Coon records three-straight falls to land spot in World Championship semifinals

BUDAPEST, Hungary – In his Senior World debut, Adam Coon picked up back-to-back-to-back falls to guarantee the U.S. an opportunity to wrestle for a Greco-Roman World medal in Budapest, Hungary.

Competing at 130 kg, Coon began the day, defeating Rafal Krajewski of Poland with a fall in 1:54 after leading 6-0, thanks, in part, to a big body lock for four points. The fall came when Krajewski went for a throw and Coon adjusted to land on top and secure the pin.

In the second round, Coon trailed 2018 Grand Prix of Hungary silver medalist Lingzhe Meng of China, 1-0, at the break, but halfway through the second period, Coon hit a nice hip toss four and was awarded the fall at the 4:13 mark.

To put himself in the semifinals, Coon had to go through Eduard Popp of Germany, who took fifth at the 2016 Olympics and won a 2010 Junior World bronze.

Coon was on the board first, drawing a passivity point from Popp and getting a chance on top in par terre; however, the German took over with a reversal and tacked on a gut wrench for a 3-1 lead. With just over 30 seconds left in the period, Coon launched Popp with a body lock and got the fall at the 2:32 mark.

In tonight’s semifinals, Coon will battle Min-Seok Kim of Korea, who was third at the 2018 Asian Games. Kim also owns a 2013 Junior World bronze medal.

Kamal Bey and G’Angelo Hancock wrapped their 2018 World Championships at 77 kg and 97 kg, respectively, on Saturday.

Bey went 2-1 on the day, opening his tournament with a quick first-period technical fall, hitting a five-point thrown in the first 10 seconds against 2017 Asian Championships bronze medalist Ridong Zhang of China.

Bey finished it quickly with a takedown and two points on an attempted throw from Zhang for a 9-0 win.

In his second bout, Bey bested 2018 Pan American bronze medalist Reiner Jimenez Terry from Guatemala in an 8-1 bout, that featured two Bey takedowns and a lift in par terre.

2017 Junior World champion Bey fell short in the round of 16 to two-time Senior World bronze medalist Elvin Mursaliyev of Azerbaijan, 6-3.

Not long after, Mursaliyev lost in the quarterfinals to Aleksandr Chekhirkin of Russia, 3-0, eliminating Bey from the tournament.

Budapest marked Bey’s first Senior World Championships. He competed at the Junior World Championships earlier this year, where he took fifth. He is a 2017 Junior World champion, a three-time Junior World Team member and a 2017 U23 World Team member.

In his only match of the day, Hancock faced 2012 Junior World silver medalist Peter Oehler of Germany. The German capitalized with three step outs and takedown for a 6-3 win.

Oehler lost in the next round to Luis Perez Mora of Venezuela, 9-0, eliminating Hancock from the 2018 World Championships.

This was Hancock’s second appearance at the Senior World Championships. He was also a three-time Junior World Team member, collecting bronze in 2016. Next month, Hancock will compete at the U23 World Championships in Bucharest, Romania.

The semifinals are set for Saturday at 5 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET) with the medal matches set for 6 p.m. (12 p.m. ET). Fans can watch all the action live on Trackwrestling.com.

2018 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Budapest Hungary

U.S. Greco-Roman results
77 kg/169.5 lbs. - Kamal Bey, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids/OTC) 
WIN Ridong Zhang (China), 9-0
WIN Reiner Jimenez Terry (Guatemala), 8-1
LOSS Elvin Mursaliyev (Azerbaijan), 6-2
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - G’Angelo Hancock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
LOSS Peter Oehler (Germany), 6-3
130 kg/286 lbs. - Adam Coon, Fowlerville, Mich. (New York AC/Michigan RTC)
WIN Rafal Krajewski (Poland), fall 1:54
WIN Lingzhe Meng (China), fall 4:13
WIN Eduard Popp (Germany), fall 2:32
vs. Min-Seok Kim (Korea)