Berreyesa takes Greco-Roman silver in first Junior World Championships appearance

TRNAVA, Slovakia – Andrew Berreyesa finished up his first World Championships with a Junior World silver medal at 82 kg in Greco-Roman on Wednesday night in Trnava, Slovakia.

“The mind is a powerful thing,” Berreyesa said. “I wasn’t expected to be in the World finals. It was all my mindset to get there. I learned that whatever I put my mind to and whatever I train for morning and night is going to happen.”

A native of Reno, Nev., Berreyesa took on reigning Junior World champion and two-time Cadet World champion Aleksander Komarov of Russia in the 82 kg Greco finals.

Berreyesa was hit with passivity first, giving Komarov a chance on top in par terre. With the opportunity, the Russian scored on two gut wrenches and took a 5-0 lead into the break.

In the second period, Komarov got behind Berreyesa near the edge and executed a big lift for four points. The USA challenged the call but lost, resulting in another point for Komarov, who went on to take the win, 10-0.

“I knew he was tough,” Berreyesa said. “I guess I had that underdog mentality, where there was no pressure. I still wanted to win just as badly. He’s really good in the pummel and had a great gut wrench. I was ready for him, but actually getting it done in the match is a different thing.”

While he did not win gold, Berreyesa was a part of history as his finals appearance marks the first time since 1999 and 2000 that the U.S. has had back-to-back Junior World Greco-Roman finalists. Last year Kamal Bey won a Junior World title and Cevion Severado finished with silver in Tampere, Finland.

Overall the U.S. Junior Greco-Roman team took 10th in the team race with a bronze medal from Cohlton Schultz at 130 kg and Berreyesa's silver medal. Winning the team title was Iran, which collected 136 points, just five more than second-place Russia. Rounding out the top-three was Armenia, which scored 83 points. 

While Greco-Roman competition has finished, the 2018 Junior World Championships continues tomorrow with women’s freestyle competition. Macey Kilty has landed a spot in the finals at 68 kg, and five more U.S. women’s representatives will begin their tournaments tomorrow.

Thursday competition will start at 10:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m.) ET, followed by semifinals and medal matches beginning at 5:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m. ET). Fans can watch the action live on Trackwrestling.com.

2018 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Trnava, Slovakia

Team standings
1. Iran - 136
2. Russia - 131
3. Armenia – 83
4. Turkey – 79
5. India – 73
6. Georgia – 60
7. Hungary – 59
8. Kyrgyzstan – 50
9. Ukraine – 47
10. United States – 45

Final results

55 kg
GOLD - Pouya Mohammad Naserpour (Iran)
SILVER - Tigran Minasyan (Armenia)
BRONZE - Vijay Vijay (India)
BRONZE – Emin Narimanovitch Sefershaev (Russia)

1st - Pouya Mohammad Naserpour (Iran) dec. Tigran Minasyan (Armenia), 9-4
3rd - Vijay Vijay (India) TF Cihat Ahmet Liman (Turkey), 16-8
3rd - Emin Narimanovitch Sefershaev (Russia) dec. Nurtazin Kerimberdi Uulu (Kyrgyzstan), 6-1

60 kg
GOLD - Kerem Kamal of TURKEY
SILVER - Vijay Vijay of INDIA
BRONZE - Ali Reza Ayat Ollah Nejati of IRAN
BRONZE - Kazuki Yabe of JAPAN

1st - Kerem Kamal (TURKEY) TF Vijay Vijay (INDIA), 10-0
3rd - Ali Reza Ayat Ollah Nejati (IRAN) TF Ihor Kurochkin (UKRAINE), 9-0
3rd - Kazuki Yabe (JAPAN) dec. Razvan Arnaut (ROMANIA), 2-1

63 kg
GOLD - Erbol Bakirov (Kyrgyzstan)
SILVER - Hassan Ahmed Mohamed (Egypt)
BRONZE - Krisztian Istvan Vancza (Hungary)
BRONZE - Azamat Martinovitch Kairov (Russia)

1st - Erbol Bakirov (Kyrgyzstan) win by fall Hassan Ahmed Mohamed (Egypt), 2:45
3rd - Krisztian Istvan Vancza (Hungary) TF Sagar Sagar (India), 8-0
3rd - Azamat Martinovitch Kairov (Russia) dec. Hrachya Poghosyan (Armenia), 3-1

67 kg
GOLD - Malkhas Amoyan of ARMENIA
SILVER - Makhmud Bakhshilloev of UZBEKISTAN
BRONZE - Parviz Nasibov of UKRAINE
BRONZE - Yousef Hajiali Hosseinvand Fathi of IRAN

1st - Malkhas Amoyan (ARMENIA) TF Makhmud Bakhshilloev (UZBEKISTAN), 10-0
3rd - Parviz Nasibov (UKRAINE) dec. Ismail Gun (TURKEY), 2-2
3rd - Yousef Hosseinvand Fathi (IRAN) dec. Mohamed Elsayed (EGYPT), 11-5

72 kg
GOLD - Amin Yavar Kaviyaninejad of IRAN
SILVER - Nikoloz Tchikaidze of GEORGIA
BRONZE - Magomed Yarbilov of RUSSIA
BRONZE - Erkan Ergen of TURKEY

1st - Amin Yavar Kaviyaninejad (IRAN) TF Nikoloz Tchikaidze (GEORGIA), 12-2
3rd - Magomed Yarbilov (RUSSIA) dec. Alijon Khuseynov (UZBEKISTAN), 5-0
3rd - Erkan Ergen (TURKEY) dec. Minto Maeda (JAPAN), 6-3

77 kg
GOLD - Islam Opiev (Russia)
SILVER - Sajan Sajan (India)
BRONZE - Per Anders Kure (Norway)
BRONZE - Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan)

1st - Islam Opiev (Russia) TF Sajan Sajan (India), 8-0
3rd - Per Anders Kure (Norway) dec. Dmytro Gardubei (Ukraine), 4-1
3rd - Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) dec. Kamal Ameer Bey (USA), 8-1

82 kg
GOLD - Aleksandr Andreevitc Komarov of RUSSIA
SILVER - Andrew Berreyesa of UNITED STATES
BRONZE - Muhutdin Saricicek of TURKEY
BRONZE - Istvan Takacs of HUNGARY

1st - Aleksandr Komarov (RUSSIA) TF Andrew Douglas Berreyesa (UNITED STATES), 10-0
3rd - Muhutdin Saricicek (TURKEY) TF Simone Fidelbo (ITALY), 11-2
3rd - Istvan Takacs (HUNGARY) dec. Aivengo Rikadze (GEORGIA), 6-5

87 kg
GOLD - Mohammadhadi Abdolla Saravi (Iran)
SILVER - Ramon Rainer Betschart (Switzerland)
BRONZE - Nazarshah Fatullayev (Azerbaijan)
BRONZE - Ilia Ermolenko (Russia)

1st - Mohammadhadi Abdolla Saravi (Iran) dec. Ramon Rainer Betschart (Switzerland), 5-0
3rd - Nazarshah Fatullayev (Azerbaijan) dec. Maimaiti Kaisaier (China), 5-1
3rd - Ilia Ermolenko (Russia) dec. Temuri Tchkuaselidze (Georgia), 6-1

97 kg
GOLD - Arvi Savolainen of FINLAND
SILVER - Markus Ragginger of AUSTRIA
BRONZE - Balint Vatzi of HUNGARY
BRONZE - Artur Sargsian of RUSSIA

1st - Arvi Savolainen (FINLAND) dec. Markus Ragginger (AUSTRIA), 5-0
3rd - Balint Vatzi (HUNGARY) fall Islam Umayev (KAZAKHSTAN), 0:41
3rd - Artur Sargsian (RUSSIA) TF Illia Laurynovich (BELARUS), 8-0

130 kg
GOLD - Amin Mohammadzaman Mirzazadeh (Iran)
SILVER - David Ovasapyan (Armenia)
BRONZE - Cohlton Michael Schultz (USA)
BRONZE - Franz Richter (Germany)

1st - Amin Mohammadzaman Mirzazadeh (Iran) dec. David Ovasapyan (Armenia), 5-0
3rd - Cohlton Michael Schultz (USA) dec. Ante Milkovic (Croatia), 7-1
3rd - Franz Richter (Germany) TF Beka Makaridze (Georgia), 9-0

U.S. Greco-Roman results

55 kg: Brady Koontz (Plover, Wisc./Ohio RTC) – dnp/13th
LOSS Florin Tita (Romania), 7-6

60 kg: Taylor LaMont (Mapleton, Utah/Sunkist Kids) – dnp/11th
WIN Galym Kabdunassaro (Kazakhstan), 5-1
LOSS Ararat Manucharyan (Armenia), 7-3

63 kg: Alston Nutter (Fennimore, Wisc./NMU-OTS/Combat WC) – dnp/27th
LOSS Erbol Bakirov (Kyrgyzstan), 10-0
LOSS Hrachya Poghosyan (Armenia), 8-0

67 kg: Peyton Omania (Concord, Calif./CYC) – dnp/30th
LOSS Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed (Egypt), 10-0

72 kg: Tyler Dow (Stoughton, Wisc./Badger RTC) – dnp/20th
LOSS Gergely Bak (Hungary), 9-2

77 kg: Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) - FIFTH
WIN Beka Guruli (Georgia), 9-1
WIN Konstantino Vachlas (Greece), fall 0:15
WIN Zahari Zashev (Bulgaria), fall 2:47
LOSS Islam Opeiv (Russia), 7-1
LOSS Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan), 8-1

82 kg: Andrew Berreyesa (Reno, Nev./New York AC/Finger Lakes WC) - SILVER
WIN Simone Fidelbo (Italy), 4-1
WIN Abubakr Alimov (Uzbekistan), 3-0
WIN Muhutdin Saricicek (Turkey), 2-2
LOSS Aleksander Komarov (Russia), 10-0

87 kg: Barret Hughes (Coweta, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/Cowboy RTC) – dnp/22nd
LOSS Kumar Sunil (India), 11-0

97 kg: Chad Porter (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) – dnp/25th
LOSS Ilija Laurynovich (Belarus), 11-0

130 kg: Cohlton Schultz (Parker, Colo./New York AC) - BRONZE
WIN Lingzhe Meng (China), fall 4:50
WIN Oleg Agakhanov (Russia), fall 1:19
LOSS David Ovasapyan (Armenia), 2-1
WIN Ante Milkovic (Croatia), 7-1