UPDATE: Micic, Pico and Butler win freestyle bronzes at UWW Junior Worlds in Brazil
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Aaron Pico lifts Enus Uslu of Turkey for a takedown on the way to a 13-4 win in the 66 kg bronze medal match at the UWW Junior Worlds.
SALVADOR, Brazil – Three U.S. wrestlers won bronze medals in freestyle wrestling on the final day of the UWW Junior World Championships on Sunday.
Stevan Micic (Cedar Lake, Ind. (Chicago RTC) won the bronze medal at 55 kg/121 lbs. with a strong 6-0 win over 2014 Asian Junior bronze medalist Zanzabar Zandanbud of Mongolia.
Micic came out and got the first takedown, and was able to force Zandanbud to his back twice for tilts to lead 6-0 at the break. In the second period, Micic wrestled aggressively, held position and shut down the Mongolian’s attack, as no other points were scored.
Micic was much more in control than in his opening bout, when he lost an 8-2 lead to Ravi Kumar of India in the second period to lose 8-12. When Kumar reached the finals, pulling Micic back in, he took full advantage. He won his repechage match over Canada’s Samuel Jagas, 10-0, then came out strong in the bronze-medal round. Micic is a past Cadet World Team member, but this is his first World medal.
“I wasn’t too happy with my first round match today. I knew I had to make a statement in my final match. I trained all summer long. I had a lot of adversities. I knew it all came down to that. I knew I had to step up the game,” said Micic.
Aaron Pico (Whittier, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) opened up his offense, scoring 13 straight points to defeat 2015 European Junior champion Enus Uslu of Turkey, 13-4 for the bronze medal.at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Uslu scored a four-point move in the first period and led 4-2 at the break. Pico came out on fire in the second, scoring three two-point takedowns, a four-point takedown and a pushout to finish with a nine-point margin.
“I like being the only person out there and I can feel the energy. People started chanting USA. It gives you a burst of energy and you let it fly. I told myself, this is the last match, and I will put everything into it. The guy got to my leg once. If I put pressure on him, do what I do with my offense, everything is going to work out,” said Pico.
Pico came back strong after a tough 7-7 loss in the semifinals against Teymur Mammadov of Azerbaijan, who scored a pushout with one second left for the winning score. Pico won his first two matches with dominant technical falls.
It is his second career UWW Junior World medal, to go with his 2014 World silver. He was also a Cadet World champion in 2013.
Nathan Butler (Leavenworth, Kan./California RTC) looked strong in a 2-1 bronze medal win at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. over 2014 Junior World bronze medalist Kamil Kosciulek of Poland. Both wrestlers scored a point when their opponents were put on a shot clock. The difference was a pushout by Butler early in the second period. Butler did not get into any serious danger of allowing a scoring moved by Kosciulek. It was Butler’s first World Championships appearance.
“The coaches told me he was going to attack. He kind of did, but kind of didn’t. They said I was able to get my leg attacks. I was able to get that single and drive him out. I really wish I could have gotten more leg attacks. It is what it is. We both got one point for the shot clock. I got the pushout off the drive single. It worked out well,” said Butler.
Zahid Valencia (Pico Rivera, Calif./Sunkist Kids) who finished with a 1-1 record at 84 kg/185 lbs., finished 10th in the standings at his weight om Sunday.
The United States placed fourth in the final team standings with four medals and 40 points. Iran won the title with 62 points, followed by Azerbaijan in second with 58 points and Russia in third with 49 points.
“This morning, we lost some matches we did not want to lose. After the round, we regrouped and we communicated. We had three guys wrestling for a medal tonight for the United States of America. Our goal was for every guy to get a bronze. Micic, Pico and Butler all finished strong. We went three-for-three in the medal round. Team USA finished with pride and did a great job representing the Red-White-And-Blue,” said U.S. coach Brandon Slay.
During the week, the United States won five medals. Also included were a gold medal from men’s freestyler Spencer Lee at 50 kg and a bronze medal from women’s freestyle wrestler Becka Leathers at 55 kg.
UWW JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Salvador, Brazil
U.S. freestyle performances
55 kg/121 lbs. – Stevan Micic, Cedar Lake, Ind. (Chicago RTC), bronze medal
LOSS Ravi Kumar (India), 8-12
WIN Samuel Jagas (Canada), 10-0
WIN Zanzabar Zandanbud (Mongolia), 6-0
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Aaron Pico, Whittier, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal
WIN Kalman Balasz (Hungary), 11-0
WIN Ilyas Zhumay (Kazakhstan), 10-0
LOSS Teymur Mammadov (Azerbaijan), 7-7
WIN Enus Uslu (Turkey), 13-4
84 kg/185 lbs. – Zahid Valencia, Pico Rivera, Calif. (Sunkist Kids), 10th
WIN Benjamin Optiz (Germany), tech. fall, 10-0
LOSS Arsen Musalaliev (Russia), 7-4
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Nathan Butler, Leavenworth, Kan. (California RTC), bronze medal
WIN Beka Kandelaki (Georgia), 6-2
LOSS Said Gamidov (Azerbaijan), 1-5
WIN Kamil Kosciulek (Poland), 2-1
Freestyle Results
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold – Mahir Amiraslanov (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Ravi Kumar (India)
Bronze – Stevan Micic (USA)
Bronze – Badrudinov Khasankhusein (Russia)
5th – Zanzabar Zandanbud (Mongolia
5th – Mohammad Namjou Motlagh (Iran)
7th – Sezgin Pismisoglu (Turkey)
8th – Edemi Bolkvadze (Georgia)
9th – Samuel Jagas (Canada)
10th – Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (Kyrgyzstan)
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Gold – Teymur Mammadov (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Yuhi Fujinami (Japan)
Bronze – Aaron Pico (USA)
Bronze –Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia)
5th – Enes Uslu (Turkey)
5th – Avtabdil Kentchadze (Georgia)
7th – Antony Montero (Venezuela)
8th – Omar Ahmed (Canada)
9th – Jarvis Tarkong (Palau)
10th – Vasyl Mykhailov (Ukraine)
84 kg/185 lbs.
Gold – Mojtaba Goleij (Iran)
Silver – Dzianis Kharmiankou (Belarus)
Bronze – Iliskhan Chilayev (Kazakhstan)
Bronze – Arsen Musalaliev (Russia)
5th –Krysztof Sadowik (Poland)
5th – Shota Shirai (Japan)
7th – Magomedrasul Gazhimagomedov (Azerbaijan)
8th - Praveen Kumar (India)
9th - Michael Eugene Gaitskill (South Africa)
10th - Zahid Valencia (USA)
120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Gold – Said Gamidov (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Amin Taheri (Iran)
Bronze –Nathan Butler (USA)
Bronze – Yunus Dede (Turkey)
5th – Kamil Kosciulek (Poland)
5th – Krivtsov Ravel (Russia)
7th – Khaled Omr Zaki (Egypt)
8th – Taiki Yamamoto (Japan)
9th – Vitali Pesniak (Belarus)
10th – Beka Kandelaki (Georgia)
Teams
1. Iran, 62 pts.
2. Azerbaijan, 58 pts.
3. Russia, 49 pts.
4. United States, 40 pts.
5. India, 30 pts.
6. Belarus, 21
7. Kazakhstan, 20
8. Georgia, 18
9. Japan, 18
10. Turkey, 18
11. Canada, 13
12. Egypt, 13
13. Poland, 12
14. Ukraine, 10
15. Hungary, 9
16. Bulgaria, 8
17. Armenia, 6
18. Brazil, 6
19. Finland, 6
20. Kyrgyzstan, 6
21. Latvia, 6
22. Mongolia, 6
23. Colombia, 4
24. Venezuela, 4
25. Dominican Republic, 3
26. Italy, 3
27. Germany, 2
28. Palau, 2
29. South Africa, 2
30. Turkmenistan, 1
SALVADOR, Brazil – Three U.S. wrestlers won bronze medals in freestyle wrestling on the final day of the UWW Junior World Championships on Sunday.
Stevan Micic (Cedar Lake, Ind. (Chicago RTC) won the bronze medal at 55 kg/121 lbs. with a strong 6-0 win over 2014 Asian Junior bronze medalist Zanzabar Zandanbud of Mongolia.
Micic came out and got the first takedown, and was able to force Zandanbud to his back twice for tilts to lead 6-0 at the break. In the second period, Micic wrestled aggressively, held position and shut down the Mongolian’s attack, as no other points were scored.
Micic was much more in control than in his opening bout, when he lost an 8-2 lead to Ravi Kumar of India in the second period to lose 8-12. When Kumar reached the finals, pulling Micic back in, he took full advantage. He won his repechage match over Canada’s Samuel Jagas, 10-0, then came out strong in the bronze-medal round. Micic is a past Cadet World Team member, but this is his first World medal.
“I wasn’t too happy with my first round match today. I knew I had to make a statement in my final match. I trained all summer long. I had a lot of adversities. I knew it all came down to that. I knew I had to step up the game,” said Micic.
Aaron Pico (Whittier, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) opened up his offense, scoring 13 straight points to defeat 2015 European Junior champion Enus Uslu of Turkey, 13-4 for the bronze medal.at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Uslu scored a four-point move in the first period and led 4-2 at the break. Pico came out on fire in the second, scoring three two-point takedowns, a four-point takedown and a pushout to finish with a nine-point margin.
“I like being the only person out there and I can feel the energy. People started chanting USA. It gives you a burst of energy and you let it fly. I told myself, this is the last match, and I will put everything into it. The guy got to my leg once. If I put pressure on him, do what I do with my offense, everything is going to work out,” said Pico.
Pico came back strong after a tough 7-7 loss in the semifinals against Teymur Mammadov of Azerbaijan, who scored a pushout with one second left for the winning score. Pico won his first two matches with dominant technical falls.
It is his second career UWW Junior World medal, to go with his 2014 World silver. He was also a Cadet World champion in 2013.
Nathan Butler (Leavenworth, Kan./California RTC) looked strong in a 2-1 bronze medal win at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. over 2014 Junior World bronze medalist Kamil Kosciulek of Poland. Both wrestlers scored a point when their opponents were put on a shot clock. The difference was a pushout by Butler early in the second period. Butler did not get into any serious danger of allowing a scoring moved by Kosciulek. It was Butler’s first World Championships appearance.
“The coaches told me he was going to attack. He kind of did, but kind of didn’t. They said I was able to get my leg attacks. I was able to get that single and drive him out. I really wish I could have gotten more leg attacks. It is what it is. We both got one point for the shot clock. I got the pushout off the drive single. It worked out well,” said Butler.
Zahid Valencia (Pico Rivera, Calif./Sunkist Kids) who finished with a 1-1 record at 84 kg/185 lbs., finished 10th in the standings at his weight om Sunday.
The United States placed fourth in the final team standings with four medals and 40 points. Iran won the title with 62 points, followed by Azerbaijan in second with 58 points and Russia in third with 49 points.
“This morning, we lost some matches we did not want to lose. After the round, we regrouped and we communicated. We had three guys wrestling for a medal tonight for the United States of America. Our goal was for every guy to get a bronze. Micic, Pico and Butler all finished strong. We went three-for-three in the medal round. Team USA finished with pride and did a great job representing the Red-White-And-Blue,” said U.S. coach Brandon Slay.
During the week, the United States won five medals. Also included were a gold medal from men’s freestyler Spencer Lee at 50 kg and a bronze medal from women’s freestyle wrestler Becka Leathers at 55 kg.
UWW JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Salvador, Brazil
U.S. freestyle performances
55 kg/121 lbs. – Stevan Micic, Cedar Lake, Ind. (Chicago RTC), bronze medal
LOSS Ravi Kumar (India), 8-12
WIN Samuel Jagas (Canada), 10-0
WIN Zanzabar Zandanbud (Mongolia), 6-0
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Aaron Pico, Whittier, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal
WIN Kalman Balasz (Hungary), 11-0
WIN Ilyas Zhumay (Kazakhstan), 10-0
LOSS Teymur Mammadov (Azerbaijan), 7-7
WIN Enus Uslu (Turkey), 13-4
84 kg/185 lbs. – Zahid Valencia, Pico Rivera, Calif. (Sunkist Kids), 10th
WIN Benjamin Optiz (Germany), tech. fall, 10-0
LOSS Arsen Musalaliev (Russia), 7-4
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Nathan Butler, Leavenworth, Kan. (California RTC), bronze medal
WIN Beka Kandelaki (Georgia), 6-2
LOSS Said Gamidov (Azerbaijan), 1-5
WIN Kamil Kosciulek (Poland), 2-1
Freestyle Results
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold – Mahir Amiraslanov (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Ravi Kumar (India)
Bronze – Stevan Micic (USA)
Bronze – Badrudinov Khasankhusein (Russia)
5th – Zanzabar Zandanbud (Mongolia
5th – Mohammad Namjou Motlagh (Iran)
7th – Sezgin Pismisoglu (Turkey)
8th – Edemi Bolkvadze (Georgia)
9th – Samuel Jagas (Canada)
10th – Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (Kyrgyzstan)
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Gold – Teymur Mammadov (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Yuhi Fujinami (Japan)
Bronze – Aaron Pico (USA)
Bronze –Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia)
5th – Enes Uslu (Turkey)
5th – Avtabdil Kentchadze (Georgia)
7th – Antony Montero (Venezuela)
8th – Omar Ahmed (Canada)
9th – Jarvis Tarkong (Palau)
10th – Vasyl Mykhailov (Ukraine)
84 kg/185 lbs.
Gold – Mojtaba Goleij (Iran)
Silver – Dzianis Kharmiankou (Belarus)
Bronze – Iliskhan Chilayev (Kazakhstan)
Bronze – Arsen Musalaliev (Russia)
5th –Krysztof Sadowik (Poland)
5th – Shota Shirai (Japan)
7th – Magomedrasul Gazhimagomedov (Azerbaijan)
8th - Praveen Kumar (India)
9th - Michael Eugene Gaitskill (South Africa)
10th - Zahid Valencia (USA)
120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Gold – Said Gamidov (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Amin Taheri (Iran)
Bronze –Nathan Butler (USA)
Bronze – Yunus Dede (Turkey)
5th – Kamil Kosciulek (Poland)
5th – Krivtsov Ravel (Russia)
7th – Khaled Omr Zaki (Egypt)
8th – Taiki Yamamoto (Japan)
9th – Vitali Pesniak (Belarus)
10th – Beka Kandelaki (Georgia)
Teams
1. Iran, 62 pts.
2. Azerbaijan, 58 pts.
3. Russia, 49 pts.
4. United States, 40 pts.
5. India, 30 pts.
6. Belarus, 21
7. Kazakhstan, 20
8. Georgia, 18
9. Japan, 18
10. Turkey, 18
11. Canada, 13
12. Egypt, 13
13. Poland, 12
14. Ukraine, 10
15. Hungary, 9
16. Bulgaria, 8
17. Armenia, 6
18. Brazil, 6
19. Finland, 6
20. Kyrgyzstan, 6
21. Latvia, 6
22. Mongolia, 6
23. Colombia, 4
24. Venezuela, 4
25. Dominican Republic, 3
26. Italy, 3
27. Germany, 2
28. Palau, 2
29. South Africa, 2
30. Turkmenistan, 1
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