Jantzen vs. Batirov is the new Bout of the Week on TheMat.com Audio/Video website
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by Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling has updated its new "Bout of the Week" which has been posted as a video file on-line on TheMat.com Audio/Video website .
The featured match this week is the 2007 Jesse Jantzen vs. Shamil Batirov men's freestyle match at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. at the NYAC vs. Russia World Dual meet in West Orange, N.J.
Based upon his success in high school and college wrestling, Jesse Jantzen is a popular and respected wrestler on the East Coast.
As a prep star for Shoreham-Wading River High School on Long Island, Jantzen became the first four-time New York state high school champion (1997-2000). He also won a National High School title, and closed his career with a Junior National title. Jantzen was selected as the 2000 ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year.
He followed that up with a spectacular career at Harvard, winning the NCAA title in 2004, and placing third in the NCAA two times. Jantzen was the greatest wrestler in Harvard history, and helped coach Jay Weiss to build a program that is now respected nationally.
His style of wrestling was very successful in American folkstyle, as Jantzen was a terror on the top, able to turn opponents often with a variety of interesting techniques.
Jantzen turned his efforts to freestyle after graduation. In 2005, he placed sixth at the U.S. National Championships. He also won the University World Team Trials, qualifying the compete in the 2005 World University Games in Izmir, Turkey. Jantzen became only the third U.S. wrestler to win a gold medal at the World University Games when he captured the title at 66 kg, joining Wade Schalles and Bruce Baumgartner with that honor (two more U.S. wrestlers won later in the meet, Nate Gallick and Tommy Rowlands).
Jantzen missed the 2006 international season with an injury. He agreed to compete in a NYAC vs. Russia dual meet in West Orange, N.J. in November 2007 as an opportunity to get back on the mat and get a quality match prior to the busy Olympic year ahead.
The Russian team that came to the USA in November 2007 included many of the most promising young athletes in the nation. Shamil Batirov is one of the athletes expected to make an impact in upcoming seasons. He won European titles as a Cadet in 2002 and a Junior in 2004. In 2005, Batirov won a gold medal at the Junior World Championships at 66 kg. His first major Senior level event was the 2007 World Cup, where he claimed a bronze medal.
The event in New Jersey featured a USA vs. Russia freestyle dual and a USA vs. Romania Greco-Roman dual. Event organizers switched the styles every match. Things were not going well for the USA early in the dual meet in New Jersey. The USA lost four straight matches, as the foreign competitors won at 55 kg and 60 kg in both styles.
Jantzen turned things around for both teams with a powerful victory over Batirov, 4-0, 4-1, including a big three point throw in the first period. Jantzen's spectacular wrestling fired up the sold-out crowd which roared with approval when Jantzen's arm was raised in victory.
Both the U.S. freestyle team, as well as the U.S. Greco-Roman team, came back to win their dual meets with victories at super heavyweight sealing the wins.
This popular feature will be changed on a regular basis, allowing members to enjoy many of the greatest matches in wrestling history. Posted in the archive section of the Members Only web page was the 2007 Sam Hazewinkel vs. Spenser Mango men's Greco-Roman championship match at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the 2007 Sunkist Kids International Open in Chandler, Ariz. Many other entertaining and historic matches are in the archive section for the Bout of the Week.
The featured match this week is the 2007 Jesse Jantzen vs. Shamil Batirov men's freestyle match at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. at the NYAC vs. Russia World Dual meet in West Orange, N.J.
Based upon his success in high school and college wrestling, Jesse Jantzen is a popular and respected wrestler on the East Coast.
As a prep star for Shoreham-Wading River High School on Long Island, Jantzen became the first four-time New York state high school champion (1997-2000). He also won a National High School title, and closed his career with a Junior National title. Jantzen was selected as the 2000 ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year.
He followed that up with a spectacular career at Harvard, winning the NCAA title in 2004, and placing third in the NCAA two times. Jantzen was the greatest wrestler in Harvard history, and helped coach Jay Weiss to build a program that is now respected nationally.
His style of wrestling was very successful in American folkstyle, as Jantzen was a terror on the top, able to turn opponents often with a variety of interesting techniques.
Jantzen turned his efforts to freestyle after graduation. In 2005, he placed sixth at the U.S. National Championships. He also won the University World Team Trials, qualifying the compete in the 2005 World University Games in Izmir, Turkey. Jantzen became only the third U.S. wrestler to win a gold medal at the World University Games when he captured the title at 66 kg, joining Wade Schalles and Bruce Baumgartner with that honor (two more U.S. wrestlers won later in the meet, Nate Gallick and Tommy Rowlands).
Jantzen missed the 2006 international season with an injury. He agreed to compete in a NYAC vs. Russia dual meet in West Orange, N.J. in November 2007 as an opportunity to get back on the mat and get a quality match prior to the busy Olympic year ahead.
The Russian team that came to the USA in November 2007 included many of the most promising young athletes in the nation. Shamil Batirov is one of the athletes expected to make an impact in upcoming seasons. He won European titles as a Cadet in 2002 and a Junior in 2004. In 2005, Batirov won a gold medal at the Junior World Championships at 66 kg. His first major Senior level event was the 2007 World Cup, where he claimed a bronze medal.
The event in New Jersey featured a USA vs. Russia freestyle dual and a USA vs. Romania Greco-Roman dual. Event organizers switched the styles every match. Things were not going well for the USA early in the dual meet in New Jersey. The USA lost four straight matches, as the foreign competitors won at 55 kg and 60 kg in both styles.
Jantzen turned things around for both teams with a powerful victory over Batirov, 4-0, 4-1, including a big three point throw in the first period. Jantzen's spectacular wrestling fired up the sold-out crowd which roared with approval when Jantzen's arm was raised in victory.
Both the U.S. freestyle team, as well as the U.S. Greco-Roman team, came back to win their dual meets with victories at super heavyweight sealing the wins.
This popular feature will be changed on a regular basis, allowing members to enjoy many of the greatest matches in wrestling history. Posted in the archive section of the Members Only web page was the 2007 Sam Hazewinkel vs. Spenser Mango men's Greco-Roman championship match at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the 2007 Sunkist Kids International Open in Chandler, Ariz. Many other entertaining and historic matches are in the archive section for the Bout of the Week.
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