Hancock wins silver medal at the Sassari City Pellicone Memorial in Italy, a UWW Ranking Tournament
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
G’Angelo Hancock of the USA receives his silver medal in Italy. Photo courtesy of Matt Lindland.
SASSARI, Italy – G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) won a silver medal at 97 kg at the Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial International, the third UWW Ranking Tournament of the year.
Hancock was defeated in the gold-medal finals by Nikoloz Kakhelashvili of Italy, 5-0.
In the first period, Kakhelashvili received the first point when Hancock was penalized for passivity. Hancock was put down and got up to his feet. Officials put Hancock down again, and Kakhelashvili scored a two-point gut wrench to lead 3-0 at the break. In the second period, Kakhelashvili scored on a stepout, which was challenged by the U.S. corner. The challenge was denied, making the score 5-0. Hancock was unable to score as he pressed the action the rest of the bout.
Kakhelashvili won a Junior World title for Georgia in 2015, before moving over to the Italian team, for who he has competed since 2018.
In the semifinals, Hancock defeated 2009 World champion and three-time Senior World medalist Balasz Kiss of Hungary, 6-0. He opened with a 3-0 quarterfinal win over Armen Grigorian of Russia.
Hancock entered the event with a No. 3 ranking in the UWW World Ranking Series standings with 48 points. He will add six points with his silver medal, plus six points for there being fewer than 10 entries in his weight class. His UWW Ranking Series point total will increase to 60 points.
He will remain at No. 3 in the Ranking Series, because No. 2 Kiril Milov of Bulgaria, who did not enter the tournament in Sassari, stands at 74 points.
He has now won medals in all three ranking tournaments already held, claiming a gold medal at the Grand Prix of Hungary and a bronze medal at the Grand Prix of Zagreb. He also won a silver medal at the Pan American Championships, which also scores points in the UWW World Ranking Series standings as a continental championships.
The top four athletes in each weight class at the conclusion of the Ranking Series events will earn a seed at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan in September.
The Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial International continues on Friday with the women’s freestyle competition. The USA will have three entries: 2018 World bronze medalists Mallory Velte (Sacramento, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) at 62 kg and Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) at 68 kg, plus 2012 Olympian Kelsey Campbell (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC) at 57 kg.
Mensah-Stock is currently No. 2 and Velte is currently No. 3 in the UWW Ranking Series in their weight class. Mensah-Stock won gold medals at the first two UWW Ranking Tournaments, the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia and the Dan Kolov International in Bulgaria, and also won the 2019 Pan American Championships. Velte was a 2019 Pan American Championships silver medalist.
Men’s freestyle competition will be held on Saturday. No members of USA Wrestling’s Freestyle National Team will compete in Italy on Saturday, but there will be athletes from two Div. III teams (Case Western Reserve and John Carroll) which are entered.
The event is broadcast live by FloWrestling. Sassari is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone.
SASSARI CITY MATTEO PELLICONE MEMORIAL INTERNATIONAL
At Sassari, Italy, May 23
Greco-Roman medalists
55 kg
Gold - Hakan Murat Cankaya (Turkey)
Silver - Giovanni Freni (Italy)
Bronze - Dogus Ayazci (Turkey)
60 kg
Gold - Seunghak Kim (Korea)
Silver - Ahmet Uyar (Turkey)
Bronze - Jacopo Sandron (Italy)
Bronze - Gyanender (India)
63 kg
Gold - Mehmet Ceker (Turkey)
Silver - Erik Torba (Hungary)
Bronze - Eunbin Kim (Korea)
Bronze - Kadir Kamal (Turkey)
67 kg
Gold - Azamat Akhmedov (Russia)
Silver - Haci Karakus (Turkey)
Bronze - Mihai Mihut (Romania)
Bronze - Hansu Ryu (Korea)
72 kg
Gold - Adam Kurak (Russia)
Silver - Balint Korpasi (Hungary)
Bronze - Selcuk Can (Turkey)
77 kg
Gold - Hyeonwoo Kim (Korea)
Silver - Zotlan Levai (Hungary)
Bronze - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary)
Bronze - Georgios Prevolarakis (Greece)
82 kg
Gold - Gurpreet Singh (India)
Silver - Burhan Akbudak (Turkey)
Bronze - George Vlad Mariea (Romania)
92 kg
Gold - Viktor Lorincz (Hungary)
Silver - Dogan Goktas (Turkey)
Bronze - Gadzhimurad Dzhalalov (Russia)
Bronze - Erik Szilvassy (Hungary)
97 kg
Gold - Nikoloz Kakhelashvili (Italy)
Silver - Tracy G’Angelo Hancock (USA)
Bronze - Mihail Kajala (Serbia)
Bronze - Balazs Kiss (Hungary)
130 kg
Gold - Osman Yildirim (Turkey)
Silver - Balint Lam (Hungary)
Bronze - Yongmin Kim (Korea)
Bronze - Minseok Kim (Korea)
Greco-Roman performances
97 kg/213.8 lbs. – G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), silver medal
WIN Armen Grigorian (Russia), 3-0
WIN Balasz Kiss (Hungary), 6-0
LOSS Nikoloz Kakhelashvili (Italy), 5-0
Remaining schedule (local time is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)
Friday, May 24
10 a.m. – Women’s freestyle qualification rounds
1 p.m. – Women’s freestyle repechage matches
3 p.m. – Women’s freestyle finals
Saturday, May 25
10 a.m. – Men’s freestyle qualification rounds
1 p.m. – Men’s freestyle repechage matches
3:30 p.m. – Men’s freestyle finals finals
SASSARI, Italy – G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) won a silver medal at 97 kg at the Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial International, the third UWW Ranking Tournament of the year.
Hancock was defeated in the gold-medal finals by Nikoloz Kakhelashvili of Italy, 5-0.
In the first period, Kakhelashvili received the first point when Hancock was penalized for passivity. Hancock was put down and got up to his feet. Officials put Hancock down again, and Kakhelashvili scored a two-point gut wrench to lead 3-0 at the break. In the second period, Kakhelashvili scored on a stepout, which was challenged by the U.S. corner. The challenge was denied, making the score 5-0. Hancock was unable to score as he pressed the action the rest of the bout.
Kakhelashvili won a Junior World title for Georgia in 2015, before moving over to the Italian team, for who he has competed since 2018.
In the semifinals, Hancock defeated 2009 World champion and three-time Senior World medalist Balasz Kiss of Hungary, 6-0. He opened with a 3-0 quarterfinal win over Armen Grigorian of Russia.
Hancock entered the event with a No. 3 ranking in the UWW World Ranking Series standings with 48 points. He will add six points with his silver medal, plus six points for there being fewer than 10 entries in his weight class. His UWW Ranking Series point total will increase to 60 points.
He will remain at No. 3 in the Ranking Series, because No. 2 Kiril Milov of Bulgaria, who did not enter the tournament in Sassari, stands at 74 points.
He has now won medals in all three ranking tournaments already held, claiming a gold medal at the Grand Prix of Hungary and a bronze medal at the Grand Prix of Zagreb. He also won a silver medal at the Pan American Championships, which also scores points in the UWW World Ranking Series standings as a continental championships.
The top four athletes in each weight class at the conclusion of the Ranking Series events will earn a seed at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan in September.
The Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial International continues on Friday with the women’s freestyle competition. The USA will have three entries: 2018 World bronze medalists Mallory Velte (Sacramento, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) at 62 kg and Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) at 68 kg, plus 2012 Olympian Kelsey Campbell (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC) at 57 kg.
Mensah-Stock is currently No. 2 and Velte is currently No. 3 in the UWW Ranking Series in their weight class. Mensah-Stock won gold medals at the first two UWW Ranking Tournaments, the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia and the Dan Kolov International in Bulgaria, and also won the 2019 Pan American Championships. Velte was a 2019 Pan American Championships silver medalist.
Men’s freestyle competition will be held on Saturday. No members of USA Wrestling’s Freestyle National Team will compete in Italy on Saturday, but there will be athletes from two Div. III teams (Case Western Reserve and John Carroll) which are entered.
The event is broadcast live by FloWrestling. Sassari is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone.
SASSARI CITY MATTEO PELLICONE MEMORIAL INTERNATIONAL
At Sassari, Italy, May 23
Greco-Roman medalists
55 kg
Gold - Hakan Murat Cankaya (Turkey)
Silver - Giovanni Freni (Italy)
Bronze - Dogus Ayazci (Turkey)
60 kg
Gold - Seunghak Kim (Korea)
Silver - Ahmet Uyar (Turkey)
Bronze - Jacopo Sandron (Italy)
Bronze - Gyanender (India)
63 kg
Gold - Mehmet Ceker (Turkey)
Silver - Erik Torba (Hungary)
Bronze - Eunbin Kim (Korea)
Bronze - Kadir Kamal (Turkey)
67 kg
Gold - Azamat Akhmedov (Russia)
Silver - Haci Karakus (Turkey)
Bronze - Mihai Mihut (Romania)
Bronze - Hansu Ryu (Korea)
72 kg
Gold - Adam Kurak (Russia)
Silver - Balint Korpasi (Hungary)
Bronze - Selcuk Can (Turkey)
77 kg
Gold - Hyeonwoo Kim (Korea)
Silver - Zotlan Levai (Hungary)
Bronze - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary)
Bronze - Georgios Prevolarakis (Greece)
82 kg
Gold - Gurpreet Singh (India)
Silver - Burhan Akbudak (Turkey)
Bronze - George Vlad Mariea (Romania)
92 kg
Gold - Viktor Lorincz (Hungary)
Silver - Dogan Goktas (Turkey)
Bronze - Gadzhimurad Dzhalalov (Russia)
Bronze - Erik Szilvassy (Hungary)
97 kg
Gold - Nikoloz Kakhelashvili (Italy)
Silver - Tracy G’Angelo Hancock (USA)
Bronze - Mihail Kajala (Serbia)
Bronze - Balazs Kiss (Hungary)
130 kg
Gold - Osman Yildirim (Turkey)
Silver - Balint Lam (Hungary)
Bronze - Yongmin Kim (Korea)
Bronze - Minseok Kim (Korea)
Greco-Roman performances
97 kg/213.8 lbs. – G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), silver medal
WIN Armen Grigorian (Russia), 3-0
WIN Balasz Kiss (Hungary), 6-0
LOSS Nikoloz Kakhelashvili (Italy), 5-0
Remaining schedule (local time is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)
Friday, May 24
10 a.m. – Women’s freestyle qualification rounds
1 p.m. – Women’s freestyle repechage matches
3 p.m. – Women’s freestyle finals
Saturday, May 25
10 a.m. – Men’s freestyle qualification rounds
1 p.m. – Men’s freestyle repechage matches
3:30 p.m. – Men’s freestyle finals finals
