Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier women’s freestyle preview
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Two-time World medalist Alyssa Lampe will be among the stars to compete in the women's division at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Frisco, Texas on Friday.
Over the next three days, TheMat.com will post a preview for each style for the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier, which will be hosted at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas, March 4-6. We will do one daily in the order in which each style will be contested in Frisco.
We start with women’s freestyle, which will be held on Friday, March 4. Countries may only enter athletes in weight classes where they have not yet qualified for the Olympics. The champion and runner-up in each weight class will qualify their nation to compete at that weight class at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August.
At the 2015 World Championships, the United States qualified at one weight (75 kg), Canada qualified at two weight classes (48 kg, 63 kg), Colombia has qualified at two weight classes (58 kg, 75 kg) and Brazil has qualified at one weight class (75 kg).
Team USA will have five entries in this competition. We will do a preview of each weight class competition below.
All-Session General Admission prices are $14.50 for a single day pass and $39.50 for a three-day pass. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.
Click here for direct link for tickets through Ticketmaster.
The event will also be broadcast on Flowrestling
48 kg/105.5 lbs.
The United States will enter two-time World bronze medalist Alyssa Lampe at this weight class. She has competed in Pan American level competitions three times in her career, winning a gold medal at the 2009 Pan American Championships and bronze medals at the 2012 Pan American Championships and the 2015 Pan American Games.
Canada qualified an athlete at this weight at the 2015 World Championships and will not have an entry. This is a weight class with plenty of experience. Three competitors were listed in the February UWW World rankings, Lampe at No. 12, Carolina Castillo of Colombia at No. 9 and Patricia Bermudez of Argentina at No. 10. Lampe’s loss at the 2015 Pan American Games was to Canada’s Genevieve Morrison, who is not entered in Frisco.
This weight class has a ton of wrestlers with extensive experience. Many competed in last week’s Pan American Championships, with bronze medals going to Katiuska Toaza of Ecuador and Laura Torres of Mexico. Patricia Bermudez of Argentina won a Pan American Championships gold in 2012, while Thalia Mallqui of Peru won the Pan American Championships in 2013. This weight has some good depth, which means there could be some great battles in the early rounds depending upon draw.
48 kg/105.5 lbs. (10 possible entries)
Patricia Bermudez (Argentina), World No. 10 ranking
Susana De Almeida Dos Santos (Brazil)
Carolina Castillo Hidalgo (Colombia), World No. 9 ranking
Yusneylys Guzman Lopez (Cuba)
Katiuska Toaza Avelino (Ecuador)
Brenda Bailey Gomez (Honduras)
Laura Peredo Torres (Mexico)
Thalia Mallqui Peche (Peru)
Alyssa Lampe (United States), World No. 12 ranking
Onmariel Valenzuela (Venezeuela)
Lampe’s past Pan Am results: ‘15PAG (3rd), ’12 PAC (3rd). ’09 PAC (1st)
2016 Pan Am Championships medalists: 3rd - Toaza (ECU); 3rd – Torres (MEX)
53 kg/116.5 lbs.
The United States enters three-time World Team member and past Junior World champion Whitney Conder in this event. Conder comes off a Pan American Games gold medal in 2015, and has made the Pan American finals in all three events which she has competed at on the Senior level. Conder beat Alma Valencia of Mexico in the Pan Am Games finals last summer.
No Pan American nation qualified for the Rio Olympics at the 2015 Worlds, so all of the nations that choose to will have entries here. There are currently three athletes who were in the February 2016 UWW World rankings, Conder at No. 13, Betzabeth Arguello of Venezuela at No. 17 and Alma Valencia of Mexico at No. 19. Canada will enter a past World medalist in this weight class, Jillian Gallays, who won her World bronze back in 2014.
Five of the entries here won a medal at last week’s Pan American Championships in Frisco. Luisa Valverde of Ecuador won a silver medal at 53 kg, while Giullia Penalber of Brazil won a silver medal up at 55 kg. Bronzes at 53 kg went to Leidy Cifuentes of Colombia and Lianna Montero of Cuba, while Betzabeth Arguello of Venezuela won a bronze at 55 kg.
53 kg/116.5 lbs. (10 possible entries)
Giullia Rodrigues Penalber De Oliveira (Brazil)
Jillian Gallays (Canada)
Leidy Cifuentes Carranza (Colombia)
Lianna Montero Herrera (Cuba)
Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador)
Alma Valencia Escoto (Mexico), World No. 19 ranking
Jenny Mallqui Suazo (Peru)
Nesmarie Rodriguez Tirando or Vicmarie Requena Tirado (Puerto Rico)
Whitney Conder (United States), World No. 13 ranking
Betzabeth Arguello Villegas (Venezeuela), World No. 17 ranking
Conder’s past Pan Am results: ‘15PAG (1st), ’12 PAC (2nd), ’10 PAC (2nd)
2016 Pan Am Championships medalists: 2nd – Valverde (ECU); 3rd – Cifuentes (COL); 3rd – Montero (CUB); 2nd at 55 kg – Rodrigues (BRA); 3rd at 55 kg – Arguello (VEN)
58 kg/128 lbs.
The USA entry here is three-time World Team member and two-time Junior World medalist Alli Ragan, who has never competed in a Pan American event in the past. Ragan’s highest World placement was fifth in 2014, and she has a strong resume of winning medals in Senior-level international events.
Colombia qualified for the Olympic Games at this weight class, when two-time Olympic medalist Jackeline Renteria placed in the top five, meaning Colombia has no entry this week. Ragan is one of three athletes in the Pan Am Qualifier field with a UWW World ranking, coming in at No. 19. The other ranked athletes are No. 11 Lissette Antes of Ecuador at No. 11 and Canada’s Michelle Fazzari at No. 14.
Joice Souza da Silva of Brazil was the 2015 Pan American Games gold medalist, and also won the 2015 Pan American Championships. Canada’s Fazzari won a 2014 Pan American Championships gold medal up at 60 kg. Cuba’s Yaquelin Estornell won the Pan American Championships in 2013, while Lissette Antes of Ecuador was a 2014 Pan American Champoionships gold medalist.
Of the athletes in this draw won medals last week at the Pan American Championships. Yaquellin Estornell of Cuba won a silver at 58 kg, while Yanet Sovero of Peru won a silver at 60 kg. Bronzes at 58 kg went to Alejandra Romero of Mexico and Lissette Antes of Ecuador.
58 kg/128 lbs. (10 possible entries)
Joice Souza Da Silva (Brazil)
Michelle Fazzari (Canada), World No. 14 ranking
Yaquelin Estornell Elizastigue (Cuba)
Lissette Antes Castillo (Ecuador), World No. 11 ranking
Alejandra Romero Bonilla (Mexico)
Emily Sanchez Ortega (Panama)
Yanet Sovero Nino (Peru)
Sheykaliz Cintron Martinez (Puerto Rico)
Alli Ragan (United States), World No. 19 ranking
Virginia Jimenez Fernandez (Venezeuela)
Ragan’s past Pan Am results: None
2016 Pan Am Championships placements: 2nd – Estornell (CUB); 3rd – Romero (MEX); 3rd – Antes (ECU); 2nd at 60 kg – Sovero (PER)
63 kg/138.75 lbs.
The United States is entering 2015 World Team member Erin Clodgo, who was third at the 2015 Pan American Games and second in the 2011 Pan American Games.
This weight class will not include a Canadian, as they have already qualified for Rio at this weight through the 2015 World Championships. There are only two wrestlers in the field who have a UWW World ranking, Clodgo at No. 20 and talented Katerina Vidiaux of Cuba at No. 9.
Vidiaux was a 2011 Pan American Games gold medalist and was fifth in the 2010 World Championships. Leidy Izquierdo of Colombia has placed eighth and ninth at the World Championships in the past. In last week’s Pan American Championships, Brazil’s Lais Nunez won the gold medal, and Vidiaux won a bronze medal.
63 kg/138.75 lbs. (6 possible entries)
Lais Nunes De Oliveira (Brazil)
Leidy Izquirdo Mendez (Colombia)
Katerina Vidiaux Lopez (Cuba), World No. 9 ranking
Saidy Chavez Figueroa (Honduras)
Erin Clodgo (United States), World No. 20 ranking
Nathaly Griman Herrera (Venezeuela)
Clodgo’s past Pan Am results: ‘15PAG (3rd), ’11 PAC (2nd)
2016 Pan Am Championships placements: 1st – Nunez (BRA); 3rd –Vidiaux (CUB)
69 kg/152 lbs.
The USA will enter a young star who is a native of Texas, Tamyra Mensah, who will be competing in her first Pan American level tournament on the Senior level. Mensah won a Special Wrestle-off over 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Randi Miller to earn the spot on the USA team for this event.
None of the Pan American nations qualified an athlete for the Rio Olympics through the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas. In spite of that, this will not be a large field for the Pan American Qualifier. Of the six entries in the preliminary rosters, there are two in the UWW World rankings, Mensah at No. 17 and Canadian star Dorothy Yeats at No. 7. Yeats was a 2015 Pan American Games champion, won a pair of Junior World titles, and placed second at the 2012 Senior World Championships.
In last week’s Pan American Championships, Cuba’s Yudari Sanchez won a silver medal and Venezuela’s Maria Acosta won a bronze medal.
69 kg/152 lbs. (6 possible entries)
Gilda De Oliveira (Brazil)
Dorothy Yeats (Canada), World No. 7 ranking
Yudari Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba)
Cinthia Morales Repizo (Mexico)
Tamyra Mensah (United States), World No. 17 ranking
Maria Jose Acosta (Venezeuela)
Mensah’s past Pan Am results: None
2016 Pan Am Championships placements: 2nd – Sanchez (CUB); 3rd – Acosta (VEN)
75 kg/165 lbs.
This weight class is small for a reason. At the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, three Pan American nations qualified their athletes for the Rio Olympics by placing in the top five at the Worlds. Adeline Gray of the United States won a gold medal, Aline da Silva of Brazil was fifth, and Andrea Olaya of Colombia was also fifth. None of those nations will have entries in Frisco this weekend.
That said, there are still two athletes who had UWW World rankings in February who will have entries in the Pan American Olympic Qualifier, No. 4 Erica Wiebe of Canada and No. 14 Lisset Hechevarria of Cub. Wiebe has extensive experience, including a 2014 World University gold medal and a 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medal. Hechevarria has won Pan American Championships gold medals in 2013 and 2014.
Another potential finalist is verteran Jaramit Weffer of Venezuela, who was a 2007 Pan American Championships gold medalist and has won a pile of other Pan American level medals in her career. Diana Miranda of Mexico was fifth in the 2014 Senior World Championships. This will be very competitive, even with three nations not entered.
75 kg/165 lbs. (5 possible entries)
Erica Wiebe (Canada), World No. 4 ranking
Lisset Hechevarria Medina (Cuba), World No. 14 ranking
Diana Miranda Gonzales (Mexico)
Dayanara Rivera Suarez (Puerto Rico)
Jaramit Weffer Guanipa (Venezeuela)
2016 Pan Am Championships placements: 3rd – Weffer (VEN)
Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier Rosters by nation
Pan American Olympic Games Qualifiers entries by weight class
Over the next three days, TheMat.com will post a preview for each style for the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier, which will be hosted at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas, March 4-6. We will do one daily in the order in which each style will be contested in Frisco.
We start with women’s freestyle, which will be held on Friday, March 4. Countries may only enter athletes in weight classes where they have not yet qualified for the Olympics. The champion and runner-up in each weight class will qualify their nation to compete at that weight class at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August.
At the 2015 World Championships, the United States qualified at one weight (75 kg), Canada qualified at two weight classes (48 kg, 63 kg), Colombia has qualified at two weight classes (58 kg, 75 kg) and Brazil has qualified at one weight class (75 kg).
Team USA will have five entries in this competition. We will do a preview of each weight class competition below.
All-Session General Admission prices are $14.50 for a single day pass and $39.50 for a three-day pass. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.
Click here for direct link for tickets through Ticketmaster.
The event will also be broadcast on Flowrestling
48 kg/105.5 lbs.
The United States will enter two-time World bronze medalist Alyssa Lampe at this weight class. She has competed in Pan American level competitions three times in her career, winning a gold medal at the 2009 Pan American Championships and bronze medals at the 2012 Pan American Championships and the 2015 Pan American Games.
Canada qualified an athlete at this weight at the 2015 World Championships and will not have an entry. This is a weight class with plenty of experience. Three competitors were listed in the February UWW World rankings, Lampe at No. 12, Carolina Castillo of Colombia at No. 9 and Patricia Bermudez of Argentina at No. 10. Lampe’s loss at the 2015 Pan American Games was to Canada’s Genevieve Morrison, who is not entered in Frisco.
This weight class has a ton of wrestlers with extensive experience. Many competed in last week’s Pan American Championships, with bronze medals going to Katiuska Toaza of Ecuador and Laura Torres of Mexico. Patricia Bermudez of Argentina won a Pan American Championships gold in 2012, while Thalia Mallqui of Peru won the Pan American Championships in 2013. This weight has some good depth, which means there could be some great battles in the early rounds depending upon draw.
48 kg/105.5 lbs. (10 possible entries)
Patricia Bermudez (Argentina), World No. 10 ranking
Susana De Almeida Dos Santos (Brazil)
Carolina Castillo Hidalgo (Colombia), World No. 9 ranking
Yusneylys Guzman Lopez (Cuba)
Katiuska Toaza Avelino (Ecuador)
Brenda Bailey Gomez (Honduras)
Laura Peredo Torres (Mexico)
Thalia Mallqui Peche (Peru)
Alyssa Lampe (United States), World No. 12 ranking
Onmariel Valenzuela (Venezeuela)
Lampe’s past Pan Am results: ‘15PAG (3rd), ’12 PAC (3rd). ’09 PAC (1st)
2016 Pan Am Championships medalists: 3rd - Toaza (ECU); 3rd – Torres (MEX)
53 kg/116.5 lbs.
The United States enters three-time World Team member and past Junior World champion Whitney Conder in this event. Conder comes off a Pan American Games gold medal in 2015, and has made the Pan American finals in all three events which she has competed at on the Senior level. Conder beat Alma Valencia of Mexico in the Pan Am Games finals last summer.
No Pan American nation qualified for the Rio Olympics at the 2015 Worlds, so all of the nations that choose to will have entries here. There are currently three athletes who were in the February 2016 UWW World rankings, Conder at No. 13, Betzabeth Arguello of Venezuela at No. 17 and Alma Valencia of Mexico at No. 19. Canada will enter a past World medalist in this weight class, Jillian Gallays, who won her World bronze back in 2014.
Five of the entries here won a medal at last week’s Pan American Championships in Frisco. Luisa Valverde of Ecuador won a silver medal at 53 kg, while Giullia Penalber of Brazil won a silver medal up at 55 kg. Bronzes at 53 kg went to Leidy Cifuentes of Colombia and Lianna Montero of Cuba, while Betzabeth Arguello of Venezuela won a bronze at 55 kg.
53 kg/116.5 lbs. (10 possible entries)
Giullia Rodrigues Penalber De Oliveira (Brazil)
Jillian Gallays (Canada)
Leidy Cifuentes Carranza (Colombia)
Lianna Montero Herrera (Cuba)
Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador)
Alma Valencia Escoto (Mexico), World No. 19 ranking
Jenny Mallqui Suazo (Peru)
Nesmarie Rodriguez Tirando or Vicmarie Requena Tirado (Puerto Rico)
Whitney Conder (United States), World No. 13 ranking
Betzabeth Arguello Villegas (Venezeuela), World No. 17 ranking
Conder’s past Pan Am results: ‘15PAG (1st), ’12 PAC (2nd), ’10 PAC (2nd)
2016 Pan Am Championships medalists: 2nd – Valverde (ECU); 3rd – Cifuentes (COL); 3rd – Montero (CUB); 2nd at 55 kg – Rodrigues (BRA); 3rd at 55 kg – Arguello (VEN)
58 kg/128 lbs.
The USA entry here is three-time World Team member and two-time Junior World medalist Alli Ragan, who has never competed in a Pan American event in the past. Ragan’s highest World placement was fifth in 2014, and she has a strong resume of winning medals in Senior-level international events.
Colombia qualified for the Olympic Games at this weight class, when two-time Olympic medalist Jackeline Renteria placed in the top five, meaning Colombia has no entry this week. Ragan is one of three athletes in the Pan Am Qualifier field with a UWW World ranking, coming in at No. 19. The other ranked athletes are No. 11 Lissette Antes of Ecuador at No. 11 and Canada’s Michelle Fazzari at No. 14.
Joice Souza da Silva of Brazil was the 2015 Pan American Games gold medalist, and also won the 2015 Pan American Championships. Canada’s Fazzari won a 2014 Pan American Championships gold medal up at 60 kg. Cuba’s Yaquelin Estornell won the Pan American Championships in 2013, while Lissette Antes of Ecuador was a 2014 Pan American Champoionships gold medalist.
Of the athletes in this draw won medals last week at the Pan American Championships. Yaquellin Estornell of Cuba won a silver at 58 kg, while Yanet Sovero of Peru won a silver at 60 kg. Bronzes at 58 kg went to Alejandra Romero of Mexico and Lissette Antes of Ecuador.
58 kg/128 lbs. (10 possible entries)
Joice Souza Da Silva (Brazil)
Michelle Fazzari (Canada), World No. 14 ranking
Yaquelin Estornell Elizastigue (Cuba)
Lissette Antes Castillo (Ecuador), World No. 11 ranking
Alejandra Romero Bonilla (Mexico)
Emily Sanchez Ortega (Panama)
Yanet Sovero Nino (Peru)
Sheykaliz Cintron Martinez (Puerto Rico)
Alli Ragan (United States), World No. 19 ranking
Virginia Jimenez Fernandez (Venezeuela)
Ragan’s past Pan Am results: None
2016 Pan Am Championships placements: 2nd – Estornell (CUB); 3rd – Romero (MEX); 3rd – Antes (ECU); 2nd at 60 kg – Sovero (PER)
63 kg/138.75 lbs.
The United States is entering 2015 World Team member Erin Clodgo, who was third at the 2015 Pan American Games and second in the 2011 Pan American Games.
This weight class will not include a Canadian, as they have already qualified for Rio at this weight through the 2015 World Championships. There are only two wrestlers in the field who have a UWW World ranking, Clodgo at No. 20 and talented Katerina Vidiaux of Cuba at No. 9.
Vidiaux was a 2011 Pan American Games gold medalist and was fifth in the 2010 World Championships. Leidy Izquierdo of Colombia has placed eighth and ninth at the World Championships in the past. In last week’s Pan American Championships, Brazil’s Lais Nunez won the gold medal, and Vidiaux won a bronze medal.
63 kg/138.75 lbs. (6 possible entries)
Lais Nunes De Oliveira (Brazil)
Leidy Izquirdo Mendez (Colombia)
Katerina Vidiaux Lopez (Cuba), World No. 9 ranking
Saidy Chavez Figueroa (Honduras)
Erin Clodgo (United States), World No. 20 ranking
Nathaly Griman Herrera (Venezeuela)
Clodgo’s past Pan Am results: ‘15PAG (3rd), ’11 PAC (2nd)
2016 Pan Am Championships placements: 1st – Nunez (BRA); 3rd –Vidiaux (CUB)
69 kg/152 lbs.
The USA will enter a young star who is a native of Texas, Tamyra Mensah, who will be competing in her first Pan American level tournament on the Senior level. Mensah won a Special Wrestle-off over 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Randi Miller to earn the spot on the USA team for this event.
None of the Pan American nations qualified an athlete for the Rio Olympics through the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas. In spite of that, this will not be a large field for the Pan American Qualifier. Of the six entries in the preliminary rosters, there are two in the UWW World rankings, Mensah at No. 17 and Canadian star Dorothy Yeats at No. 7. Yeats was a 2015 Pan American Games champion, won a pair of Junior World titles, and placed second at the 2012 Senior World Championships.
In last week’s Pan American Championships, Cuba’s Yudari Sanchez won a silver medal and Venezuela’s Maria Acosta won a bronze medal.
69 kg/152 lbs. (6 possible entries)
Gilda De Oliveira (Brazil)
Dorothy Yeats (Canada), World No. 7 ranking
Yudari Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba)
Cinthia Morales Repizo (Mexico)
Tamyra Mensah (United States), World No. 17 ranking
Maria Jose Acosta (Venezeuela)
Mensah’s past Pan Am results: None
2016 Pan Am Championships placements: 2nd – Sanchez (CUB); 3rd – Acosta (VEN)
75 kg/165 lbs.
This weight class is small for a reason. At the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, three Pan American nations qualified their athletes for the Rio Olympics by placing in the top five at the Worlds. Adeline Gray of the United States won a gold medal, Aline da Silva of Brazil was fifth, and Andrea Olaya of Colombia was also fifth. None of those nations will have entries in Frisco this weekend.
That said, there are still two athletes who had UWW World rankings in February who will have entries in the Pan American Olympic Qualifier, No. 4 Erica Wiebe of Canada and No. 14 Lisset Hechevarria of Cub. Wiebe has extensive experience, including a 2014 World University gold medal and a 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medal. Hechevarria has won Pan American Championships gold medals in 2013 and 2014.
Another potential finalist is verteran Jaramit Weffer of Venezuela, who was a 2007 Pan American Championships gold medalist and has won a pile of other Pan American level medals in her career. Diana Miranda of Mexico was fifth in the 2014 Senior World Championships. This will be very competitive, even with three nations not entered.
75 kg/165 lbs. (5 possible entries)
Erica Wiebe (Canada), World No. 4 ranking
Lisset Hechevarria Medina (Cuba), World No. 14 ranking
Diana Miranda Gonzales (Mexico)
Dayanara Rivera Suarez (Puerto Rico)
Jaramit Weffer Guanipa (Venezeuela)
2016 Pan Am Championships placements: 3rd – Weffer (VEN)
Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier Rosters by nation
Pan American Olympic Games Qualifiers entries by weight class
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