Quinones, Soto win Gi gold medals on final day of the Pan American Grappling Championships

The U.S. delegation poses together after taking second in the Gi division at the Pan American Grappling Championships. Photo courtesy of Rich Tado.


BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – The United States had two individual champions and five total medalists in Gi Grappling competition on the final day of the Pan American Grappling Championships. This allowed the United States to place second in the team standings.


Pan American champions for Team USA in Gi Grappling were Luis Quinones of Los Angeles, Calif. at 71 kg and Carlos Soto of West Lafayette, Ind. at 92 kg. Both emerged as Pan American double champions, after winning No-Gi gold medals on Monday.


Quinones won a three-athlete round robin, with a key 5-1 decision over eventual runner-up Santiago Furlong of Argentina.


Soto defeated Henry Jorge Ottaviano of Argentina, 5-2 in his gold-medal bout.


Claiming a silver medal in Gi Grappling was Gabe Beauperthuy of Colorado Springs, Colo. in the Over 100 kg weight class. It was his second silver medal of the week, after also claiming a No-Gi silver medal on Monday.


All three athletes in the three-Grappler round robin finished with a 1-1 record, and the medals were determined by tiebreakers. Ironically, Beauperthuy defeated the eventual champion Orlando Atilio Baccino of Argentina, 5-3 but lost to the eventual bronze medalist Francisco Jose Pessoa Fernandes Junior of Brazil, 3-3.


The USA had a pair of bronze medalists, John Morgan of Huntington Beach, Calif. at 71 kg and Jon Becerra of Santa Ana, Calif. at 84 kg. Becerra was also a bronze medalist on Monday in the No-Gi competition.


Also competing on Tuesday in the Gi competition was Jeff Anderson of Zeeland, Mich., who placed fourth at 92 kg.


Host Argentina led the team standings with 115 points, with the USA in second with 97 points. Five nations had entries in the Gi competition.


There were no women’s matches held in the Gi Grappling tournament today.

PAN AMERICAN GRAPPLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 16


Men’s Gi medalists


71 kg

Gold - Luis Quinones (USA)

Silver - Santiago Furlong (Argentina)

Bronze – John Morgan (USA)


84 kg

Gold - Enrique March (Argentina)

Silver – Leandro Garcia Morato (Argentina)

Bronze - Jonathan Becerra (USA)


92 kg

Gold – Nicolas Matias Gualco (Argentina)

Silver - Marcos Jose Ramirez Guinan (Venezuela)

Bronze - Cristian David Dominguez (Argentina)


100 kg

Gold - Carlos Soto (USA)

Silver - Henry Jorge Ottaviano (Argentina)


Over 100 kg

Gold - Orlando Atilio Baccino (Argentina)

Silver - Gabe Beauperthuy (USA)

Bronze - Francisco Jose Pessoa Fernandes Junior (Brazil)


U.S. Men’s Gi performances


71 kg - Luis Quinones, Los Angeles, Calif., gold medal

WIN John Morgan (USA), forfeit

WIN Santiago Furlong (Argentina), 5-1


71 kg – John Morgan, Huntington Beach, Calif., bronze medal

LOSS Santiago Furlong (Argentina), 5-5

LOSS Luis Quinones (USA), forfeit


84 kg - Jon Becerra, Santa Ana, Calif., bronze medal

LOSS Leandro Garcia Morato (Argentina), submission 1:36

WIN Cristian Alberto Nova Roca (Bolivia), 1-0

LOSS Enrique March (Argentina), submission, 1:02


92 kg – Jeff Anderson, Zeeland, Mich., 4th place

LOSS Cristian David Dominguez (Argentina), 8-3

LOSS Marcos Jose Ramirez Guinan (Venezuela), 6-0

LOSS Nicolas Matias Gualco (Argentina), submission, 3:06


100 kg - Carlos Soto, West Lafayette, Ind., gold medal

WIN Henry Jorge Ottaviano (Argentina), 5-2


Over 100 kg - Gabe Beauperthuy, Colorado Springs, Colo., silver medal

WIN Orlando Atilio Baccino (Argentina), 5-3

LOSS Francisco Jose Pessoa Fernandes Junior (Brazil), 3-3

Men’s Gi standings

1. Argentina, 115

2. United States, 97

3. Venezuela, 20

4. Brazil, 15

5. Bolivia, 12