McMann vs. Polovneva 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 Sara McMann vs. Anna Polovneva men's freestyle gold-medal match at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the Sunkist Kids International Open in Chandler, Ariz.
Whenever two top international wrestlers meet for a tournament title, regardless of the time of the year, it is an important match. This is especially true when world powers Russia and the United States face off on the mat.
Sara McMann has developed into one of the world's top female wrestlers. After attending high school in North Carolina, McMann initially attended the Univ. of Minnesota-Morris, which had a women's wrestling team. She transferred to Lock Haven Univ., where she competed on the men's varsity wrestling team. It was at Lock Haven where her freestyle wrestling career thrived and she reached No. 1 status on Team USA.
McMann's first year at the top came in 2000, when she won both the U.S. Nationals and the World Team Trials and placed ninth in the World Championship. Every year since then, for eight straight years, McMann has remained No. 1 on Women's Team USA and competed for the USA at the World Championships or Olympics.
Her first World medal came in 2003, when she made the World Championship finals in Madison Square Garden in New York City, losing to talented Kaori Icho of Japan. She has developed a long rivalry with Icho. After qualifying for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, McMann made the gold-medal finals at the Olympics in Athens, Greece, falling to Icho in a very competitive championship bout.
McMann has won two more World medals for the United States, winning bronze medals at the 2005 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary and the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. She also won gold medals at the 2003 and 2007 Pan American Games, the first U.S. women's wrestler to win that prestigious event twice. In 2007, she added a World Cup gold medal to her long list of achievements.
Still, McMann is still driven by the desire to win a gold medal for the USA at the World Championships or Olympics. She boasts a win over Icho on an international tour the year prior to the Olympics, but has not beaten Icho when they have met at a World Championships or Olympic Games. Her next chance could be at the 2008 Olympics, if both of them make their team.
Anna Polovneva of Russia came through their age-group program, winning a Cadet European title in 2002 and a Junior World title in 2003. She moved quickly into a prominent place on the Russian Senior team, competing in the Senior World Championships in 2002 at the age of 18.
Polovneva has many tough competitors in her weight class within Russia, but has gotten her share of major events. She was also a member of the 2005 World Team, placing fifth in the standings. Polovneva wrestled four times at the Women's World Cup, with her best performance a bronze medal in 2004. Perhaps her biggest success was her 2007 European Championships gold medal, when she competed up a division at 67 kg.
The Sunkist Kids International comes in October, and both McMann and Polovneva entered as a way to get quality competition heading into the Olympic year.
McMann needed three matches to reach the finals. Her opening win was over U.S. rival Randi Miller, 3-0, 2-1. Miller had upset McMann at the 2007 Dave Schultz Memorial. In round two, she beat Samantha Stych by technical fall, 7-0, 6-0. Her semifinal victory was a second period pin over Alaina Berube, the runner-up at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials to McMann.
Polovneva also won three straight bouts in the tournament. She beat Marina Piccolotti 5-1, 7-0, then scored a 6-0, 7-0 technical fall over Diana Miranda of Mexico. In the semifinals, she stopped Helen Hennick of Canada 3-1, 1-0.
The finals bout was controlled by the experienced McMann, who needed just two periods to beat Polovneva in the finals, 3-0, 3-0. Both athletes have now focused their attention on qualifying for their respective 2008 Olympic Teams.
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 Danny Felix vs. Sam Hazewinkel men's freestyle gold-medal match at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the 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 Sara McMann vs. Anna Polovneva men's freestyle gold-medal match at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the Sunkist Kids International Open in Chandler, Ariz.
Whenever two top international wrestlers meet for a tournament title, regardless of the time of the year, it is an important match. This is especially true when world powers Russia and the United States face off on the mat.
Sara McMann has developed into one of the world's top female wrestlers. After attending high school in North Carolina, McMann initially attended the Univ. of Minnesota-Morris, which had a women's wrestling team. She transferred to Lock Haven Univ., where she competed on the men's varsity wrestling team. It was at Lock Haven where her freestyle wrestling career thrived and she reached No. 1 status on Team USA.
McMann's first year at the top came in 2000, when she won both the U.S. Nationals and the World Team Trials and placed ninth in the World Championship. Every year since then, for eight straight years, McMann has remained No. 1 on Women's Team USA and competed for the USA at the World Championships or Olympics.
Her first World medal came in 2003, when she made the World Championship finals in Madison Square Garden in New York City, losing to talented Kaori Icho of Japan. She has developed a long rivalry with Icho. After qualifying for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, McMann made the gold-medal finals at the Olympics in Athens, Greece, falling to Icho in a very competitive championship bout.
McMann has won two more World medals for the United States, winning bronze medals at the 2005 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary and the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. She also won gold medals at the 2003 and 2007 Pan American Games, the first U.S. women's wrestler to win that prestigious event twice. In 2007, she added a World Cup gold medal to her long list of achievements.
Still, McMann is still driven by the desire to win a gold medal for the USA at the World Championships or Olympics. She boasts a win over Icho on an international tour the year prior to the Olympics, but has not beaten Icho when they have met at a World Championships or Olympic Games. Her next chance could be at the 2008 Olympics, if both of them make their team.
Anna Polovneva of Russia came through their age-group program, winning a Cadet European title in 2002 and a Junior World title in 2003. She moved quickly into a prominent place on the Russian Senior team, competing in the Senior World Championships in 2002 at the age of 18.
Polovneva has many tough competitors in her weight class within Russia, but has gotten her share of major events. She was also a member of the 2005 World Team, placing fifth in the standings. Polovneva wrestled four times at the Women's World Cup, with her best performance a bronze medal in 2004. Perhaps her biggest success was her 2007 European Championships gold medal, when she competed up a division at 67 kg.
The Sunkist Kids International comes in October, and both McMann and Polovneva entered as a way to get quality competition heading into the Olympic year.
McMann needed three matches to reach the finals. Her opening win was over U.S. rival Randi Miller, 3-0, 2-1. Miller had upset McMann at the 2007 Dave Schultz Memorial. In round two, she beat Samantha Stych by technical fall, 7-0, 6-0. Her semifinal victory was a second period pin over Alaina Berube, the runner-up at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials to McMann.
Polovneva also won three straight bouts in the tournament. She beat Marina Piccolotti 5-1, 7-0, then scored a 6-0, 7-0 technical fall over Diana Miranda of Mexico. In the semifinals, she stopped Helen Hennick of Canada 3-1, 1-0.
The finals bout was controlled by the experienced McMann, who needed just two periods to beat Polovneva in the finals, 3-0, 3-0. Both athletes have now focused their attention on qualifying for their respective 2008 Olympic Teams.
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 Danny Felix vs. Sam Hazewinkel men's freestyle gold-medal match at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the Sunkist Kids International Open in Chandler, Ariz. Many other entertaining and historic matches are in the archive section for the Bout of the Week.
