Updated: Rau wins gold, USA gets five medals at Zagreb Open in Croatia
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by Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
Photo of U.S. medalists, including gold medalist Joe Rau and bronze medalists Ryan Mango, David Arendt, Mason Manville and Geordan Speiller courtesy of Matt Lindland.
ZAGREB, Croatia – 2014 U.S. World Team member Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) won a gold medal at 80 kg/176 lbs., the top American performance at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open on Saturday. He was among five U.S. medalists for the day.
Rau scored a pin in the finals against Viktar Sasunowksi of Belarus, who was a member of the 2014 Belarus World Team. Rau finished with a 3-0 record for the day.
Rau opened with a dominant 10-1 technical fall over Michael Wagner of Austria, 10-1 in the quarterfinals. His 6-1 semifinals win was over Viktor Nemes of Serbia, who was fifth in the 2013 Junior World Championships.
“Joe wrestled great. He has been making adjustments in his wrestling and lifestyle and it is really paying dividends. He is developing nicely into a Greco-Roman wrestler,” said National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland.
The USA had four individual bronze medalists, who dropped bouts but battled back to win in the repechage rounds. They were Ryan Mango (Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) at 59 kg/130 lbs., Mason Manville (Colorado Springs, Colo. at 71 kg/156.5 lbs., Geordan Speiller (Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets) at 75 kg/165 lbs. and David Arendt (Jacksonville, NC (U.S. Marines) at 130 kg/286.6 lbs.
Mango, the former Stanford All-American, opened with a tight 4-5 loss to finalist Ivan Lizatovic of Croatia. In the bronze-medal bout, he scored an 8-0 technical fall over American William Simpson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP).
Manville, the high school star who was a Youth Olympic Games silver medalist in Greco-Roman last year, also dropped his opener, to talented Aleksandr Maksimovic of Serbia, 0-9. In his bronze-medal match, he dominated Vedran Luketin of Croatia, with a 8-0 technical fall.
Speiller dropped his opener to finalist Bozo Starcevic of Croatia, 3-4, but bounced back with two repechage wins. He beat Peter Nagy of Hungary, 4-1 to reach the bronze-medal bout, where he beat Evrik Nikoghosyan of France, 5-3. Speiller won an international medal for the second straight week, after winning a bronze at the Granma Cup in Cuba last week.
Arendt, the past U.S. Open champion who was bronze medalist at the 2013 CISM Military Worlds, finished with a 2-1 record. He opened with a technical fall over Boban Zinvanovic of Serbia, 16-6, but was pinned in the semifinals by Stjepan Lavric of Croatia. He won his bronze with an 8-0 technical fall over Tamas Soos of Slovakia.
The United States placed fourth in the 16-team tournament with 54 points. Host Croatia won the team title, with Belarus in second and Serbia in third.
“The tournament was tough and our team came home with some hardware. Our Greco-Roman program is evolving into a real team. I am proud of these men and the direction they are heading,” said Lindland.
GRAND PRIX ZAGREB OPEN
at Zagreb, Croatia, Feb. 21
Greco-Roman medalists
59 kg/130 lbs.
Gold – Maksim Kazarski (Belarus)
Silver – Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia)
Bronze – Ryan Mango (USA)
Bronze – Csongor Knipli (Hungary)
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Gold – Dominik Etlinger (Croatia)
Silver – Mikhail Siamionau (Belarus)
Bronze – Istvan Kozak (Hungary)
Bronze – Artak Margaryan (France)
71 kg/156 lbs.
Gold – Zoltan Levai (Hungary)
Silver – Alekxandar Maksimovic (Serbia)
Bronze – Trabelsi Hakim (Tunisia)
Bronze – Mason Manville (USA)
74 kg/163 lbs
Gold – Bozo Starcevic (Croatia)
Silver – Jure Kuhar (Slovenia)
Bronze – Geordan Speiller (USA)
Bronze – Valery Palensky (France)
80 kg/176 lbs.
Gold – Joe Rau (USA)
Silver – Viktar Sasunowksi (Belarus)
Bronze – Oleksii Chekalenko (Ukraine)
Bronze – Viktor Nemes (Serbia)
85 kg/187 lbs.
Gold – Javid Hamzatau (Belarus)
Silver – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia)
Bronze – Vladimir Stankic (Serbia)
Bronze – Olkeksandr Shyshman (Ukraine)
98 kg/216 lbs
Gold – Aliaksandr Hrabovik (Belarus)
Silver – Robert Avanesyan (Israel)
Bronze – Daniel Gastl (Austria)
Bronze – Marko Koscevic (Croatia)
130 kg/286 lbs.
Gold – Ioseb Chugoshvili (Belarus)
Silver – Stjepan Lavric (Croatia)
Bronze – David Arendt (USA)
Bronze – Nemanja Pavlovic (Serbia)
U.S. Greco-Roman performances
59 kg/130 lbs – William Simpson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), 5th
LOSS Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia), 2-5
LOSS Ryan Mango (USA), tech. fall 0-8
59 kg/130 lbs – Ryan Mango, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 3rd
LOSS Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia), 4-5
WIN William Simpson (USA), tech. fall, 8-0
66 kg/145.5 lbs – Hayden Tuma, Boise, Idaho, dnp/18th
LOSS Istvan Kozak (Hungary), tech. fall, 0-9
66 kg/145.5 lbs – Marco Lara, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), dnp
LOSS Mark Toth (Hungary), pin
66 kg/145.5 lbs – Brian Graham, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), dnp/17th
LOSS Christian Simatic (Croatia), tech fall, 0-8
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Bo Beckman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), dnp/13th
LOSS Danijel Janecic (Croatia), 1-1
71 kg/156.5 lbs – Mason Manville, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3rd
LOSS Aleksandr Maksimovic (Serbia), tech. fall, 0-9
WIN Vedran Luketin (Croatia), tech. fall 8-0
75 kg/165 lbs – Jake Fisher, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 10th
WIN Mesbeh Ben (Tunisia), 6-4
LOSS Jure Kuhar (Slovenia), 0-3
LOSS Ruslan Oleksenko (Ukraine), pin
75 kg/165 lbs. – Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets), 3rd
LOSS Bozo Starcevic (Croatia), 3-4
WIN Peter Nagy (Hungary), 4-1
WIN Evrik Nikoghosyan (France), 5-3
80 kg/176 lbs – Patrick Martinez, Orlando, Fla. (Florida Jets), dnp/11th
LOSS Michael Wagner (Austria), tech. fall, 0-10
80 kg/176 lbs – Cheney Haight, Colorado Springs, Colo. (USOTC), 7th
WIN Vjekoslav Luburic (Croatia), 7-0
LOSS Viktar Nemes (Serbia), 0-1
80 kg/176 lbs – Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 1st
WIN Michael Wagner (Austria), tech. fall 10-1
WIN Viktor Nemes (Serbia), 6-1
WIN Viktar Sasunowksi (Belarus), pin
130 kg/286.6 lbs – Jarod Trice, Des Moines, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC), 10th
LOSS Boban Zivanovic (Serbia), tech. fall 0-8
130 kg/286.6 lbs – David Arendt, Jacksonville, NC (U.S. Marines), 3rd
WIN Boban Zinvanovic (Serbia), tech. fall 16-6
LOSS Stjepan Lavric (Croatia), pin
WIN Tamas Soos (Slovakia), tech. fall 8-0
Team Standings
1. Croatia, 77 pts.
2. Belarus, 66
3. Serbia, 61
4. United States, 54
5. Hungary, 47
6. Hungary II, 23
7. Tunisia, 21
8. France, 17
9. Ukraine, 16
10. Austria, 15
of 16 nations
ZAGREB, Croatia – 2014 U.S. World Team member Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) won a gold medal at 80 kg/176 lbs., the top American performance at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open on Saturday. He was among five U.S. medalists for the day.
Rau scored a pin in the finals against Viktar Sasunowksi of Belarus, who was a member of the 2014 Belarus World Team. Rau finished with a 3-0 record for the day.
Rau opened with a dominant 10-1 technical fall over Michael Wagner of Austria, 10-1 in the quarterfinals. His 6-1 semifinals win was over Viktor Nemes of Serbia, who was fifth in the 2013 Junior World Championships.
“Joe wrestled great. He has been making adjustments in his wrestling and lifestyle and it is really paying dividends. He is developing nicely into a Greco-Roman wrestler,” said National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland.
The USA had four individual bronze medalists, who dropped bouts but battled back to win in the repechage rounds. They were Ryan Mango (Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) at 59 kg/130 lbs., Mason Manville (Colorado Springs, Colo. at 71 kg/156.5 lbs., Geordan Speiller (Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets) at 75 kg/165 lbs. and David Arendt (Jacksonville, NC (U.S. Marines) at 130 kg/286.6 lbs.
Mango, the former Stanford All-American, opened with a tight 4-5 loss to finalist Ivan Lizatovic of Croatia. In the bronze-medal bout, he scored an 8-0 technical fall over American William Simpson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP).
Manville, the high school star who was a Youth Olympic Games silver medalist in Greco-Roman last year, also dropped his opener, to talented Aleksandr Maksimovic of Serbia, 0-9. In his bronze-medal match, he dominated Vedran Luketin of Croatia, with a 8-0 technical fall.
Speiller dropped his opener to finalist Bozo Starcevic of Croatia, 3-4, but bounced back with two repechage wins. He beat Peter Nagy of Hungary, 4-1 to reach the bronze-medal bout, where he beat Evrik Nikoghosyan of France, 5-3. Speiller won an international medal for the second straight week, after winning a bronze at the Granma Cup in Cuba last week.
Arendt, the past U.S. Open champion who was bronze medalist at the 2013 CISM Military Worlds, finished with a 2-1 record. He opened with a technical fall over Boban Zinvanovic of Serbia, 16-6, but was pinned in the semifinals by Stjepan Lavric of Croatia. He won his bronze with an 8-0 technical fall over Tamas Soos of Slovakia.
The United States placed fourth in the 16-team tournament with 54 points. Host Croatia won the team title, with Belarus in second and Serbia in third.
“The tournament was tough and our team came home with some hardware. Our Greco-Roman program is evolving into a real team. I am proud of these men and the direction they are heading,” said Lindland.
GRAND PRIX ZAGREB OPEN
at Zagreb, Croatia, Feb. 21
Greco-Roman medalists
59 kg/130 lbs.
Gold – Maksim Kazarski (Belarus)
Silver – Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia)
Bronze – Ryan Mango (USA)
Bronze – Csongor Knipli (Hungary)
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Gold – Dominik Etlinger (Croatia)
Silver – Mikhail Siamionau (Belarus)
Bronze – Istvan Kozak (Hungary)
Bronze – Artak Margaryan (France)
71 kg/156 lbs.
Gold – Zoltan Levai (Hungary)
Silver – Alekxandar Maksimovic (Serbia)
Bronze – Trabelsi Hakim (Tunisia)
Bronze – Mason Manville (USA)
74 kg/163 lbs
Gold – Bozo Starcevic (Croatia)
Silver – Jure Kuhar (Slovenia)
Bronze – Geordan Speiller (USA)
Bronze – Valery Palensky (France)
80 kg/176 lbs.
Gold – Joe Rau (USA)
Silver – Viktar Sasunowksi (Belarus)
Bronze – Oleksii Chekalenko (Ukraine)
Bronze – Viktor Nemes (Serbia)
85 kg/187 lbs.
Gold – Javid Hamzatau (Belarus)
Silver – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia)
Bronze – Vladimir Stankic (Serbia)
Bronze – Olkeksandr Shyshman (Ukraine)
98 kg/216 lbs
Gold – Aliaksandr Hrabovik (Belarus)
Silver – Robert Avanesyan (Israel)
Bronze – Daniel Gastl (Austria)
Bronze – Marko Koscevic (Croatia)
130 kg/286 lbs.
Gold – Ioseb Chugoshvili (Belarus)
Silver – Stjepan Lavric (Croatia)
Bronze – David Arendt (USA)
Bronze – Nemanja Pavlovic (Serbia)
U.S. Greco-Roman performances
59 kg/130 lbs – William Simpson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), 5th
LOSS Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia), 2-5
LOSS Ryan Mango (USA), tech. fall 0-8
59 kg/130 lbs – Ryan Mango, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 3rd
LOSS Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia), 4-5
WIN William Simpson (USA), tech. fall, 8-0
66 kg/145.5 lbs – Hayden Tuma, Boise, Idaho, dnp/18th
LOSS Istvan Kozak (Hungary), tech. fall, 0-9
66 kg/145.5 lbs – Marco Lara, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), dnp
LOSS Mark Toth (Hungary), pin
66 kg/145.5 lbs – Brian Graham, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), dnp/17th
LOSS Christian Simatic (Croatia), tech fall, 0-8
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Bo Beckman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), dnp/13th
LOSS Danijel Janecic (Croatia), 1-1
71 kg/156.5 lbs – Mason Manville, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3rd
LOSS Aleksandr Maksimovic (Serbia), tech. fall, 0-9
WIN Vedran Luketin (Croatia), tech. fall 8-0
75 kg/165 lbs – Jake Fisher, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 10th
WIN Mesbeh Ben (Tunisia), 6-4
LOSS Jure Kuhar (Slovenia), 0-3
LOSS Ruslan Oleksenko (Ukraine), pin
75 kg/165 lbs. – Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets), 3rd
LOSS Bozo Starcevic (Croatia), 3-4
WIN Peter Nagy (Hungary), 4-1
WIN Evrik Nikoghosyan (France), 5-3
80 kg/176 lbs – Patrick Martinez, Orlando, Fla. (Florida Jets), dnp/11th
LOSS Michael Wagner (Austria), tech. fall, 0-10
80 kg/176 lbs – Cheney Haight, Colorado Springs, Colo. (USOTC), 7th
WIN Vjekoslav Luburic (Croatia), 7-0
LOSS Viktar Nemes (Serbia), 0-1
80 kg/176 lbs – Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 1st
WIN Michael Wagner (Austria), tech. fall 10-1
WIN Viktor Nemes (Serbia), 6-1
WIN Viktar Sasunowksi (Belarus), pin
130 kg/286.6 lbs – Jarod Trice, Des Moines, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC), 10th
LOSS Boban Zivanovic (Serbia), tech. fall 0-8
130 kg/286.6 lbs – David Arendt, Jacksonville, NC (U.S. Marines), 3rd
WIN Boban Zinvanovic (Serbia), tech. fall 16-6
LOSS Stjepan Lavric (Croatia), pin
WIN Tamas Soos (Slovakia), tech. fall 8-0
Team Standings
1. Croatia, 77 pts.
2. Belarus, 66
3. Serbia, 61
4. United States, 54
5. Hungary, 47
6. Hungary II, 23
7. Tunisia, 21
8. France, 17
9. Ukraine, 16
10. Austria, 15
of 16 nations
