Mango wins silver, Rau bronze on final day of Hungarian Grand Prix
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by Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
SZOMBATHELY, Hungary – A pair of Americans reached the podium on the final day of the Hungarian Grand Prix, one of the world’s toughest Greco-Roman tournaments each year.
Winning a silver at 59 kg/130 lbs. was two-time Olympian Spenser Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP). Taking a bronze at 80 kg/178 lbs. was 2014 World Team member Joe Rau (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm).
Mango powered through the bracket with four straight wins to reach the gold medal finals. He opened with a 4-0 win over Goderzi Davitadze of Georgia, then edged Mihairadu Mihut of Romania, 8-7.
In the quarterfinals, he beat 2011 World silver medalist and 2013 European champion Elbek Tazhyev of Belarus, 8-1. In the semifinals, he put up a great offense to beat 2011 World silver medalist and 2010 World bronze medalist Almat Kebispayev of Kazakhstan, 10-4.
In the gold medal finals, he fell to 2014 Asian silver medalist Shinobu Ota of Japan, 0-8.
Mango, who has wrestled in this event a number of times, also won a bronze medal at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, competing at 55 kg.
Rau also got off to a great start, getting a technical fall in his first two bouts, beating Tamas Sleiner of Serbia, 8-0 and Daulet Zhaksylykov of Kazakhstan, 11-3.
In the quarterfinals, Rau edged Jonas Bossert of Switzerland, 4-4. It was Bossert who caught and pinned Rau in the opening round at the 2014 World Championships. In the semifinals, Rau lost the criteria on a 4-4 score against 2014 European bronze medalist Giorgi Tsirekidze of Georgia.
In the bronze-medal bout, he stopped 2015 Takhti Cup runner-up Ali Zinatirefah of Iran by technical fall, 10-2.
On Saturday, Jordan Holm (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) won the gold medal at 85 kg/187 lbs. This gave the USA three medals at the Hungarian Grand Prix this year, one of the strongest efforts in a number of years.
HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
At Szombathely, Hungary, March 8, 2015
Greco-Roman medalists
59 kg/130 lbs.
Gold - Shinubo Ota (Japan)
Silver – Spenser Mango (USA)
Bronze - Stig Andre Berge (Norway)
Bronze – Almat Kebispayev (Kazakhstan)
71 kg/154 lbs.
Gold – Balint Korpasi (Hungary)
Silver – Ilie Cojocari (Romania)
Bronze – Nurzhan Nadyrov (Kazakhstan)
Bronze – Ramin Taherisartand (Iran)
80 kg/176 lbs.
Gold – Peter Bacsi (Hungary)
Silver – Giorgi Tsirekidze (Georgia)
Bronze – Joe Rau (USA)
Bronze – Andrii Bielykh (Ukraine)
98 kg/216 lbs.
Gold – Balasz Kiss (Hungary)
Silver – Daigoro Timoncini (Italy)
Bronze – Ciurairu Alexuc (Romania)
Bronze – Timofei Dzeinichenka (Belarus)
U.S. performances
59 kg/130 lbs. – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. ArmyWCAP), 2nd
WIN Goderzi Davitadze (Georgia), 4-0
WIN Mihairadu Mihut (Romania), 8-7
WIN Elbek Tazhyev (Belarus), 8-1
WIN Almat Kebispayev (Kazakhstan), 10-4
LOSS Shinobu Ota (Japan), tech fall 0-8
59 kg/130 lbs. – William Simpson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), dnp
WIN Khorlan Zhakansa (Kazakhstan), pin
LOSS Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia), 0-9
59 kg/130 lbs. – Nikko Triggas, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), dnp
LOSS Aidyn Nugumanov (Kazakhstan), 0-4
80 kg/176 lbs. – Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 3rd
WIN Tamas Sleiner (Serbia), tech fall 8-0
WIN Daulet Zhaksylykov (Kazakhstan), tech. fall 11-3
WIN Jonas Bossert (Switzerland), 4-4
LOSS Giorgi Tsirekidze (Georgia), 4-4
WIN Ali Zinatirefah (Iran), tech. fall 10-2
80 kg/176 lbs. – Patrick Martinez, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets), dnp
LOSS Petar Balo (Serbia), 2-2
98 kg/216 lbs. – Caylor Williams, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), dnp
LOSS Ferenc Almasi (Hungary), tech. fall 3-11
Winning a silver at 59 kg/130 lbs. was two-time Olympian Spenser Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP). Taking a bronze at 80 kg/178 lbs. was 2014 World Team member Joe Rau (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm).
Mango powered through the bracket with four straight wins to reach the gold medal finals. He opened with a 4-0 win over Goderzi Davitadze of Georgia, then edged Mihairadu Mihut of Romania, 8-7.
In the quarterfinals, he beat 2011 World silver medalist and 2013 European champion Elbek Tazhyev of Belarus, 8-1. In the semifinals, he put up a great offense to beat 2011 World silver medalist and 2010 World bronze medalist Almat Kebispayev of Kazakhstan, 10-4.
In the gold medal finals, he fell to 2014 Asian silver medalist Shinobu Ota of Japan, 0-8.
Mango, who has wrestled in this event a number of times, also won a bronze medal at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, competing at 55 kg.
Rau also got off to a great start, getting a technical fall in his first two bouts, beating Tamas Sleiner of Serbia, 8-0 and Daulet Zhaksylykov of Kazakhstan, 11-3.
In the quarterfinals, Rau edged Jonas Bossert of Switzerland, 4-4. It was Bossert who caught and pinned Rau in the opening round at the 2014 World Championships. In the semifinals, Rau lost the criteria on a 4-4 score against 2014 European bronze medalist Giorgi Tsirekidze of Georgia.
In the bronze-medal bout, he stopped 2015 Takhti Cup runner-up Ali Zinatirefah of Iran by technical fall, 10-2.
On Saturday, Jordan Holm (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) won the gold medal at 85 kg/187 lbs. This gave the USA three medals at the Hungarian Grand Prix this year, one of the strongest efforts in a number of years.
HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
At Szombathely, Hungary, March 8, 2015
Greco-Roman medalists
59 kg/130 lbs.
Gold - Shinubo Ota (Japan)
Silver – Spenser Mango (USA)
Bronze - Stig Andre Berge (Norway)
Bronze – Almat Kebispayev (Kazakhstan)
71 kg/154 lbs.
Gold – Balint Korpasi (Hungary)
Silver – Ilie Cojocari (Romania)
Bronze – Nurzhan Nadyrov (Kazakhstan)
Bronze – Ramin Taherisartand (Iran)
80 kg/176 lbs.
Gold – Peter Bacsi (Hungary)
Silver – Giorgi Tsirekidze (Georgia)
Bronze – Joe Rau (USA)
Bronze – Andrii Bielykh (Ukraine)
98 kg/216 lbs.
Gold – Balasz Kiss (Hungary)
Silver – Daigoro Timoncini (Italy)
Bronze – Ciurairu Alexuc (Romania)
Bronze – Timofei Dzeinichenka (Belarus)
U.S. performances
59 kg/130 lbs. – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. ArmyWCAP), 2nd
WIN Goderzi Davitadze (Georgia), 4-0
WIN Mihairadu Mihut (Romania), 8-7
WIN Elbek Tazhyev (Belarus), 8-1
WIN Almat Kebispayev (Kazakhstan), 10-4
LOSS Shinobu Ota (Japan), tech fall 0-8
59 kg/130 lbs. – William Simpson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), dnp
WIN Khorlan Zhakansa (Kazakhstan), pin
LOSS Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia), 0-9
59 kg/130 lbs. – Nikko Triggas, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), dnp
LOSS Aidyn Nugumanov (Kazakhstan), 0-4
80 kg/176 lbs. – Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 3rd
WIN Tamas Sleiner (Serbia), tech fall 8-0
WIN Daulet Zhaksylykov (Kazakhstan), tech. fall 11-3
WIN Jonas Bossert (Switzerland), 4-4
LOSS Giorgi Tsirekidze (Georgia), 4-4
WIN Ali Zinatirefah (Iran), tech. fall 10-2
80 kg/176 lbs. – Patrick Martinez, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets), dnp
LOSS Petar Balo (Serbia), 2-2
98 kg/216 lbs. – Caylor Williams, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), dnp
LOSS Ferenc Almasi (Hungary), tech. fall 3-11
