Spenser Mango to wrestle for bronze medal at World Championships
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by Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
Spenser Mango advanced to the Greco-Roman bronze-medal match on Sunday. Robbert Wijtman photo.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – Spenser Mango is back in the bronze-medal match at the World Championships.
Mango will look to win his first World medal on Sunday night at the Gymnastics Palace
Mango went 3-1 in Sunday’s first session in Greco-Roman wrestling at 59 kg/130 lbs.
He fell by a 9-1 technical fall to Olympic bronze medalist Mingiyan Semenov of Russia in the semifinals. Mango will face two-time Olympian Stig Andre Berge of Norway in the bronze-medal match. Mango finished fifth at the 2013 Worlds.
The medal round is set for 6 p.m. in Tashkent (9 a.m. Eastern). Mango is looking to join teammate Andy Bisek as a medalist here. Bisek earned a bronze medal on Friday.
Mango, a two-time Olympian, opened with a tough 2-2 criteria victory over Turkey’s Fatih Ucuncu in the first round at 59 kg/130 lbs.
Mango scored on a pair of front headlock turns in earning a 4-0 win over 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Peter Modos of Hungary in the second round.
Mango followed with a 10-0 technical fall over World University silver medalist Kazuma Kuramoto of Japan in the quarterfinals. Mango launched Kuramoto to his back with a five-point body lock to gain control early.
Two-time World bronze medalist Justin Lester launched World No. 5 Mindia Tursumia of Georgia with a front headlock for four points en route to a 5-0 first-round win at 71 kg/156 lbs.
Lester then dropped a wild 9-7 decision to World No. 2 Rasul Chunayev of Azerbaijan in the second round. Lester fell behind 9-2 before staging a furious late-match rally that came up just short.
Lester was eliminated when Chunayev lost his next bout.
“I got going about a minute and a half too late,” Lester said. “I gave up some points I usually don’t give up. When you’re on this level, you can’t give up points like that.”
Two-time World Team member Caylor Williams opened by dropping a 3-0 decision to Norway’s Marthin Nielsen at 98 kg/216 lbs.
Williams was eliminated when Nielsen lost his next match.
“I’m still fairly new to the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling,” Williams said. “I need to put on more size and weight, and keep gaining more international experience. I need to continue to grow as a wrestler.”
This is the final day of the seven-day World Championships.
2014 World Championships
Sept. 8-14
Gymnastics Palace, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Greco-Roman finals matchups
59 kg/130 lbs.
Mingiyan Semenov (Russia) vs. Hamid Soryan (Iran)
71 kg/156 lbs.
Chingiz Labazanov (Russia) vs. Yunus Oezel (Turkey)
98 kg/216 lbs.
Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) vs. Oliver Hassler (Germany)
U.S. Greco-Roman results
59 kg/130 lbs. – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
WIN Fatih Ucuncu (Turkey), 2-2 criteria
WIN Peter Modos (Hungary), 4-0
WIN Kazuma Kuramoto (Japan), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Mingiyan Semenov (Russia), tech. fall 1-9
vs. Stig Andre Berge (Norway) in bronze-medal match
71 kg/156.5 lbs. – Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
WIN Mindia Tursumia (Georgia), 5-0
LOSS Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan), 7-9
98 kg/216 lbs. – Caylor Williams, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
LOSS Marthin Nielsen (Norway), 0-3
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – Spenser Mango is back in the bronze-medal match at the World Championships.
Mango will look to win his first World medal on Sunday night at the Gymnastics Palace
Mango went 3-1 in Sunday’s first session in Greco-Roman wrestling at 59 kg/130 lbs.
He fell by a 9-1 technical fall to Olympic bronze medalist Mingiyan Semenov of Russia in the semifinals. Mango will face two-time Olympian Stig Andre Berge of Norway in the bronze-medal match. Mango finished fifth at the 2013 Worlds.
The medal round is set for 6 p.m. in Tashkent (9 a.m. Eastern). Mango is looking to join teammate Andy Bisek as a medalist here. Bisek earned a bronze medal on Friday.
Mango, a two-time Olympian, opened with a tough 2-2 criteria victory over Turkey’s Fatih Ucuncu in the first round at 59 kg/130 lbs.
Mango scored on a pair of front headlock turns in earning a 4-0 win over 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Peter Modos of Hungary in the second round.
Mango followed with a 10-0 technical fall over World University silver medalist Kazuma Kuramoto of Japan in the quarterfinals. Mango launched Kuramoto to his back with a five-point body lock to gain control early.
Two-time World bronze medalist Justin Lester launched World No. 5 Mindia Tursumia of Georgia with a front headlock for four points en route to a 5-0 first-round win at 71 kg/156 lbs.
Lester then dropped a wild 9-7 decision to World No. 2 Rasul Chunayev of Azerbaijan in the second round. Lester fell behind 9-2 before staging a furious late-match rally that came up just short.
Lester was eliminated when Chunayev lost his next bout.
“I got going about a minute and a half too late,” Lester said. “I gave up some points I usually don’t give up. When you’re on this level, you can’t give up points like that.”
Two-time World Team member Caylor Williams opened by dropping a 3-0 decision to Norway’s Marthin Nielsen at 98 kg/216 lbs.
Williams was eliminated when Nielsen lost his next match.
“I’m still fairly new to the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling,” Williams said. “I need to put on more size and weight, and keep gaining more international experience. I need to continue to grow as a wrestler.”
This is the final day of the seven-day World Championships.
2014 World Championships
Sept. 8-14
Gymnastics Palace, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Greco-Roman finals matchups
59 kg/130 lbs.
Mingiyan Semenov (Russia) vs. Hamid Soryan (Iran)
71 kg/156 lbs.
Chingiz Labazanov (Russia) vs. Yunus Oezel (Turkey)
98 kg/216 lbs.
Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) vs. Oliver Hassler (Germany)
U.S. Greco-Roman results
59 kg/130 lbs. – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
WIN Fatih Ucuncu (Turkey), 2-2 criteria
WIN Peter Modos (Hungary), 4-0
WIN Kazuma Kuramoto (Japan), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Mingiyan Semenov (Russia), tech. fall 1-9
vs. Stig Andre Berge (Norway) in bronze-medal match
71 kg/156.5 lbs. – Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
WIN Mindia Tursumia (Georgia), 5-0
LOSS Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan), 7-9
98 kg/216 lbs. – Caylor Williams, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
LOSS Marthin Nielsen (Norway), 0-3
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