Poulin and Howard take fifth at 2019 Cadet World Championships

Photo of Robert Howard by Kadir Caliskan of UWW.

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Stevo Poulin and Robert Howard wrapped up their 2019 Cadet World tournaments, each finishing fifth at their respective weight classes on Tuesday night in Sofia, Bulgaria.

At 48 kg, 2018 Cadet Pan American champion Poulin got off to a fast start in his bronze-medal match against 2018 U15 Asian gold medalist Yuto Nishiuchi of Japan.

Poulin rattled off two takedowns and a trapped-arm gut for a 6-0 lead after the first period. In the second frame, Nishiuchi scored a takedown, putting Poulin to his back for nearly a minute, then added two turns on a leg lace to take over the lead on criteria. With only 10 seconds left, Nishiuchi extended his lead to 8-6, countering Poulin’s shot for the win.

The New Yorker ends his first World Championships with a 2-2 record, finishing fifth in the world at 48 kg.

2018 Youth Olympic champion Howard fell just short of his first World medal, dropping a heartbreaker in the bronze match at 55 kg.

Facing Riku Suganuma of Japan, Howard took an early 4-0 lead. In the waning seconds of the first period, Suganuma was awarded two points on exposure, a call that the USA corner challenged. Ultimately the challenge was unsuccessful, giving Howard only a one-point lead at the break.

In the second period, the Japanese athlete scored a takedown and held on for a 5-4 win.

A three-time Cadet World Team member, Howard improved on his finish every year at the World Championships, taking 13th in 2017, ninth in 2018 and fifth in 2019.

The Cadet World Championships continue Wednesday with the beginning of women’s freestyle action at 10:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET), followed by more men’s freestyle medal matches at 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET) live on Trackwrestling. Follow @USAWrestling for live updates.

2019 CADET WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Sofia, Bulgaria, July 29-Aug. 4

Final results

48 kg
GOLD - Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI) dec. Kamronbek KADAMOV (UZB), 4-4
BRONZE – Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) dec. Stevo POULIN (USA), 8-6
BRONZE – Udit UDIT (IND) dec. Javid JAVADOV (AZE), 11-2

55 kg
GOLD - Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) dec. Mahdi Mehrdad VEISI (IRI), 3-1
BRONZE – Aman AMAN (IND) dec. Muhammet KARAVUS (TUR), 10-6
BRONZE – Riku SUGANUMA (JPN) dec. Robert HOWARD (USA), 5-4

65 kg
GOLD – Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) dec. Batyrbek TSKHOVREBOV (RUS), 6-4
BRONZE - Manish GOSWAMI (IND) dec. Kudratbek NURULLAEV (UZB), 5-2
BRONZE - Ryosuke KERA (JPN) dec. Davit PATSINASHVILI (GEO), 3-1

80 kg
GOLD – Amirhossein Biglar FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) dec. Arslan BAGAEV (RUS), 8-1
BRONZE - Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) dec. Emre CIFTCI (TUR), 6-1
BRONZE - Denys SAHALIUK (UKR) dec. Ion DEMIAN (MDA), 10-4

110 kg
GOLD - Arsamag ZASSEEV (RUS) TF Giorgi CHIKHRADZE (GEO), 10-0
BRONZE - Adil MISIRCI (TUR) dec. Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM), 3-2
BRONZE - Kumar ANIRUDH (IND) dec. Salar Saeid HABIBIEHSANI (IRI), 8-1

U.S. men’s freestyle results

48 kg: Stevo Poulin (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Journeymen WC) – FIFTH
WIN Nurdaulet Bazarbayev (Kazakhstan), 10-0
WIN Harutyun Hovhannisyan (Armenia), 8-7
LOSS Rahman Amouzadkhalili (Iran), 12-0
LOSS Yuto Nishiuchi (Japan), 8-6

55 kg: Robert Howard (Cranford, N.J./Titan Mercury WC/Bitetto Trained) – FIFTH
WIN Norik Harutyunyan (Armenia), 6-3
WIN Ruhan Rasim (Bulgaria), 6-3
LOSS Mahdi Veisi (Iran), 8-6
LOSS Riku Suganuma (Japan), 5-4

65 kg: Ryan Sokol (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley WC) – 10th
WIN Ionut Vintila (Moldova), 10-0
LOSS Davit Patsinashvili (Georgia), 12-0

80 kg: Clayton Ulrey (Grantville, Pa./TNWC) - EIGHTH
WIN Farid Jabbarov (Azerbaijan), 4-4
WIN Bekzat Amangali (Kazakhstan), 12-0
LOSS Arslan Bagaev (Russia), 10-0

110 kg: Hunter Catka (Brookhaven, Pa./Lab Trained) – 11th
LOSS Adil Misirci (Turkey), 7-4