McMann, Marano win gold medals as U.S. edges Canada for title at Pan American Games
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by Craig Sesker
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Sara McMann won her second Pan American Games title and Kristie Marano her first as the United States edged Canada for the team title in women's freestyle.
American Marcie Van Dusen lost a controversial finals match to finish second and earn a silver medal. Teammate Stephanie Murata won a bronze medal on Thursday night at the Riocentro Sports Complex.
The U.S. women swept all four weight classes in the 2003 Pan American Games.
Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), a past World University champion, lost a bizarre and disputed match with Jackeline Renteria of Colombia in the finals at 55 kg/121 lbs.
Van Dusen, who made her first U.S. World Team this year, trailed 2-0 late in the third period before scoring a takedown. She then cranked Renteria to her back in the final seconds and was awarded two points for an apparent 3-2 win. But officials reviewed the videotape and decided to take the points off the scoreboard. That gave Renteria a 2-1 win in the period and gave her the match.
Van Dusen lost the first period and stormed back to win the second. Renteria shot in for a takedown to open the third-period scoring. Van Dusen then tried to get free, but Renteria still had control and tripped her back to the mat. The official inexplicably gave Renteria a second takedown even though Van Dusen had never broken free after she was taken down the first time.
"This is extremely disappointing," Van Dusen said. "I've never been completely cheated out of a match like that before. It's just shocking."
USA Wrestling Women's Freestyle Coach Terry Steiner was disappointed with the turn of events.
"When they reviewed the last sequence, they said it was illegal and said Marcie was on the toe," Steiner said. "I will have to go back and really see that. It was the same hold she did two times in the second period to get four points, so if one's legal then so is the other.
"The bigger thing is when they call to review something they need to review everything in the match. The points in the match that really made the difference were on the single leg the girl had. We had a whizzer in and they gave one point when we were on our knees. We stood up and she tripped Marcie down to the mat and they gave her another point for the same thing. The FILA representative running the tournament later admitted that was a mistake, but you can't overrule it because all three refs agreed on the call. There needs to be some protocol where FILA can step in if they know something's wrong."
Marano (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), a two-time World champion and eight-time World medalist, executed a sweet arm throw late in the first period to pin Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada in the finals at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. It was a rematch of their bronze-medal match at the 2006 Worlds, which Marano also won.
"It was a battle - I just had to wait for an opening and once I got one I took it," Marano said. "I've wrestled her a couple times and she's a real tough competitor. This tournament was a real good experience for me."
McMann (Gaffney, S.C./Sunkist Kids), a past Olympic silver medalist, came out aggressively early in an impressive 5-0, 2-1 finals win over a physical, hard-nosed opponent in Yoselin Rojas of Venezuela. McMann was dominant the whole day at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.
"I knew she was going to be tough and she was very strong and really scrappy," said McMann, who also won the Pan Am Games in 2003. "They will fight down to the last second. This was a good step for me to keep building momentum for the World Championships and eventually the Olympics. It was a good steppingstone for me."
Murata (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), a past World silver medalist, rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Ecuador's Diana Piza in the bronze-medal match at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Murata came back strong after falling to World silver and bronze medalist Carol Huynh of Canada in the semifinals.
"It's always a good learning experience competing in an event like this," Murata said. "Carol's a great competitor and it's always fun to wrestle her because of that. You're always going to have to fight to win. Hopefully, we'll get to meet again at the Worlds and maybe things will go differently next time."
McMann said she has enjoyed taking part in her second Pan Am Games experience.
"It's been wonderful - it's so awesome," McMann said. "I love seeing so many countries around in so many different sports. You walk in the cafeteria and you see like Brazil boxing and people like that. It's really awesome to be a part of this event."
The women competed in the four Olympic weight classes at the Pan American Games.
The seven-member U.S. men's freestyle team is scheduled to compete Friday and Saturday.
American freestyle wrestlers Henry Cejudo (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), Doug Schwab (Iowa City, Iowa/Gator WC), Andy Hrovat (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC) and Tommy Rowlands (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) will compete Friday.
Cejudo competes at 55 kg/121 lbs., Schwab at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Hrovat at 84 kg/185 lbs. and Rowlands at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Cejudo, Schwab and Rowlands each made their first World Team this year.
The U.S. medal count in wrestling now stands at 10 after Day 3 of the five-day competition.
THURSDAY'S PAN AMERICAN GAMES MEDALISTS
48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Gold - Carol Huynh (Canada)
Silver - Ingrid Medrano (El Salvador)
Bronze - Stephanie Murata (USA)
Bronze - Mayelis Carip (Venezuela)
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold - Jackeline Renteria (Colombia)
Silver - Marcie Van Dusen (USA)
Bronze - Tonya Verbeek (Canada)
Bronze - Marcia Andrade (Venezuela)
63 kg/138.75 lbs.
Gold - Sara McMann (USA)
Silver - Yoselin Rojas (Venezuela)
Bronze - Megan Dolan (Canada)
72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Gold - Kristie Marano (USA)
Silver - Ohenewa Akuffo (Canada)
Bronze - Rosangela Conceicao (Brazil)
U.S. MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Stephanie Murata, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) - 3rd
WIN Daney Cespedes (Peru) fall
LOSS Carol Huynh (Canada) 1-5, 0-1
WIN Diana Piza (Ecuador) 6-0, 6-0
55 kg/121 lbs. - Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) - 2nd
WIN Tahamara Barron (Mexico) 7-1, 8-0
WIN Tonya Verbeek (Canada) 0-7, 2-1, 7-2
LOSS Jackeline Renteria (Colombia) 0-1, 7-0, 1-2
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Sara McMann, Gaffney, S.C. (Sunkist Kids) - 1st
WIN Megan Dolan (Canada) fall
WIN Candida de Armas (Cuba) 7-0, 4-0
WIN Yoselin Rojas (Venezuela) 5-0
72 kg/158.5 lbs. - Kristie Marano, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) - 1st
WIN Sulmira Brea (Dominican Republic) 6-0, 4-2
WIN Rosangela Conceicao (Brazil) 3-1, 1-1
WIN Ohenewa Akuffo (Canada) fall 1:51
American Marcie Van Dusen lost a controversial finals match to finish second and earn a silver medal. Teammate Stephanie Murata won a bronze medal on Thursday night at the Riocentro Sports Complex.
The U.S. women swept all four weight classes in the 2003 Pan American Games.
Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), a past World University champion, lost a bizarre and disputed match with Jackeline Renteria of Colombia in the finals at 55 kg/121 lbs.
Van Dusen, who made her first U.S. World Team this year, trailed 2-0 late in the third period before scoring a takedown. She then cranked Renteria to her back in the final seconds and was awarded two points for an apparent 3-2 win. But officials reviewed the videotape and decided to take the points off the scoreboard. That gave Renteria a 2-1 win in the period and gave her the match.
Van Dusen lost the first period and stormed back to win the second. Renteria shot in for a takedown to open the third-period scoring. Van Dusen then tried to get free, but Renteria still had control and tripped her back to the mat. The official inexplicably gave Renteria a second takedown even though Van Dusen had never broken free after she was taken down the first time.
"This is extremely disappointing," Van Dusen said. "I've never been completely cheated out of a match like that before. It's just shocking."
USA Wrestling Women's Freestyle Coach Terry Steiner was disappointed with the turn of events.
"When they reviewed the last sequence, they said it was illegal and said Marcie was on the toe," Steiner said. "I will have to go back and really see that. It was the same hold she did two times in the second period to get four points, so if one's legal then so is the other.
"The bigger thing is when they call to review something they need to review everything in the match. The points in the match that really made the difference were on the single leg the girl had. We had a whizzer in and they gave one point when we were on our knees. We stood up and she tripped Marcie down to the mat and they gave her another point for the same thing. The FILA representative running the tournament later admitted that was a mistake, but you can't overrule it because all three refs agreed on the call. There needs to be some protocol where FILA can step in if they know something's wrong."
Marano (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), a two-time World champion and eight-time World medalist, executed a sweet arm throw late in the first period to pin Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada in the finals at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. It was a rematch of their bronze-medal match at the 2006 Worlds, which Marano also won.
"It was a battle - I just had to wait for an opening and once I got one I took it," Marano said. "I've wrestled her a couple times and she's a real tough competitor. This tournament was a real good experience for me."
McMann (Gaffney, S.C./Sunkist Kids), a past Olympic silver medalist, came out aggressively early in an impressive 5-0, 2-1 finals win over a physical, hard-nosed opponent in Yoselin Rojas of Venezuela. McMann was dominant the whole day at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.
"I knew she was going to be tough and she was very strong and really scrappy," said McMann, who also won the Pan Am Games in 2003. "They will fight down to the last second. This was a good step for me to keep building momentum for the World Championships and eventually the Olympics. It was a good steppingstone for me."
Murata (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), a past World silver medalist, rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Ecuador's Diana Piza in the bronze-medal match at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Murata came back strong after falling to World silver and bronze medalist Carol Huynh of Canada in the semifinals.
"It's always a good learning experience competing in an event like this," Murata said. "Carol's a great competitor and it's always fun to wrestle her because of that. You're always going to have to fight to win. Hopefully, we'll get to meet again at the Worlds and maybe things will go differently next time."
McMann said she has enjoyed taking part in her second Pan Am Games experience.
"It's been wonderful - it's so awesome," McMann said. "I love seeing so many countries around in so many different sports. You walk in the cafeteria and you see like Brazil boxing and people like that. It's really awesome to be a part of this event."
The women competed in the four Olympic weight classes at the Pan American Games.
The seven-member U.S. men's freestyle team is scheduled to compete Friday and Saturday.
American freestyle wrestlers Henry Cejudo (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), Doug Schwab (Iowa City, Iowa/Gator WC), Andy Hrovat (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC) and Tommy Rowlands (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) will compete Friday.
Cejudo competes at 55 kg/121 lbs., Schwab at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Hrovat at 84 kg/185 lbs. and Rowlands at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Cejudo, Schwab and Rowlands each made their first World Team this year.
The U.S. medal count in wrestling now stands at 10 after Day 3 of the five-day competition.
THURSDAY'S PAN AMERICAN GAMES MEDALISTS
48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Gold - Carol Huynh (Canada)
Silver - Ingrid Medrano (El Salvador)
Bronze - Stephanie Murata (USA)
Bronze - Mayelis Carip (Venezuela)
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold - Jackeline Renteria (Colombia)
Silver - Marcie Van Dusen (USA)
Bronze - Tonya Verbeek (Canada)
Bronze - Marcia Andrade (Venezuela)
63 kg/138.75 lbs.
Gold - Sara McMann (USA)
Silver - Yoselin Rojas (Venezuela)
Bronze - Megan Dolan (Canada)
72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Gold - Kristie Marano (USA)
Silver - Ohenewa Akuffo (Canada)
Bronze - Rosangela Conceicao (Brazil)
U.S. MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Stephanie Murata, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) - 3rd
WIN Daney Cespedes (Peru) fall
LOSS Carol Huynh (Canada) 1-5, 0-1
WIN Diana Piza (Ecuador) 6-0, 6-0
55 kg/121 lbs. - Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) - 2nd
WIN Tahamara Barron (Mexico) 7-1, 8-0
WIN Tonya Verbeek (Canada) 0-7, 2-1, 7-2
LOSS Jackeline Renteria (Colombia) 0-1, 7-0, 1-2
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Sara McMann, Gaffney, S.C. (Sunkist Kids) - 1st
WIN Megan Dolan (Canada) fall
WIN Candida de Armas (Cuba) 7-0, 4-0
WIN Yoselin Rojas (Venezuela) 5-0
72 kg/158.5 lbs. - Kristie Marano, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) - 1st
WIN Sulmira Brea (Dominican Republic) 6-0, 4-2
WIN Rosangela Conceicao (Brazil) 3-1, 1-1
WIN Ohenewa Akuffo (Canada) fall 1:51
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