Byers reaches finals at the World Championships in Greco-Roman wrestling.
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NOTE: The finals start at 7:30 p.m. Denmark time (11:30 a.m. Mountain Time). Byers will wrestle in the ninth, and final, match at approximately 8:30 p.m.
HERNING, Denmark - Dremiel Byers has reached the finals at the World Championships in Greco-Roman wrestling.
The 35-year-old Byers dug down deep, winning two matches about 15 minutes apart in the quarterfinals and semifinals. He beat Sweden's Jalmar Sjoeberg in the quarters and Germany's Nico Schmidt in the semis to reach the finals at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. on Sunday at the MesseCenter Herning.
"My coaches were telling me during training camp, 'Do it right, train right.' For once, I did it right," Byers said. "I worked hard, twice a day every day. I wasn't late for practice, I did what they asked me to do. Maybe these coaches do know what they're talking about. I just kept digging down and pushing the pace and pushing the pace. I was tired, but so was the other guy. I think I made them more tired than I was."
Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) will shoot for his second World title tonight against 2008 Olympic gold medalist and 2007 World champion Mijain Lopez of Cuba.
Byers, who competes for the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, won a World title in 2002 and a World bronze medal in 2007. He is a native of Kings Mountain, N.C.
Byers and Lopez won back-to-back matches in 2007 that gave the U.S. its only World team title in Greco-Roman wrestling. Byers won his bronze match and then Lopez won gold to give the U.S. a one-point win over Russia.
Byers and Lopez met earlier this year in Cuba, with Lopez winning the match.
Byers hoped to win the 2008 Olympic title in memory of his late grandfather, Theodore Byers. Now he has a chance to win his second World title.
Byers becomes the second American of this tournament to reach the finals. Jake Herbert placed second in freestyle at 84 kg/185 lbs.
Americans Harry Lester (74 kg/163 lbs.) and Faruk Sahin (66 kg/145.5 lbs.) fell short of placing on Sunday. Lester, a two-time World bronze medalist, went 0-2. Sahin, who made his first World Team, went 1-1.
Lester dropped a controversional match to hometown boy Mark Madsen of Denmark in the first round. Lester won the first period and Madsen the second. Lester was down in par terre in the final 30 seconds of the match.
Time was running down and the referee blew the whistle and penalized Lester a point for apparently pulling on Madsen's fingers. The U.S. protested as Lester shook his head and smiled in disbelief. The call was upheld and Madsen won.
Madsen advanced to the finals to pull Lester back in for the repechage, but Lester fell to Azerbaijan's Rafiq Huseynov and was eliminated from the tournament.
Lester is a two-time World bronze medalist. Madsen is a two-time World silver medalist and World bronze medalist.
More details will follow later on www.themat.com
This is the final day of the seven-day tournament.
U.S. RESULTS FROM SUNDAY'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Greco-Roman
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Faruk Sahin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
WIN Mikhail Siamionov (Belarus), 2-0, 1-0
LOSS Markus Thatner (Germany), 2-0, 0-2, 1-0
74 kg/163 lbs. - Harry Lester, Marquette, Mich. (New York AC)
LOSS Mark Madsen (Denmark), 0-4, 1-0, 3-0
LOSS Rafiq Huseynov (Azerbaijan)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
WIN Lukasz Banak (Poland), 1-0, 2-0
WIN Mihaly Deak-Bardos (Hungary), 2-0, 1-0
WIN Jalmar Sjoeberg (Sweden), 1-0, 0-1, 1-0
WIN Nico Schmidt (Germany), 3-0, 0-1, 3-0
FINALS vs. Mijain Lopez (Cuba)
HERNING, Denmark - Dremiel Byers has reached the finals at the World Championships in Greco-Roman wrestling.
The 35-year-old Byers dug down deep, winning two matches about 15 minutes apart in the quarterfinals and semifinals. He beat Sweden's Jalmar Sjoeberg in the quarters and Germany's Nico Schmidt in the semis to reach the finals at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. on Sunday at the MesseCenter Herning.
"My coaches were telling me during training camp, 'Do it right, train right.' For once, I did it right," Byers said. "I worked hard, twice a day every day. I wasn't late for practice, I did what they asked me to do. Maybe these coaches do know what they're talking about. I just kept digging down and pushing the pace and pushing the pace. I was tired, but so was the other guy. I think I made them more tired than I was."
Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) will shoot for his second World title tonight against 2008 Olympic gold medalist and 2007 World champion Mijain Lopez of Cuba.
Byers, who competes for the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, won a World title in 2002 and a World bronze medal in 2007. He is a native of Kings Mountain, N.C.
Byers and Lopez won back-to-back matches in 2007 that gave the U.S. its only World team title in Greco-Roman wrestling. Byers won his bronze match and then Lopez won gold to give the U.S. a one-point win over Russia.
Byers and Lopez met earlier this year in Cuba, with Lopez winning the match.
Byers hoped to win the 2008 Olympic title in memory of his late grandfather, Theodore Byers. Now he has a chance to win his second World title.
Byers becomes the second American of this tournament to reach the finals. Jake Herbert placed second in freestyle at 84 kg/185 lbs.
Americans Harry Lester (74 kg/163 lbs.) and Faruk Sahin (66 kg/145.5 lbs.) fell short of placing on Sunday. Lester, a two-time World bronze medalist, went 0-2. Sahin, who made his first World Team, went 1-1.
Lester dropped a controversional match to hometown boy Mark Madsen of Denmark in the first round. Lester won the first period and Madsen the second. Lester was down in par terre in the final 30 seconds of the match.
Time was running down and the referee blew the whistle and penalized Lester a point for apparently pulling on Madsen's fingers. The U.S. protested as Lester shook his head and smiled in disbelief. The call was upheld and Madsen won.
Madsen advanced to the finals to pull Lester back in for the repechage, but Lester fell to Azerbaijan's Rafiq Huseynov and was eliminated from the tournament.
Lester is a two-time World bronze medalist. Madsen is a two-time World silver medalist and World bronze medalist.
More details will follow later on www.themat.com
This is the final day of the seven-day tournament.
U.S. RESULTS FROM SUNDAY'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Greco-Roman
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Faruk Sahin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
WIN Mikhail Siamionov (Belarus), 2-0, 1-0
LOSS Markus Thatner (Germany), 2-0, 0-2, 1-0
74 kg/163 lbs. - Harry Lester, Marquette, Mich. (New York AC)
LOSS Mark Madsen (Denmark), 0-4, 1-0, 3-0
LOSS Rafiq Huseynov (Azerbaijan)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
WIN Lukasz Banak (Poland), 1-0, 2-0
WIN Mihaly Deak-Bardos (Hungary), 2-0, 1-0
WIN Jalmar Sjoeberg (Sweden), 1-0, 0-1, 1-0
WIN Nico Schmidt (Germany), 3-0, 0-1, 3-0
FINALS vs. Mijain Lopez (Cuba)
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