Titan Mercury WC draws clubs from Canada, India and Bulgaria in Pool A at Freestyle World Clubs Cup in Iran
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
World Clubs Cup pairing graphic by Jonny Ruggiano, Titan Mercury WC
The defending World champion Titan Mercury WC of the United States will battle club teams from Canada, India and Bulgaria in its pool competition on Thursday at the Freestyle World Clubs Cup in Tehran, Iran.
This is the World Championships event for men’s freestyle wrestling clubs from around the world.
There are 13 club teams in the tournament, representing 11 different countries. The USA is in a Pool A, which is a pool of four teams, while the other three pools include three teams.
The Titan Mercury WC is loaded, with four past World medalists and many of the top stars in American freestyle today. The team features 2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Kyle Snyder (97 kg), 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman (57 kg) and 2017 World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski (125), plus Franklin Gomez of Puerto Rico, a 2011 World silver medalist.
Titan Mercury WC opens at 10:00 a.m. in Tehran against the Montreal (Canada) club. Three past Canadian Senior World Team members are on the team, Steven Takahashi (57 kg), Jordan Steen (92 kg) and 2016 Olympian Korey Jarvis (125 kg).
The second Titan Mercury WC dual meet will be at 11:15 a.m. against a club from India. This team has extensive experience, led by 2013 World silver medalist Amit Kumar (57 kg), 2017 Junior World bronze medalist Ver Dev Gulia (74 kg) and 2011 Commonwealth champion Pawan Kumar (86 kg)
In the second session of the day, Titan Mercury WC closes out its pool competition against NSA Akademik (Bulgaria) at 3:00 p.m. The Bulgarian club has a number of young athletes, but nobody with major Senior-level achievements.
During the evening session, there will be four cross-over dual meets, featuring the second place teams in all of the pools and the third-place teams from the pools. If Titan Mercury wins its pool, its next match would be on Friday, instead of during the Thursday night crossover bouts.
Last year, Titan Mercury WC defeated Bimeh Razi of Iran in the championship finals of the Freestyle World Clubs Cup. In 2014 and 2015, Bimeh Razi beat Titan Mercury WC in the championship finals dual meets. Bimeh Razi is in Pool C, meaning the teams would not meet until the championship match if they win their earlier duals.
Titan Mercury reports that there will be live streams will be @iranwrestling. Titan Mercury will keep fans updated all night long via Instagram and Twitter @titan_mercury! TMWC will also be doing contests and giveaways all night long!
Tehran is 8 ½ hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone, meaning Titan Mercury’s first match will start at 1:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern time (10:00 a.m. in Tehran).
FREESTYLE WORLD CLUBS CUP
At Tehran, Iran
Bout schedule for Thursday, December 7 (local time, 8.5 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time)
10:00 a.m.
Mat A – India vs. NSA-Akademik (BUL)
Mat B – Easy Pipe Kashan (IRI) vs. Raindi (GEO)
Mat C – Titan Mercury (USA) vs. Montreal (CAN)
11:15 a.m.
Mat A – Khimori (MGL) vs. Tajik Air (TAJ)
Mat B – Bimeh Razi (IRI) vs. B.S. Brothers (KAZ)
Mat C – Titan Mercury (USA) vs. India
12:30 p.m.
Mat A – Budapest (HUN) vs. Khimori (MGL)
Mat B – Kelechek (KGZ) vs. Easy Pipe Kashan (IRI)
Mat C – Montreal (CAN) vs. NSA-Akademik (BUL)
3:00 p.m.
Mat A – Titan Mercury (USA) vs. NSA Akademik (BUL)
Mat B –B.S. Brothers (KAZ) vs. Setaregan Sari (IRI)
Mat C – Montreal (CAN) vs. India
4:30 p.m. – OPENING CEREMONIES
5:00 p.m.
Mat A – Tajik Air (TJK) vs. Budapest (HUN)
Mat B – Setaregan Sari (IRI) vs. Bimeh Razi (IRI)
Mat C – Raindi (GEO) vs. Kelechek (KGZ)
6:15 p.m.
Mat A – 2 (A –B)
Mat B – 2 (C-D)
Mat C – 3 (A-B)
7:30 p.m.
Mat B – 3 (C-D)
ROSTERS FOR TEAMS IN POOL A
Titan Mercury (USA)
57kg- Thomas GILMAN (USA), 2017 World silver medalist
61kg- Alan WATERS (USA)
65kg- Franklin GOMEZ (PUR), 2011 World silver medalist
65kg - B.J. FUTRELL (USA)
70kg- Nazar KULCHYTSKYY (USA)
74kg- Isaiah MARTINEZ (USA), 5th in 2017 U23 Worlds
79kg- Kyle DAKE (USA), 4x NCAA champion
86kg- David TAYLOR (USA), 2x NCAA champion
92kg- Nick HEFLIN (USA)
97kg- Kyle SNYDER (USA), 2016 Olympic champion, 2x World champion
125kg- Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (USA), 2017 World bronze medalist
India Club
57kg- Amit KUMAR (IND), 2013 World silver medalist
61kg- Ravinder (IND)
65kg- Sonu (IND)
70kg- Vinod KUMAR (IND), 2nd 2016 Asian Championships
74kg- Ver Dev GULIA (IND) , 3rd in 2017 Junior Worlds
79kg- Jitender (IND)
86kg- Pawan Kumar (IND), 2011 Commonwealth champion
92kg- Somveer (IND)
97kg- Viky (IND)
125kg- Pushpender Singh (IND)
Montreal (Canada)
57kg- Trevor BANKS (CAN), 3rd in 2016 Commonwealth Championships
61kg- Steven TAKAHASHI (CAN), 2x Canada World Team, 3rd 2016 University Worlds
65kg- Vicent DE MARINIS (CAN), 3rd 2016 Pan Am Championships
70kg- TBD
74kg- Ahmed SHAMIYA (CAN), 2nd in 2016 Pan Am Championships
79kg- Guseyn RUSLANZADA (CAN),
86kg- Alexander MOORE (CAN)
92kg- Jordan STEEN (CAN), 2017 Canada World Team
97kg- Frederick CHOQUETTE (CAN)
125kg- Korey JARVIS (CAN), 2016 Olympian, 4x Canada World Team
NSA-Akademik (Bulgaria)
57kg- TBD
61kg- Strahil PARALOV (BUL)
65kg- Boycho BOYCHEV (BUL)
70kg- Miroslav HRISTOV (BUL)
74kg- Persiyan MIHOV (BUL)
79kg- Hasan MOLLA (BUL)
86kg- Petar SAVAKOV
92kg- Georgi DIMITROV (BUL)
97kg- Dimitar KARAIVANOV
125kg- Mert EMIN
POOL B TEAMS
Khimari (Mongolia)
Tajik Air (Tajikistan)
Budapest SC (Hungary)
POOL C TEAMS
Bimeh Razi (Iran)
B.S. Brothers (Kazakhstan)
Setaragan Sari (Iran)
POOL D TEAMS
Kasham (Iran)
Raindi (Georgia)
Kelechek (Kyrgyzstan)
The defending World champion Titan Mercury WC of the United States will battle club teams from Canada, India and Bulgaria in its pool competition on Thursday at the Freestyle World Clubs Cup in Tehran, Iran.
This is the World Championships event for men’s freestyle wrestling clubs from around the world.
There are 13 club teams in the tournament, representing 11 different countries. The USA is in a Pool A, which is a pool of four teams, while the other three pools include three teams.
The Titan Mercury WC is loaded, with four past World medalists and many of the top stars in American freestyle today. The team features 2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Kyle Snyder (97 kg), 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman (57 kg) and 2017 World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski (125), plus Franklin Gomez of Puerto Rico, a 2011 World silver medalist.
Titan Mercury WC opens at 10:00 a.m. in Tehran against the Montreal (Canada) club. Three past Canadian Senior World Team members are on the team, Steven Takahashi (57 kg), Jordan Steen (92 kg) and 2016 Olympian Korey Jarvis (125 kg).
The second Titan Mercury WC dual meet will be at 11:15 a.m. against a club from India. This team has extensive experience, led by 2013 World silver medalist Amit Kumar (57 kg), 2017 Junior World bronze medalist Ver Dev Gulia (74 kg) and 2011 Commonwealth champion Pawan Kumar (86 kg)
In the second session of the day, Titan Mercury WC closes out its pool competition against NSA Akademik (Bulgaria) at 3:00 p.m. The Bulgarian club has a number of young athletes, but nobody with major Senior-level achievements.
During the evening session, there will be four cross-over dual meets, featuring the second place teams in all of the pools and the third-place teams from the pools. If Titan Mercury wins its pool, its next match would be on Friday, instead of during the Thursday night crossover bouts.
Last year, Titan Mercury WC defeated Bimeh Razi of Iran in the championship finals of the Freestyle World Clubs Cup. In 2014 and 2015, Bimeh Razi beat Titan Mercury WC in the championship finals dual meets. Bimeh Razi is in Pool C, meaning the teams would not meet until the championship match if they win their earlier duals.
Titan Mercury reports that there will be live streams will be @iranwrestling. Titan Mercury will keep fans updated all night long via Instagram and Twitter @titan_mercury! TMWC will also be doing contests and giveaways all night long!
Tehran is 8 ½ hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone, meaning Titan Mercury’s first match will start at 1:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern time (10:00 a.m. in Tehran).
FREESTYLE WORLD CLUBS CUP
At Tehran, Iran
Bout schedule for Thursday, December 7 (local time, 8.5 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time)
10:00 a.m.
Mat A – India vs. NSA-Akademik (BUL)
Mat B – Easy Pipe Kashan (IRI) vs. Raindi (GEO)
Mat C – Titan Mercury (USA) vs. Montreal (CAN)
11:15 a.m.
Mat A – Khimori (MGL) vs. Tajik Air (TAJ)
Mat B – Bimeh Razi (IRI) vs. B.S. Brothers (KAZ)
Mat C – Titan Mercury (USA) vs. India
12:30 p.m.
Mat A – Budapest (HUN) vs. Khimori (MGL)
Mat B – Kelechek (KGZ) vs. Easy Pipe Kashan (IRI)
Mat C – Montreal (CAN) vs. NSA-Akademik (BUL)
3:00 p.m.
Mat A – Titan Mercury (USA) vs. NSA Akademik (BUL)
Mat B –B.S. Brothers (KAZ) vs. Setaregan Sari (IRI)
Mat C – Montreal (CAN) vs. India
4:30 p.m. – OPENING CEREMONIES
5:00 p.m.
Mat A – Tajik Air (TJK) vs. Budapest (HUN)
Mat B – Setaregan Sari (IRI) vs. Bimeh Razi (IRI)
Mat C – Raindi (GEO) vs. Kelechek (KGZ)
6:15 p.m.
Mat A – 2 (A –B)
Mat B – 2 (C-D)
Mat C – 3 (A-B)
7:30 p.m.
Mat B – 3 (C-D)
ROSTERS FOR TEAMS IN POOL A
Titan Mercury (USA)
57kg- Thomas GILMAN (USA), 2017 World silver medalist
61kg- Alan WATERS (USA)
65kg- Franklin GOMEZ (PUR), 2011 World silver medalist
65kg - B.J. FUTRELL (USA)
70kg- Nazar KULCHYTSKYY (USA)
74kg- Isaiah MARTINEZ (USA), 5th in 2017 U23 Worlds
79kg- Kyle DAKE (USA), 4x NCAA champion
86kg- David TAYLOR (USA), 2x NCAA champion
92kg- Nick HEFLIN (USA)
97kg- Kyle SNYDER (USA), 2016 Olympic champion, 2x World champion
125kg- Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (USA), 2017 World bronze medalist
India Club
57kg- Amit KUMAR (IND), 2013 World silver medalist
61kg- Ravinder (IND)
65kg- Sonu (IND)
70kg- Vinod KUMAR (IND), 2nd 2016 Asian Championships
74kg- Ver Dev GULIA (IND) , 3rd in 2017 Junior Worlds
79kg- Jitender (IND)
86kg- Pawan Kumar (IND), 2011 Commonwealth champion
92kg- Somveer (IND)
97kg- Viky (IND)
125kg- Pushpender Singh (IND)
Montreal (Canada)
57kg- Trevor BANKS (CAN), 3rd in 2016 Commonwealth Championships
61kg- Steven TAKAHASHI (CAN), 2x Canada World Team, 3rd 2016 University Worlds
65kg- Vicent DE MARINIS (CAN), 3rd 2016 Pan Am Championships
70kg- TBD
74kg- Ahmed SHAMIYA (CAN), 2nd in 2016 Pan Am Championships
79kg- Guseyn RUSLANZADA (CAN),
86kg- Alexander MOORE (CAN)
92kg- Jordan STEEN (CAN), 2017 Canada World Team
97kg- Frederick CHOQUETTE (CAN)
125kg- Korey JARVIS (CAN), 2016 Olympian, 4x Canada World Team
NSA-Akademik (Bulgaria)
57kg- TBD
61kg- Strahil PARALOV (BUL)
65kg- Boycho BOYCHEV (BUL)
70kg- Miroslav HRISTOV (BUL)
74kg- Persiyan MIHOV (BUL)
79kg- Hasan MOLLA (BUL)
86kg- Petar SAVAKOV
92kg- Georgi DIMITROV (BUL)
97kg- Dimitar KARAIVANOV
125kg- Mert EMIN
POOL B TEAMS
Khimari (Mongolia)
Tajik Air (Tajikistan)
Budapest SC (Hungary)
POOL C TEAMS
Bimeh Razi (Iran)
B.S. Brothers (Kazakhstan)
Setaragan Sari (Iran)
POOL D TEAMS
Kasham (Iran)
Raindi (Georgia)
Kelechek (Kyrgyzstan)
