Photo: Abe Assad and his coach Israel Martinez of Izzy Style Wrestling. Photo by USA Wrestling.
ZAGREB, Croatia – USA’s Cadet men’s freestyle team collected two silver and one bronze medals in the evening session of Tuesday action at the Cadet World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.
Daniel Greg Kerkvliet and Richard Figueroa finished their 2018 Cadet World Championships with silver medals, and Abe Assad claimed a bronze medal.
2017 World champion Kerkvliet fell short in his quest for a second-consecutive Cadet World title, falling in the 110 kg final.
Kerkvliet’s opponent, 2018 Cadet Asian champion Amir Zare of Iran, got out to an early lead with a shot clock point and a step out. Kerkvliet was back in it with a strong takedown, but the Iranian’s power was too much. Zare scored two more step outs and a takedown to earn an eventual 7-4 win.
Kerkvliet is a two-time Cadet World medalist, winning gold in 2017 and taking home silver this year. The Minnesota native will be back in action in September to wrestle for Team USA at the Junior World Championships in Slovakia.
In the 48 kg gold-medal bout, Figueroa took at 1-0 lead over 2017 Cadet World champion Alihasan Amirli of Azerbaijan. But with just over a minute left, Amirli appeared to catch Figueroa off balance, scoring four on a feet-to-back takedown. Figueroa fought until the end, attempting a throw but ended up on his back, giving Amirli a 6-1 win.
A native of California, Figueroa finishes his first international outing with a Cadet World silver medal. He adds to the Figueroa trophy case as his sister, Gracie, was a 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist.
Assad was the definition of resilient tonight as he bounced back from a four-point deficit to claim a World bronze medal.
Taking on Sagadulla Agaev of Azerbaijan in the bronze bout, Assad gave up a four-pointer at the end of the first period. A pair of takedowns within the last 1:10 of the bout pushed Assad to a 7-6 win and a World bronze medal.
“[American wrestlers] break people. It’s plain and simple,” Assad said. “We get them tired. They can’t hang with us and that’s when we score our points…I felt him getting tired. I just had to keep wrestling him.”
Assad, who fell in the championship bracket to Cadet Asian champion Mohammedreza Ghiyasi of Iran on Monday, put together a solid day to put himself in position to wrestle for bronze, winning bouts against Batmagnai Enkhtuvshin of Mongolia, 10-4, and Joshua Morodion of Germany, 12-0.
Halfway through the tournament, with five weight classes completed, the USA stands in fourth place with 65 points. Azerbaijan is in first with 85 points, Russia in second with 81 points and Iran in third with 65 points.
The tournament continues tomorrow with repechage and medal matches at 45 kg, 51 kg, 60 kg, 71 kg and 92 kg in men’s freestyle as well as the start of the women’s freestyle tournament.
Action starts at 10:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET) with medal bouts set for 6 p.m. (12 p.m. ET) live on Trackwrestling.com.
2018 CADET WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Zagreb, Croatia, July 2-8
Finals results
48 kg
GOLD - Alihasan AMIRLI (AZE)
SILVER - Richard FIGUEROA (USA)
BRONZE - Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO)
BRONZE - Valerii ANDROSOV (RUS)
1st – Alihasan AMIRLI (AZE) dec. Richard FIGUEROA (USA), 6-1
3rd - Valerii ANDROSOV (RUS) dec. Mykyta ABRAMOV (UKR), 10-8
3rd - Giorgi GEGLASHVILI (GEO) dec. Mahdi VEISI (Iran), 4-2
55 kg
GOLD - Jamshidbek MARUFOV (UZB)
SILVER - Hayato FUJITA (JPN)
BRONZE - Simone PIRODDU (ITA)
BRONZE - Abulfaz NASIROV (AZE)
1st - Jamshidbek MARUFOV (UZB) dec. Hayato FUJITA (JPN), 4-3
3rd - Abulfaz NASIROV (AZE) fall Daviti ABDALADZE (GEO), 1:11
3rd - Simone PIRODDU (ITA) dec. Norik HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 5-3
65 kg
GOLD - Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE)
SILVER - Inalbek SHERIEV (RUS)
BRONZE - Bekzat ZHALGASSOV (KAZ)
BRONZE - Mohammad KARIMISEIFABAD (IRI)
1st - Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) dec. Inalbek SHERIEV (RUS), 4-1
3rd - Bekzat ZHALGASSOV (KAZ) dec. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), 8-2
3rd - Mohammad KARIMISEIFABAD (IRI) dec. Narek HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 10-5
80 kg
GOLD - Dmitrii ELKANOV (RUS)
SILVER - Mohammedreza GHIYASI (IRI)
BRONZE - Milan KORCSOG (HUN)
BRONZE - Abe ASSAD (USA)
1st - Dmitrii ELKANOV (Russia) dec. Mohammedreza GHIYASI (IRI), 9-6
3rd -Milan KORCSOG (HUN) TF Carson Barry Lee (CAN), 11-0
3rd - Abe ASSAD (USA) dec. Sagadulla AGAEV (AZE), 7-6
110 kg
GOLD - Amir ZARE (IRI)
SILVER - Daniel KERKVLIET (USA)
BRONZE - Stoyan YORDANOV (BUL)
BRONZE - Sergei KOZYREV (RUS)
1st - Amir ZARE (IRI) dec. Daniel KERKVLIET (USA), 7-4
3rd - Stoyan YORDANOV (BUL) dec. Islam ABUEV (AZE), 3-3
3rd - Sergei KOZYREV (RUS) TF Kumar ANIRUDH (IND), 10-0
U.S. men’s freestyle results
48 kg/106 lbs. – Richard Figueroa, Sanger, Calif. (Sunkist Kids/Monster Garage) – SILVER
WIN Xiaolong Ye (China), fall 0:54
WIN Valerii Androsov (Russia), 10-0
WIN Mykyta Abramov (Ukraine), 10-4
LOSS Alihasan Amirli (Azerbaijan), 6-1
55 kg/121 lbs. – Robert Howard, Cranford, N.J. (Titan Mercury/Bitetto Trained), 9th place
WIN Aliaksei Kukharchyk (Belarus), 14-3
LOSS Simone Piroddu (Italy), 9-3
65 kg/143 lbs. – Carson Manville, Shakopee, Minn. (Banditos WC), 8th place
WIN Deividas Peciulis (Lithuania) , 13-2
LOSS Masaki Sato (Japan), 11-0
80 kg/176 lbs. – Abe Assad, Carol Stream, Ill. (Izzy Style WC) - BRONZE
WIN Medet Biliciturk (Turkey), 2-1
LOSS Mohammadreza Ghiyasi (Iran), 10-0
WIN Batmagnai Enkhtuvshin (Mongolia), 10-4
WIN Joshua Morodion (Germany), 12-0
WIN Sagadulla Agaev (Azerbaijan), 7-6
110 kg/242 lbs. – Daniel “Greg” Kerkvliet, Inver Grove, Minn. (Titan Mercury/Pinnacle) - SILVER
WIN Filip Jires (Czech Republic), 10-0
WIN Vasyl Sova (Ukraine), 10-0
WIN Kumar Anirudh (India), 10-0
WIN Sergey Kozyrev (Russia), 2-2
LOSS Amir Zare (Iran), 7-4