UPDATE: Barkman wins Greco gold, USA gets six medals on final day at Veterans Worlds in Greece
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Steve Barkman of the United States scores a pin on the way to the 63 kg gold medal in Div. F in Greco-Roman at the Veterans Worlds. Photo by Robbert Wijtman, CSC Photography
ATHENS, Greece – Steve Barkman of Bloomsbury, N.J. won a gold medal at 63 kg in Div. F in Greco-Roman on the final day of the Veterans World Championships on Sunday.
Barkman won a three-athlete roundrobin, scoring pins over two Iranian opponents, Seifollah Zare and Ghosem Sayed Mahmoud.
“All the time I put in makes this very rewarding. After losing in freestyle earlier this week, I was ready to get back on the mat and wrestle my butt off. I'll be back with my teammates in 2016 aiming for a freestyle gold,” said Barkman.
It has been the most successful year ever for the American Veterans team in Greco-Roman, with three wrestlers winning gold medals. Along with Barkman, Greco-Roman gold medals went to Shirzad Ahmadi of Coventry, Conn.(63 kg, Div. G) and Michael Tuck of Smithville, Mo. (58 kg, Div. C) this year.
Barkman is the seventh U.S. wrestler to win a Veterans World title in Greco-Roman, Ahmadi and Tuck along with Chris Brown in 2014, Gregg Stensgard in 2012, Valentin Kalika in 2009 and Ron Hughes in 2004.
Winning a silver medal at 58 kg in Division E was Mark Levasseur of Buffalo Lake, Minn. with a 2-1 record. Levasseur opened with a pair of technical fall wins, over Muhlis Kazimoglu of Turkey, 9-0 and Massimo Tocci of Italy, 8-0. In the gold-medal finals, Levasseur was pinned by Yevgeniy Lim of Kazakhstan.
Team USA added four bronze medals in Greco-Roman on Sunday, from:
• Hedj Nelson of Kettle Falls, Wash. at 69 kg in Div. E
• Bruce Moe of Hillsboro, N.D. at 76 kg in Div. E
• Peter Haag of Chicago, Ill. at 85 kg in Div. F
• Steve Contarino of Palmetto, Fla. at 97 kg in Div. F
Three of Sunday’s bronze medalists also won freestyle medals on Tuesday, Nelson, Moe and Contarino.
The United States won nine gold medals at the 2015 Veterans Worlds. Joining Greco-Roman champions Barkman, Ahmadi and Tuck were freestyle champions Grant Johnson of Houston, Texas (97 kg, Div. A), Shirzad Ahmadi of Coventry, Conn. (63 kg, Div. G), James Kasser of Lewis Center, Ohio (63 kg, Div. D), Antonio Peraza of Shoreham, N.Y. (85 kg, Div. F, Meghan Marcello of Indian Springs, Nev. (53 kg, Div. A) and Marie Ziegler (48 kg, Div. B.)
Over the six days of competition, the United States won 38 medals.
VETERANS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Athens, Greece
Greco-Roman champions
Division B champions
58 kg – Tero Katajisto (Finland)
63 kg – Igor Kashirin (Russia)
69 kg – Vasileios Boukis (Greece)
76 kg – Johan Hedberg (Sweden)
85 kg – Reza Abdoli (Iran)
97 kg – Behrouz Jamshidi (Iran)
130 kg – Bahaaldin Karimzadeh (Iran)
Division E champions
58 kg – Yevgeniy Lim (Kazakhstan)
63 kg – Dieter Otto Roos (Germany)
69 kg – Georgi Hristov (France)
76 kg – Anatolii Soroka (Ukraine)
85 kg – Wilhelm Schroeder (Germany)
97 kg – Miroslav Wieczorkiewicz (Poland)
130 kg – Attila Szabo (Romania)
Division F champions
58 kg – Abdolrahman Moarefianpour (Iran)
63 kg – Steve Barkman (USA)
69 kg - Zdravko Pekec (Croatia)
76 kg – Zvonko Erak (Croatia)
85 kg – Pavel Li-Iu (Russia)
97 kg – Franz Pitschmann (Austria)
130 kg – Janusz Zurawski (Poland)
U.S. Greco-Roman performances
Division B
69 kg – Edward Paladino, Alpharetta, Ga., 8th
LOSS Vasileios Boukis (Greece), tech. fall 0-8
LOSS Rene Hannemann (Germany), 6-7
76 kg – Jose Calero, Elgin, Ill. dnp/13th
LOSS Jacques Rossouw (South Africa), tech. fall, 0-8
85 kg – Wesley Germaile, 9th
LOSS Slobodan Ilic (Serbia), tech. fall, 2-11
97 kg – Richard Jensen, Portland, Ore., 10th
LOSS Mete Oz (Turkey), tech. fall 0-8
Division E
58 kg – Mark Levasseur, Buffalo Lake, Minn., silver medal
WIN Muhlis Kazimoglu (Turkey), tech. fall 9-0
WIN Massimo Tocci (Italy), tech. fall 8-0
LOSS Yevgeniy Lim (Kazakhstan), pin
69 kg – Hedj Nelson, Kettle Falls, Wash, bronze medal
LOSS Georgi Hristov (France), 2-7
WIN Muhittin Yilmaz (Turkey), 5-0
76 kg – Brad Brosius, Dover, Pa., dnp/14th
LOSS Daniel Rodrigues (Argentina), tech. fall 0-8
76 kg – Bruce Moe, Hillsboro, N.D., bronze medal
WIN Ivan Rangelov (Bulgaria), 2-1
LOSS Anatolii Soroka (Ukraine), 0-4
WIN Daniel Rodrigues (Argentina), 6-5
85 kg – Keith Ellis, Vacaville, Calif., 7th
WIN Michel Chiaffi (France), pin
LOSS Istvan Jaszkai (Hungary), 2-7
85 kg – Chris Brown, Boyds. Md., 5th
WIN Nikos Mponatakis (Greece), pin
LOSS Wilhelm Schroeder (Germany), 0-4
LOSS Willen Jacobus Putter (South Africa), pin
85 kg – Mike Mitrowski, Brewster, Mass., dnp/13th
LOSS Dobrica Rakocevic (Serbia), 0-5
Division F
63 kg – Steve Barkman, Bloomsbury, N.J., gold medal
WIN Seifollah Zare (Iran), pin
WIN Ghosem Sayed Mahmoud (Iran), pin
85 kg – Peter Haag, Chicago, Ill., bronze medal
LOSS Ferenc Szaraz (Hungary), 5-6
97 kg – Steve Contarino, Palmetto, Fla., bronze medal
LOSS Seyedmohammadza Hasheminasab (Iran), pin
ATHENS, Greece – Steve Barkman of Bloomsbury, N.J. won a gold medal at 63 kg in Div. F in Greco-Roman on the final day of the Veterans World Championships on Sunday.
Barkman won a three-athlete roundrobin, scoring pins over two Iranian opponents, Seifollah Zare and Ghosem Sayed Mahmoud.
“All the time I put in makes this very rewarding. After losing in freestyle earlier this week, I was ready to get back on the mat and wrestle my butt off. I'll be back with my teammates in 2016 aiming for a freestyle gold,” said Barkman.
It has been the most successful year ever for the American Veterans team in Greco-Roman, with three wrestlers winning gold medals. Along with Barkman, Greco-Roman gold medals went to Shirzad Ahmadi of Coventry, Conn.(63 kg, Div. G) and Michael Tuck of Smithville, Mo. (58 kg, Div. C) this year.
Barkman is the seventh U.S. wrestler to win a Veterans World title in Greco-Roman, Ahmadi and Tuck along with Chris Brown in 2014, Gregg Stensgard in 2012, Valentin Kalika in 2009 and Ron Hughes in 2004.
Winning a silver medal at 58 kg in Division E was Mark Levasseur of Buffalo Lake, Minn. with a 2-1 record. Levasseur opened with a pair of technical fall wins, over Muhlis Kazimoglu of Turkey, 9-0 and Massimo Tocci of Italy, 8-0. In the gold-medal finals, Levasseur was pinned by Yevgeniy Lim of Kazakhstan.
Team USA added four bronze medals in Greco-Roman on Sunday, from:
• Hedj Nelson of Kettle Falls, Wash. at 69 kg in Div. E
• Bruce Moe of Hillsboro, N.D. at 76 kg in Div. E
• Peter Haag of Chicago, Ill. at 85 kg in Div. F
• Steve Contarino of Palmetto, Fla. at 97 kg in Div. F
Three of Sunday’s bronze medalists also won freestyle medals on Tuesday, Nelson, Moe and Contarino.
The United States won nine gold medals at the 2015 Veterans Worlds. Joining Greco-Roman champions Barkman, Ahmadi and Tuck were freestyle champions Grant Johnson of Houston, Texas (97 kg, Div. A), Shirzad Ahmadi of Coventry, Conn. (63 kg, Div. G), James Kasser of Lewis Center, Ohio (63 kg, Div. D), Antonio Peraza of Shoreham, N.Y. (85 kg, Div. F, Meghan Marcello of Indian Springs, Nev. (53 kg, Div. A) and Marie Ziegler (48 kg, Div. B.)
Over the six days of competition, the United States won 38 medals.
VETERANS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Athens, Greece
Greco-Roman champions
Division B champions
58 kg – Tero Katajisto (Finland)
63 kg – Igor Kashirin (Russia)
69 kg – Vasileios Boukis (Greece)
76 kg – Johan Hedberg (Sweden)
85 kg – Reza Abdoli (Iran)
97 kg – Behrouz Jamshidi (Iran)
130 kg – Bahaaldin Karimzadeh (Iran)
Division E champions
58 kg – Yevgeniy Lim (Kazakhstan)
63 kg – Dieter Otto Roos (Germany)
69 kg – Georgi Hristov (France)
76 kg – Anatolii Soroka (Ukraine)
85 kg – Wilhelm Schroeder (Germany)
97 kg – Miroslav Wieczorkiewicz (Poland)
130 kg – Attila Szabo (Romania)
Division F champions
58 kg – Abdolrahman Moarefianpour (Iran)
63 kg – Steve Barkman (USA)
69 kg - Zdravko Pekec (Croatia)
76 kg – Zvonko Erak (Croatia)
85 kg – Pavel Li-Iu (Russia)
97 kg – Franz Pitschmann (Austria)
130 kg – Janusz Zurawski (Poland)
U.S. Greco-Roman performances
Division B
69 kg – Edward Paladino, Alpharetta, Ga., 8th
LOSS Vasileios Boukis (Greece), tech. fall 0-8
LOSS Rene Hannemann (Germany), 6-7
76 kg – Jose Calero, Elgin, Ill. dnp/13th
LOSS Jacques Rossouw (South Africa), tech. fall, 0-8
85 kg – Wesley Germaile, 9th
LOSS Slobodan Ilic (Serbia), tech. fall, 2-11
97 kg – Richard Jensen, Portland, Ore., 10th
LOSS Mete Oz (Turkey), tech. fall 0-8
Division E
58 kg – Mark Levasseur, Buffalo Lake, Minn., silver medal
WIN Muhlis Kazimoglu (Turkey), tech. fall 9-0
WIN Massimo Tocci (Italy), tech. fall 8-0
LOSS Yevgeniy Lim (Kazakhstan), pin
69 kg – Hedj Nelson, Kettle Falls, Wash, bronze medal
LOSS Georgi Hristov (France), 2-7
WIN Muhittin Yilmaz (Turkey), 5-0
76 kg – Brad Brosius, Dover, Pa., dnp/14th
LOSS Daniel Rodrigues (Argentina), tech. fall 0-8
76 kg – Bruce Moe, Hillsboro, N.D., bronze medal
WIN Ivan Rangelov (Bulgaria), 2-1
LOSS Anatolii Soroka (Ukraine), 0-4
WIN Daniel Rodrigues (Argentina), 6-5
85 kg – Keith Ellis, Vacaville, Calif., 7th
WIN Michel Chiaffi (France), pin
LOSS Istvan Jaszkai (Hungary), 2-7
85 kg – Chris Brown, Boyds. Md., 5th
WIN Nikos Mponatakis (Greece), pin
LOSS Wilhelm Schroeder (Germany), 0-4
LOSS Willen Jacobus Putter (South Africa), pin
85 kg – Mike Mitrowski, Brewster, Mass., dnp/13th
LOSS Dobrica Rakocevic (Serbia), 0-5
Division F
63 kg – Steve Barkman, Bloomsbury, N.J., gold medal
WIN Seifollah Zare (Iran), pin
WIN Ghosem Sayed Mahmoud (Iran), pin
85 kg – Peter Haag, Chicago, Ill., bronze medal
LOSS Ferenc Szaraz (Hungary), 5-6
97 kg – Steve Contarino, Palmetto, Fla., bronze medal
LOSS Seyedmohammadza Hasheminasab (Iran), pin
