Team USA rolls past Ukraine to finish third at World Cup

American Clayton Foster (in red) knocked off two-time World champion Ibragim Aldatov of the Ukraine on Sunday. John Sachs photo.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Angel Escobedo and Jimmy Kennedy supplied the spark. 

Brent Metcalf, Jordan Burroughs and Clayton Foster provided the exclamation point.

Team USA put on a dominating display to roll past Ukraine 7-1 in the World Cup third-place match on Sunday afternoon before 3,000 fans at the Forum. 

“We talked about getting off to a fast start,” U.S. Coach Zeke Jones said. “We knew those first five matches were critical for the team score. We showed great effort out there today and we wrestled well.”

Iran downed Russia 6-2 in the World Cup finals, winning this event for the third straight year. The Iranians, backed by a boisterous crowd of fans on Sunday, also won the team title at the 2013 World Championships in freestyle wrestling.

Burroughs capped a dominating weekend by earning a 15-4 technical fall over Ukraine’s Giya Chykladze at 74 kg/163 lbs. Burroughs is now 15-0 in his career in the World Cup. 

Burroughs, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time World champion, went 5-0 in the event for the third straight year. He scored three pins, a technical fall and a 7-1 win this weekend.

Foster scored an impressive 7-2 win over two-time World champion Ibragim Aldatov at 86 kg/189 lbs. Foster came out aggressively in capping a strong weekend of his own. 

Foster went 4-0 on the weekend. He earned a win over Olympic and World bronze medalist Ehsan Lashgari of Iran on Saturday night.

“My conditioning, staying low in my stance and being disciplined – that was the difference,” Foster said of the win against Aldatov. “I try to treat every match the same. I’m getting closer and closer to my goal every day. I just have to keep working hard. The opportunity was presented to me and I tried to take advantage of it.” 

Escobedo delivered an early spark by using a strong second period to earn an 11-1 technical fall over the Ukraine’s Sergiy Ratushny at 57 kg/125.5 lbs.

Kennedy scored on a takedown in each period to down Olympic silver medalist Vasyl Fedoryshyn 5-1 at 61 kg/134 lbs.

Metcalf followed with a dominating 12-2 technical fall over Ivan Petriv at 65 kg/143 lbs. Metcalf went 5-0 over the weekend.

U.S. wrestler Nick Marable continued the momentum in earning a hard-fought 3-2 win over Ukraine’s Andriy Kvyatkovskyy at 70 kg/154 lbs.

American heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev won by forfeit.

The U.S. placed third in the World Cup for the third straight year. The Americans went 4-1 in the two-day event, falling only to Iran. 

The U.S. started the day with a dominating 8-0 win over Turkey. The Americans did not allow a point in the first four matches en route to the win. 

Burroughs recorded his third pin of the weekend in the dual with Turkey.

The top 10 freestyle wrestling countries in the world gathered in a dual-meet format for the World Cup, which was held in the U.S. for the first time in 10 years. 

WORLD CUP

Sunday, March 15

The Forum, Inglewood Calif.

Sunday’s results

Pool matches

USA 8, Turkey 0

57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Angel Escobedo (USA) pinned Nebi Uzun (Turkey), 2:50

61 kg/134 lbs. – Jimmy Kennedy (USA) tech. fall over Recep Topal (Turkey), 10-0

65 kg/143 lbs. – Brent Metcalf (USA) tech. fall over Selahattin Kilisalayan (Turkey), 10-0

70 kg/154 lbs. – Nick Marable (USA) tech. fall over Mustafa Kaya (Turkey), 13-0

74 kg/163 lbs. – Jordan Burroughs (USA) pinned Murat Erturk (Turkey), 2:17

86 kg/189 lbs. – Clayton Foster (USA) dec. Fatih Erdin (Turkey), 16-9

97 kg/213 lbs. – J.D. Bergman (USA) dec. Ali B­onceoglu (Turkey), 6-4

125 kg/275 lbs. – Tervel Dlagnev (USA) wins by forfeit

Iran 8, India 0

57 kg – Hassan Rahimi (Iran) won by forfeit

61 kg – Masoud Esmailpoor Jouybari (Iran) dec. Bajrang (India), 5-0

65 kg – Meisam Nasiri (Iran) dec. Rajneesh (India), 5-0

70 kg – Mostafa Hosseinkhani (Iran) dec. Amit Kumar Dhankhar (India), 5-0

74 kg – Reza Afzalipaemami (Iran) dec. Parveen Rana (India), 6-0

86 kg – Ehsan Lashgari (Iran) tech. fall over Pawan Kumar (India), 10-0

97 kg – Hamed Talebi Zarinkamar (Iran) tech. fall over Saywart Kadian (India), 11-0

125 kg – Parviz Hadi Basmanj (Iran) won by forfeit

Russia 7, Georgia 1

57 kg – Vladimir Flegontov (Russia) dec. Otari Gogava (Georgia), 10-2

61 kg – Aleksandr Bogomoev (Russia) dec. Beka Lomtadze (Georgia), 6-2

65 kg – Alibeggadzhi Emeev (Russia) dec. Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia), 4-2

70 kg – Khetik Tsabolov (Russia) tech. fall over Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia), 11-0

74 kg – Atsamaz Sanakoev (Russia) dec. Giorgi Marsagishvili (Georgia), 5-2

86 kg – Shamil Kudiamagomedov (Russia) won by forfeit

97 kg – Vladislav Baicaev (Russia) tech. fall over Nodar Egadze (Georgia), 10-0

125 kg – Giorgi Sakandelidze (Georgia) tech. fall over Anzor Khezriev (Russia), 10-0

Ukraine 5, Mongolia 3

57 kg – Sergiy Ratushny (Ukraine) tech. fall over Batbold Nomin (Mongolia), 14-4

61 kg – Enkhsaikhan Nyam-Ochir (Mongolia) dec. Vasyl Fedoryshyn (Ukraine), 6-3

65 kg – Ganzorig Mandakhnaran (Mongolia) dec. Ivan Petriv (Ukraine), 7-0

70 kg – Andriy Kvyatkovskyy (Ukraine) dec. Ankhbayar Batchuluun (Mongolia) Dec 13-8

74 kg – Purevjav Unurbat (Mongolia) over Giya Chykhladze (Ukraine), 8-6

86 kg – Ibrahim Aldatov (Ukraine) dec. Orgodol Uitumen (Mongolia), 10-5

97 kg – Pavlo Oliinyk (Ukraine) dec. Dorjkhand Khuderbulga (Mongolia), 7-3

125 kg – Alen Zasieiev (Ukraine) dec. Jargalsaikhan Chuluunbat (Mongolia), 6-1

Ninth-place match

Georgia 4, Armenia 4

(Georgia wins by criteria)

57 kg – Artak Hovhannisyan (Armenia) tech. fall over Beka Bujiashvili (Georgia), 13-3

61 kg – Valodya Frangulyan (Armenia) dec. Beka Lomtadze (Georgia), 18-18

65 kg – Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia) won by forfeit

70 kg – Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia) won by injury default Davit Apoyan (Armenia)

74 kg – Giorgi Marsagishvili (Georgia) pinned Varuzhan Kajoyan (Armenia), 1:39

86 kg – Vahe Tamrazyan (Armenia) won by forfeit

97 kg – Viktor Kazishvili (Armenia) pinned Nodar Egadze (Georgia), 2:21

125 kg – Giorgi Sakandelidze (Georgia) tech. fall over Andranik Galstyan (Armenia), 11-0

Seventh-place match

Turkey 6, Japan 2

57 kg – Nebi Uzun (Turkey) won by forfeit

61 kg – Recep Topal (Turkey) won by forfeit

65 kg – Daichi Takatani (Japan) pinned Selahattin Kilisalayan (Turkey), 3:46

70 kg – Mustafa Kaya (Turkey) pinned Ken Hosaka (Japan), 3:32

74 kg – Sohsuke Takatani (Japan) tech. fall over Murat Erturk (Turkey), 10-0

86 kg – Fatih Erdin (Turkey) dec. Atsushi Matsumoto (Japan), 13-8

97 kg – Ali B­onceoglu (Turkey) dec. Koki Yamamoto (Japan), 8-2

125 kg – Hamza Ozkarhdeniz (Turkey) dec. Nobuyoshi Arakida (Japan), 11-5

Fifth-place match

Mongolia 5, India 3

57 kg – Amit Kumar (India) won by injury default over Batbold Nomin (Mongolia)

61 kg – Enkhsaikhan Nyam-Ochir (Mongolia) dec. Bajrang (India), 6-5

65 kg – Ganzorig Mandakhnaran (Mongolia) tech. fall over Rajneesh (India), 11-0

70 kg – Amit Kumar Dhankhar (India) dec. Ankhbayar Batchuluun (Mongolia), 13-8

74 kg – Parveen Rana (India) dec. Purevjav Unurbat (Mongolia), 6-3

86 kg – Orgodol Uitumen (Mongolia) tech. fall over Pawan Kumar (India), 10-0

97 kg – Dorjkhand Khuderbulga (Mongolia) dec. Saywart Kadian (India), 3-1

125 kg – Jargalsaikhan Chuluunbat (Mongolia) won by forfeit

Third-place match

USA 7, Ukraine 1

57 kg – Angel Escobedo (USA) tech. fall over Sergiy Ratushny (Ukraine), 11-1

61 kg – Jimmy Kennedy (USA) dec. Vasyl Fedoryshyn (Ukraine), 5-1

65 kg – Brent Metcalf (USA) tech. fall over Ivan Petriv (Ukraine), 12-2

70 kg – Nick Marable (USA) dec. Andriy Kvyatkovskyy (Ukraine), 3-2

74 kg – Jordan Burroughs (USA) tech. fall over Giya Chykladze (Ukraine), 15-4

86 kg – Clayton Foster (USA) dec. Ibragim Aldatov (Ukraine), 7-2

97 kg – Pavlo Oliinyk (Ukraine) dec. J.D. Bergman (USA), 4-1

120 kg – Tervel Dlagnev (USA) won by forfeit

First-place match

Iran 6, Russia 2

57 kg – Viktor Lebedev (Russia) dec. Hassan Rahimi (Iran), 4-3

61 kg – Masoud Esmailpoor Jouybari (Iran) dec. Aleksandr Bogomoev (Russia), 12-6

65 kg – Sayed Ahmad Mohammad Pahnehkolaie (Iran) dec. Alibeggadzhi Emeev (Russia), 10-0

70 kg – Mostafa Hosseinkhani (Iran) dec. Khetik Tsabolov (Russia), 9-0

74 kg – Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (Russia) tech. fall over Ezzatollah Akbari Zarinkolaei (Iran), 11-0

84 kg – Ehsan Lashgari (Iran) dec. Anzor Urishev (Russia), 2-1

97 kg – Reza Yazdani (Iran) dec. Yuri Belonovskiy (Russia), 12-2

125 kg – Komeil Ghasemi (Iran) dec. Anzor Khezriev (Russia), 3-0