurting. No excuses though. When I show up to the mat, I am ready to go. Sometimes, the other guys out did me in the battles. At the end of the day, I had fun,” said Cox.
Cox opened with a 6-1 win against 2012 Junior World silver medalist Ahmed Dudarov of Germany. In the second round, he came from behind with a six point deficit, before beating Campbell University wrestler Ville Tapa Heino of Finland, 9-6. His quarterfinals win was a close 3-2 victory over Zbigniew Baranoski of Poland. In the semifinals, he fell behind to Boris Makoev of Slovakia, 6-0, before eventually losing 6-3.
Gwiazdowski controlled the action in his bronze-medal bout, defeating 2014 Asian silver medalist Zolboo Natsagsuren of Mongolia, 6-1. Gwiazdowski was ahead 3-0 at the break, on a shot clock violation against Natsagsuren and a double leg takedown. He finished another takedown and pushout for the margin of victory.
“Today was a good day on the mats, minus one match. At the World Championships, it feels good leaving with something. I don’t know if it was what the staff was telling me and I started believing it, or if it was true. But every day they said I was looking good. I don’t know about that. But it showed out there in the ones I won. I did good,” said Gwiazdowski.
Gwiazdowski scored a 10-0 technical fall over Moldova’s Andrei Romanov in round one. He came back with a strong 10-1 win over No. 4 seed Daniel Ligeti of Hungary. In the quarterfinals, Gwiazdowski won a tough battle against 2017 Asian champion Yadolla Mohebi of Iran, 5-4. 2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Taha Akgul of Turkey defeated In the semifinals, Gwiazdowski in the semifinals, 10-0.
The other U.S. athlete competing on Friday, 2016 World champion Logan Stieber (Columbus, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) went 1-2 for the day and did not reach the medal rounds. Seeded No. 1, his losses were to 2016 European champion Gadzhimurad Rashidov of Russia and Olympic and World champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia.
The United States is in first place in the team standings after day one with 25 points, ahead of second place Russia with 23 points and Turkey in third place with 19 points.
Trackwrestling and Titan Mercury Wrestling Club are partnering to provide the live stream from Paris. Fans can watch live and archived video by purchasing a single World Championship pay-per-view for a special promotional price of $9.99 by going to www.trackwrestling.com/UWW.
World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France
Results for August 25
57 kg/125.5 lbs.
Gold - Yuki Takahashi (Japan)
Silver - Thomas Gilman (USA)
Bronze –Andrey Yatsenko (Ukraine)
Bronze – Bekhbayar Erdenebat (Mongolia)
5th - Hak-Jin Jong (North Korea)
5th - Vladimer Dubov (Bulgaria)
7th - Sandeep Tomar (India)
8th - Nodirjon Safarov (Uzbekistan)
9th - Sunggwon Kim (Korea)
10th - Givi Davidovi (Italy)
Gold - Yuki Takahashi (Japan) dec. Thomas Gilman (USA), 6-0
Bronze –Andrey Yatsenko (Ukraine) tech. fall Hak-Jin Jong (North Korea), 12-2
Bronze – Bekhbayar Erdenebat (Mongolia) dec. Vladimer Dubov (Bulgaria), 9-2
61 kg/134 lbs.
Gold - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
Silver - Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia)
Bronze –Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia)
Bronze – Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba)
5th - Cengizhan Erdogan (Turkey), 3-0
5th - Rinya Nakamura (Japan), 10-0
7th - Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan)
8th - Ivan Guidea (Romania)
9th - Mykola Bolotnjuk (Slovakia)
10th - Ivan Bileichuk (Ukraine)
Gold - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) pin Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia), 5:31
Bronze –Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia) dec. Cengizhan Erdogan (Turkey), 3-0
Bronze – Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba) tech. fall Rinya Nakamura (Japan), 10-0
86 kg/189 lbs.
Gold - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran)
Silver - Boris Makoev (Slovakia)
Bronze –Vladislav Valiev (Russia)
Bronze – J’den Cox (United States)
5th - Aleksander Gostiev (Azerbaijan)
5th - Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria)
7th - Selim Yasar (Turkey)
8th - Yurieski Torreblanca Queralta (Cuba)
9th - Zbigniew Baranowski (Poland)
10th - Piotr Ianulov (Moldova)
Gold - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) tech. fall Boris Makoev (Slovakia), 10-0
Bronze –Vladislav Valiev (Russia) dec. Aleksander Gostiev (Azerbaijan), 3-1
Bronze – J’den Cox (United States) dec. Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria), 8-0
125 kg/275 lbs.
Gold - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia)
Silver - Taha Akgul (Turkey)
Bronze –Nick Gwiazdowski (United States)
Bronze –Levan Berianidze (Armenia)
5th - Zolboo Natsagsuren (Mongolia)
5th - Anzor Khizriev (Russia)
7th - Korey Jarvis (Canada)
8th - Aiaal Lazarev (Kyrgyzstan)
9th - Yadollah Mohebi (Iran)
10th - Taiki Yamamoto (Japan)
Gold - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) dec. Taha Akgul (Turkey), 10-8
Bronze –Nick Gwiazdowski (United States) dec. Zolboo Natsagsuren (Mongolia), 6-1
Bronze –Levan Berianidze (Armenia) dec. Anzor Khizriev (Russia), 3-0
U.S. performances
57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman, Council Bluffs, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC), silver medal
WIN Andrey Yatsenko (Ukraine), 5-2
WIN Reza Ahmad Atrinagharchi (Iran), 3-0
WIN Nadirjon Safarov (Uzbekistan), tech. fall 12-1
WIN Hakjin Jong (North Korea), 5-4
LOSS Yuki Takahashi (Japan), 6-0
61 kg/134 lbs. - Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC), dnp/12th
LOSS Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia), tech. fall 11-0
WIN Joszef Molnar (Hungary), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia), tech fall, 10-0
86 kg/189 lbs. - J’den Cox, Columbia, Mo. (Titan Mercury WC/Missouri WF), bronze medal
WIN Ahmed Dudarov (Germany), 6-1
WIN Ville Tapa Heino (Finland), 9-6
WIN Zbigniew Baranoski (Poland), 3-2
LOSS Boris Makoev (Slovakia), 6-3
WIN Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria), 8-0
125 kg/275 lbs. - Nick Gwiazdowski, Raleigh, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack WC), bronze medal
WIN Andrei Romanov (Moldova), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Daniel Ligeti (Hungary), 10-1
WIN Yadolla Mohebi (Iran), 5-4
LOSS Taha Akgul (Turkey), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Zolboo Natsagsuren (Mongolia), 6-1
Top 10 team standings after day one
1 UNITED STATES 25
2 RUSSIA 23
3 TURKEY 19
4 GEORGIA 18
5 JAPAN 17
6 AZERBAIJAN 16
7 MONGOLIA 14
8 IRAN 12
9 BULGARIA 12
10 SLOVAKIA 12
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