Greco-Roman talents Speiller, Miller soar to medals at Hungarian Grand Prix
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Photo: Geordan Speiller defeats three World ranked competitors to finish with a silver medal at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix. Photo by John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com.
SZOMBATHELY, Hungary – On the second day of action at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix the U.S. Greco-Roman team fared significantly better, bolstered by inspiring medal performances from Geordan Speiller and Daniel Miller.
The momentum continues to roll for Speiller who picked up a silver medal at 80 kg/176 lbs. by downing three World ranked wrestlers on Sunday at Szombathely Arena.
The Florida Jets product opened with a 6-1 decision over 2014 University World silver medalist Aleksander Kukhta of Ukraine, the only one of Speiller’s five opponents not holding a World ranking.
Up next for Speiller was defending tournament champion and World No. 16 Pavel Pominchuk of Belarus. Speiller controlled Pominchuk to win convincingly, 7-0. Pominchuk defeated American Barrett Stanghill in the opening round by 10-0 technical fall to set up the match with Speiller.
In the quarterfinal round, Speiller drew Georgia’s Nikolozi Kelasov who finished in fifth place at the 80 kg World Championships held last December and boasts a No. 5 World ranking. This bout was slightly closer, but again, Speiller found a way to get the win, 5-3.
One win away from the finals, Speiller found himself toe-to-toe with 2015 World silver medalist and current World No. 14 Viktor Sasunovski of Belarus. The only points scored in this semifinal affair were passivity points, one awarded to Sasunovski in the first period and a one to Speiller in the second. Speiller’s high-paced movement garnered him the win on criteria, 1-1.
The 80 kg championship match featured Speiller against 2014 World champion and three-time Olympian Peter Bacsi of Hungary. This was rematch from the 75 kg/163 lbs. quarterfinals in last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix won by Speiller, 8-2.
This time around it was Bacsi getting the better of the matchup. The Hungarian, ranked fifth in the World at 75 kg, launched Speiller with a four-point arm throw early in the bout and held position from there on. Despite several furious charges, Speiller was defeated 4-0 and forced to settle for the silver medal.
Speiller has now won two international medals in as many tries this year. In addition to today’s performance, he topped the 80 kg bracket at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in February. It is also his second-straight medal win at the Hungarian Grand Prix after earning bronze in 2016.
While Speiller was making his stellar run through the bottom half of the 80 kg bracket, U.S. Marine John Stefanowicz was busy making noise on the top side, nearly grasping a bronze medal.
Stefanowicz fell in his opener against the eventual champion Bacsi, 8-0. Once Bacsi qualified for the championship match, Stefanowicz was given new life. He took advantage with a 2-1 win over 2015 Cadet World bronze medalist Nicu Ojog of Romania in the repechage to qualify for a bronze-medal match.
To grab a bronze medal Stefanowicz needed to go through 2016 European champion and two-time Olympian Zurabi Datunashvili of Georgia. The bout came down to the final exchange of the second period. Trailing 4-2, Stefanowicz secured a body lock on the edge of the mat and took Datunashvili down as time expired. After a U.S. challenge the score was confirmed to be 4-4 but Datunashvili held criteria and got the win.
The U.S. secured its second medal of the day when U.S. Marine Miller defeated top German talent Felix Radinger 8-5 in the 98 kg/215.5 lbs. bronze-medal bout.
Miller looked dominant in the early goings, cruising past Hungary’s Fodor Tamas 8-0 and pinning past Junior World champion Revaz Nadareshvili of Georgia to make the semifinals. Olympic bronze medalist and current World No. 4 Javid Hamzatov of Belarus put a stop to Miller’s championship run with a 5-1 decision, dropping Miller to the bronze match against Radinger.
Like Speiller, Miller has won two international medals in two attempts this year. He picked up a bronze medal at the Paris International in late January to go along with his superb effort in Hungary.
Olympic Trials champion and past U.S. World Team member Joe Rau returned to international competition for the first time since finishing in ninth place at the 2nd World Olympic Games Qualifier last May.
Rau was thrown right into the fire, taking on Hamzatov in his first match back at 98 kg. The Belarussian proved too much and defeated Rau by technical fall, 8-0. Hamzatov navigated to the finals, pulling Rau into the repechage where he dropped a tough 3-1 decision to Radinger.
Complete brackets and match-by-match results of this event can be found on unitedworldwrestling.org.
2017 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
March 25-26 at Szombathely, Hungary
Final Results
59 kg/130 lbs.
Gold – Kenichiro Fumita (Japan)
Silver – Kristijan Fris (Serbia)
Bronze – Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia)
Bronze – Alireza Kargar (Iran)
71 kg/156 lbs.
Gold – Balint Korpasi (Hungary)
Silver – Aleksandar Maksimovic (Serbia)
Bronze – Takeshi Izumi (Japan)
Bronze – Mate Nemes (Serbia)
80 kg/176 lbs.
Gold – Peter Bacsi (Hungary)
Silver – Geordan Speiller (United States)
Bronze – Zurabi Datunashvili (Georgia)
Bronze – Viktor Sasunovski (Belarus)
98 kg/215.5 lbs.
Gold –Aliaksandr Hrabovik (Belarus)
Silver – Javid Hamzatov (Belarus)
Bronze – Daniel Miller (United States)
Bronze – Balazs Kiss (Hungary)
U.S. Greco-Roman results
80 kg/176 lbs. – Barrett Stanghill, Philipsburg, Mont. (Minnesota Storm)
LOSS Pavel Pominchuk (Belarus), 10-0
80 kg/176 lbs. – Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets), Silver
WIN Aleksander Kukhta (Ukraine), 6-1
WIN Pavel Pominchuk (Belarus), 7-0
WIN Nikolozi Kelasov (Georgia), 5-3
WIN Viktor Sasunovski (Belarus), 1-1
LOSS Peter Bacsi (Hungary), 4-0
80 kg/176 lbs. – John Stefanowicz, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (U.S. Marines), 5th
LOSS Peter Bacsi (Hungary), 8-0
WIN Nicu Ojog (Romania), 2-1
LOSS Zurabi Datunashvili (Georgia), 4-4
98 kg/215.5 lbs. – Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
LOSS Javid Hamzatau (Belarus), 8-0
LOSS Felix Radinger (Germany), 3-1
98 kg/215.5 lbs. – Daniel Miller, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (U.S. Marines), Bronze
WIN Fodor Tamas (Hungary), 8-0
WIN Revaz Nadareshvili (Georgia), Fall
LOSS Javid Hamzatov (Belarus), 5-1
WIN Felix Radinger (Germany), 8-5
SZOMBATHELY, Hungary – On the second day of action at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix the U.S. Greco-Roman team fared significantly better, bolstered by inspiring medal performances from Geordan Speiller and Daniel Miller.
The momentum continues to roll for Speiller who picked up a silver medal at 80 kg/176 lbs. by downing three World ranked wrestlers on Sunday at Szombathely Arena.
The Florida Jets product opened with a 6-1 decision over 2014 University World silver medalist Aleksander Kukhta of Ukraine, the only one of Speiller’s five opponents not holding a World ranking.
Up next for Speiller was defending tournament champion and World No. 16 Pavel Pominchuk of Belarus. Speiller controlled Pominchuk to win convincingly, 7-0. Pominchuk defeated American Barrett Stanghill in the opening round by 10-0 technical fall to set up the match with Speiller.
In the quarterfinal round, Speiller drew Georgia’s Nikolozi Kelasov who finished in fifth place at the 80 kg World Championships held last December and boasts a No. 5 World ranking. This bout was slightly closer, but again, Speiller found a way to get the win, 5-3.
One win away from the finals, Speiller found himself toe-to-toe with 2015 World silver medalist and current World No. 14 Viktor Sasunovski of Belarus. The only points scored in this semifinal affair were passivity points, one awarded to Sasunovski in the first period and a one to Speiller in the second. Speiller’s high-paced movement garnered him the win on criteria, 1-1.
The 80 kg championship match featured Speiller against 2014 World champion and three-time Olympian Peter Bacsi of Hungary. This was rematch from the 75 kg/163 lbs. quarterfinals in last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix won by Speiller, 8-2.
This time around it was Bacsi getting the better of the matchup. The Hungarian, ranked fifth in the World at 75 kg, launched Speiller with a four-point arm throw early in the bout and held position from there on. Despite several furious charges, Speiller was defeated 4-0 and forced to settle for the silver medal.
Speiller has now won two international medals in as many tries this year. In addition to today’s performance, he topped the 80 kg bracket at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in February. It is also his second-straight medal win at the Hungarian Grand Prix after earning bronze in 2016.
While Speiller was making his stellar run through the bottom half of the 80 kg bracket, U.S. Marine John Stefanowicz was busy making noise on the top side, nearly grasping a bronze medal.
Stefanowicz fell in his opener against the eventual champion Bacsi, 8-0. Once Bacsi qualified for the championship match, Stefanowicz was given new life. He took advantage with a 2-1 win over 2015 Cadet World bronze medalist Nicu Ojog of Romania in the repechage to qualify for a bronze-medal match.
To grab a bronze medal Stefanowicz needed to go through 2016 European champion and two-time Olympian Zurabi Datunashvili of Georgia. The bout came down to the final exchange of the second period. Trailing 4-2, Stefanowicz secured a body lock on the edge of the mat and took Datunashvili down as time expired. After a U.S. challenge the score was confirmed to be 4-4 but Datunashvili held criteria and got the win.
The U.S. secured its second medal of the day when U.S. Marine Miller defeated top German talent Felix Radinger 8-5 in the 98 kg/215.5 lbs. bronze-medal bout.
Miller looked dominant in the early goings, cruising past Hungary’s Fodor Tamas 8-0 and pinning past Junior World champion Revaz Nadareshvili of Georgia to make the semifinals. Olympic bronze medalist and current World No. 4 Javid Hamzatov of Belarus put a stop to Miller’s championship run with a 5-1 decision, dropping Miller to the bronze match against Radinger.
Like Speiller, Miller has won two international medals in two attempts this year. He picked up a bronze medal at the Paris International in late January to go along with his superb effort in Hungary.
Olympic Trials champion and past U.S. World Team member Joe Rau returned to international competition for the first time since finishing in ninth place at the 2nd World Olympic Games Qualifier last May.
Rau was thrown right into the fire, taking on Hamzatov in his first match back at 98 kg. The Belarussian proved too much and defeated Rau by technical fall, 8-0. Hamzatov navigated to the finals, pulling Rau into the repechage where he dropped a tough 3-1 decision to Radinger.
Complete brackets and match-by-match results of this event can be found on unitedworldwrestling.org.
2017 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
March 25-26 at Szombathely, Hungary
Final Results
59 kg/130 lbs.
Gold – Kenichiro Fumita (Japan)
Silver – Kristijan Fris (Serbia)
Bronze – Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia)
Bronze – Alireza Kargar (Iran)
71 kg/156 lbs.
Gold – Balint Korpasi (Hungary)
Silver – Aleksandar Maksimovic (Serbia)
Bronze – Takeshi Izumi (Japan)
Bronze – Mate Nemes (Serbia)
80 kg/176 lbs.
Gold – Peter Bacsi (Hungary)
Silver – Geordan Speiller (United States)
Bronze – Zurabi Datunashvili (Georgia)
Bronze – Viktor Sasunovski (Belarus)
98 kg/215.5 lbs.
Gold –Aliaksandr Hrabovik (Belarus)
Silver – Javid Hamzatov (Belarus)
Bronze – Daniel Miller (United States)
Bronze – Balazs Kiss (Hungary)
U.S. Greco-Roman results
80 kg/176 lbs. – Barrett Stanghill, Philipsburg, Mont. (Minnesota Storm)
LOSS Pavel Pominchuk (Belarus), 10-0
80 kg/176 lbs. – Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets), Silver
WIN Aleksander Kukhta (Ukraine), 6-1
WIN Pavel Pominchuk (Belarus), 7-0
WIN Nikolozi Kelasov (Georgia), 5-3
WIN Viktor Sasunovski (Belarus), 1-1
LOSS Peter Bacsi (Hungary), 4-0
80 kg/176 lbs. – John Stefanowicz, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (U.S. Marines), 5th
LOSS Peter Bacsi (Hungary), 8-0
WIN Nicu Ojog (Romania), 2-1
LOSS Zurabi Datunashvili (Georgia), 4-4
98 kg/215.5 lbs. – Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
LOSS Javid Hamzatau (Belarus), 8-0
LOSS Felix Radinger (Germany), 3-1
98 kg/215.5 lbs. – Daniel Miller, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (U.S. Marines), Bronze
WIN Fodor Tamas (Hungary), 8-0
WIN Revaz Nadareshvili (Georgia), Fall
LOSS Javid Hamzatov (Belarus), 5-1
WIN Felix Radinger (Germany), 8-5
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