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Schwab qualifies for repechage, Askren eliminated in Olympic freestyle action on Wednesday |
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
08/20/2008 |
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BEIJING, CHINA – Doug Schwab (Iowa City, Iowa/Gator WC) dropped his first at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., but has been drawn back into the repechage rounds, with a chance to still win a bronze medal at the Olympic freestyle wrestling competition at the China Agricultural University Gymnasium.
Schwab was defeated in his opening match by 2006 World bronze medalist Andriy Stadnik of Ukraine, 2-0, 4-0. Stadnick scored two takedowns in the first period, and had a three-point throw in the opening seconds of the second period to take the match.
After beating Schwab, Stadnik won three more matches to qualify for the gold-medal finals. His semifinal victory over Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhstan put Schwab back into the repechage rounds. Only athletes who lose to a gold-medal finalist may enter the repechage, which determines the bronze medalists.
Schwab will compete against Sushil Kumar of India in his first repechage match. He will need to win three matches on Wednesday afternoon in order to claim a bronze medal.
Schwab is wrestling in his first Olympic Games. Schwab was fifth at the 2007 World Championships. He is a native of Osage, Iowa, and was a NCAA champion for the Univ. of Iowa. He is currently an assistant wrestling coach at Iowa. Schwab was married a few days after the Olympic Trials. He beat 2006 World champion Bill Zadick in the finals of the Olympic Trials. His older brother Mark was a talented freestyle wrestler.
Finishing his day with a 1-1 record, but eliminated from medal contention, was Ben Askren (Columbia, Mo./Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs. Both are competing in their first Olympic Games.
Askren opened with a pin over Istvan Vereb of Hungary, 0-2, 0:44. Vereb won the first period with two takedowns. Askren came out quickly in the second period with a double leg takedown, and later, after a Vereb attempt, Askren locked up a cradle and pinned Vereb in 44 seconds.
He was defeated in the second match by 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Ivan Fundora of Cuba, 3-1, 4-0. Fundora had two takedowns in the first period, one of which had exposure. In the second, Fundora ripped off four different takedowns to control the period.
Askren was eliminated from medal contention when Fundora was defeated in the quarterfinals by two-time Olympic champion Buvaisa Saytiev of Russia, 2-0, 2-1.
Askren is competing on first U.S. Senior team. He is from Hartland, Wis., and was a two-time NCAA champion for the Univ. of Missouri. Askren won two Hodge Awards as the nation’s top college wrestler. Askren is known for his flair on the mat and his personality off the mat. He has often worn his hair long, and fans wear Ben Askren wigs in the crowd. However, Askren cut his hair early in the Olympic Games seeking an edge on the competition. His younger brother Max is his training partner in Beijing.
U.S. performances
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Doug Schwab (Iowa City, Iowa/Gator WC)
First match –Andriy Stadnik (Ukraine) dec. Doug Schwab (USA), 2-0, 4-0
Will face Sushil Kumar of India in first repechage match
74 kg/163 lbs - Ben Askren (Columbia, Mo./Sunkist Kids)
First match – Ben Askren (USA) pin Istvan Vereb (Hungary), 0-2, 0:44
Second match – Ivan Fundora (Cuba) dec. Ben Askren (USA), 3-1, 4-0
Askren is eliminated
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