Ness, Dake, Dieringer, Taylor, Perry make Paris International finals on Sunday

Kyle Dake (USA) tosses Davit Tlashadze (Georgia) in the 74 kg quarterfinals at the Paris International. Photo: Richard Immel.

PARIS – Five U.S. men’s freestyle competitors have qualified for a gold medal match at the Paris International on Sunday.


Americans will go head-to-head in two of the finals matchups with Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y. /Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes RTC) and Alex Dieringer (Stillwater, Okla./Titan Mercury WC) squaring off at 74 kg/163 lbs. and David Taylor (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) meeting Richard Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC/Pennsylvania RTC) at 86 kg/189 lbs.


Dake, a four-time NCAA champion and 2016 Olympic Trials finalist, won three matches by technical fall, including a 14-4 win over World No. 10 Davit Tlashadze of Georgia to make the finals.


Coming off a gold at the Bill Farrell International and 4-0 performance at the World Freestyle Wrestling Clubs Cup, Dieringer kept his international momentum by defeating Finland’s Henri Selenius, 9-0, and Germany’s Kubilay Cakci, 11-1, to qualify for the gold-medal bout.


Taylor, a two-time Grand Prix of Spain champion and 2013 World University Games bronze medalist, scored three technical falls on his path to the finals, outscoring his opponents 32-2 overall.


Last year’s silver medalist at the Alexander Medved, Perry notched technical falls over Belarussian foes Raman Chytadze and Arkadzi Pahasian to set the date with Taylor tonight.


Jayson Ness (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) found a spot in the 61 kg/134 lbs. finals after downing two-time U.S. World Team member Tony Ramos (Chapel Hill, N.C./Sunkist Kids/Tarheel RTC), 7-4, and World No. 6 Iurii Siemakin of France, 12-4. He will take on Shota Phartenadze of Georgia for the gold.


Ramos, Dan Vallimont (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC/Pennsylvania RTC), Matt Brown (State College, Pa./Army WCAP), Zach Rey (Bethlehem, Pa./Lehigh Valley WC) and Bobby Telford (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC) will compete for men’s freestyle bronze medals.


Ramos will face off against France’s Siemakin in the 61-kg bronze-medal match. Brown and Vallimont will wrestle for a bronze at 74 kg. Likewise, Rey and Telford will meet for bronze at 125 kg/275 lbs.


U.S. Senior Nationals All-American Eric Fader (Jacksonville, N.C./Marines) lost his opening bout to 2017 Herman Kare bronze medalist Oskar Marvik of Norway, 9-0, but was pulled into a bronze-medal match at 130 kg/286 lbs.


Remaining Greco-Roman wrestlers Colton Rasche (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines), Raymond Bunker (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines), Joshua Russo (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines) and Michael Brant (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines) all fell in the opening round and were not pulled back into the tournament.


The Paris International medal matches are scheduled for 4 p.m. local time/10 a.m. (ET) on Sunday. Complete brackets, results and a webcast can be found at unitedworldwrestling.org.

PARIS INTERNATIONAL

Jan. 28-29 at INSEP in Paris, France

U.S. men’s freestyle results

61 kg/134 lbs.- Tony Ramos, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Sunkist Kids/Tarheel RTC) 

LOSS Jayson Ness (United States), 7-4

Vs. Iurii Siemakin (France)


61 kg/134 lbs. – Jayson Ness, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)

WIN Tony Ramos (United States), 7-4

WIN Iurii Siemakin (France), 12-4

Vs. Shota Phartenadze (Georgia)


74 kg/163 lbs.- Kyle Dake, Ithaca, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes RTC) 

WIN Matt Brown (United States), 10-0

WIN Davit Tlashadze (Georgia), 14-4

WIN Dan Vallimont (United States), 11-0

Vs. Alex Dieringer (United States)


74 kg/163 lbs.- Dan Vallimont, Philadelphia, Pa. (New York AC/Pennsylvania RTC)

WIN Antoine Bonin (France), Fall

WIN Zelimkhan Khadjiev (France), 7-6

LOSS Kyle Dake (United States), 11-0

Vs. Matt Brown (United States)


74 kg/163 lbs.- Matt Brown, State College, Pa. (Army WCAP)

LOSS Kyle Dake (United States), 10-0

WIN Davit Tlashadze (Georgia), 13-3

Vs. Dan Vallimont (United States)


74 kg/163 lbs.- Alex Dieringer, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)

WIN Henri Selenius (Finland), 9-0

WIN Kubilay Cakci (Germany), 11-1

Vs. Kyle Dake (United States)


86 kg/189 lbs.- David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) 

WIN Mihaly Nagy (Hungary), 10-0

WIN Istvan Vereb (Hungary), 10-0

WIN Akhmed Aibuev (France), 12-2

Vs. Richard Perry (United States)


86 kg/189 lbs.- Richard Perry, Philadelphia, Pa. (New York AC/Pennsylvania RTC)

WIN Raman Chytadze (Belarus), 11-0

WIN Arkadzi Pahasian (Belarus), 12-1

Vs. David Taylor (United States)


125 kg/275 lbs.- Zach Rey, Bethlehem, Pa. (Lehigh Valley WC)

WIN Tony Nelson (United States), 4-2

LOSS Geno Petriashvili (Georgia), 10-0

Vs. Bobby Telford (United States)


125 kg/275 lbs.- Bobby Telford, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC)

LOSS Geno Petriashvili (Georgia), 11-0

Vs. Zach Rey (United States)


125 kg/275 lbs.- Tony Nelson, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)

LOSS Zach Rey (United States), 4-2

U.S. Greco-Roman results

59 kg/130 lbs. – Colton Rasche, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (Marines)

LOSS Tigran Galustyan (France), 5-0


66 kg/145 lbs. – Raymond Bunker, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (Marines)

LOSS Hrachia Malkhasain (France), 5-1


66 kg/145 lbs. – Joshua Russo, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (Marines)

LOSS Roman Pacurkowski (Poland), 10-0


80 kg/176 lbs. Michael Brant, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (Marines)

LOSS Alex Kessidis (Sweden), 8-0


130 kg/286 lbs. Eric Fader, Jacksonville, N.C. (Marines) 

LOSS Oskar Marvik (Norway), 9-0

Vs. Ferenc Almasi (Hungary)