Koontz takes silver at Thor Masters
by Mike Willis, USA Wrestling
As the dust settles from the Thor Masters Tournament in Nyjobing Faslster, Denmark, the U.S. will be returning home with one medalist. Brady Koontz (Plover, Wis./Titan Mercury/Ohio RTC) claimed silver in a three-man bracket at 55 kg. Koontz opened the tournament with an 8-0 technical fall over Sergis Gevorgizyan of Austria. He then dropped his second and final match to Koriun Sahradian of Ukraine, 5-0. This is the first time that Koontz, a redshirt sophomore at Ohio State currently taking an Olympic redshirt, has medaled at an overseas Senior-level tournament.
Two Americans fell one match short of wrestling for bronze. Carter Nielsen (Foley, Minn./MN Storm) and Cohlton Schultz (Parker, Colo./Sunkist Kids) both finished the tournament in fifth place.
At 87 kg, Nielsen put together a 2-2 record. After dropping his first match yesterday, Nielsen started off strong on day two. He earned a fall over August Eriksson of Sweden early in the first period with a body lock. He followed it up with a controlling, 3-0, victory over Andreas Valis of Estonia. His tournament concluded when he lost to Zakarias Berg of Sweden, the tournament runner-up, 9-0.
Schultz came into the second day of competition at 130 kg with a 1-0 record. In his second match, he received a forfeit from Suleyman Erbay of Turkey. Next, he defeated Nikola Milatovic of Norway, 5-2. His first loss came at the hands of the eventual runner-up Hamza Bakir of Turkey, a 2018 Cadet World champion and 2019 Junior World bronze medalist, 5-3. In his last match of the tournament, Schultz lost a tough, 3-3, match on criteria to two-time Olympian Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu of Romania.
THOR MASTERS
At Nykobing Falster, Denmark
Results
55 kg: Brady Koontz, Plover, Wis. (Titan Mercury/Ohio RTC) - Second
WIN Sergis Gevorgizyan (Austria), 8-0
LOSS Koriun Sahradian (Ukraine), 5-0
60 kg: Leslie Fuenffinger, Colorado Springs Colo. (Army WCAP) - Seventh
WIN Helary Mägisalu (Estonia), 8-3
LOSS. Viktor Petryk (Ukraine), 9-0
LOSS Przemyslaw Piatek (Poland), 5-1
67 kg: Lenny Merkin, Brooklyn, N.Y. (New York AC) – 16th
LOSS Kadir Kamal (Turkey), 11-2
LOSS Oleksandr Hrushyn (Ukraine), 9-1
67 kg: Alejandro Sancho, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP) – 18th
LOSS Denis Bolunov (Estonia), 4-4
LOSS Mateusz Bernatek (Poland), 9-0
77 kg: Alex Mossing, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Air Force) – 12th
WON Bozo Starcevik (Croatia), FFT
LOSS Rajet Kalijola (Estonia), 13-9
LOSS. Edgar Babayan (Poland), 10-1
82 kg: Spencer Woods, Marquette, Mich. (New York AC/NMU-OTS) – 11th
WON Ali Osman Erbay (Turkey), 6-2
LOSS. Filip Sacic (Croatia), 8-0
LOSS Bogdan Kourinnoi (Sweden), 10-0
82 kg: Tommy Brackett, Eads, Tenn. (NMU-OTS) – 14th
LOSS Arminas Lygnugaris (Lithuania) 13-5
LOSS. Rajbek Bisultanov (Denmark), 8-0
87 kg: Carter Nielsen, Foley, Minn. (MN Storm) - Fifth
LOSS Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland), 7-6
WIN August Eriksson (Sweden), Fall
WIN Andreas Valis (Estonia), 3-0
LOSS Zakarias Berg (Sweden), 9-0
97 kg: Lucas Sheridan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP) – 17th
LOSS Kalle Persson (Sweden), 3-2
LOSS Felix Baldauf (Norway), 8-0, TF
130 kg: Cohlton Schultz, Parker, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) – Fifth
WIN Rafal Krajewski (Poland), 6-4
WIN. Suleyman Erbay (Turkey), FFT
WIN Nikola Milatovic (Norway), 5-2
LOSS Hamza Bakir (Turkey), 5-3
LOSS Ciurariu Alexuc (Romania), 3-3
Final Placements
55 kg
1. Koriun Sahradian (Ukraine)
2. Brady Koontz (USA)
3. Sergis Gevorgizyan (Austria)
60 kg
1. Viktor Petryk (Ukraine)
2. Zhora Abovian (Ukraine)
3. Dawid Ersetic (Poland)
63 kg
1. Deniz Menekse (Bayern)
2. Ivan Lizatovic (Croatia)
3. Mikkel Lassen (Denmark)
67 kg
1. Dominik Etlinger (Croatia)
2. Kadir Kamal (Turkey)
3. Gevorg Sahakyan
72 kg
1. Idris Ibaev (Germany)
Erik Persson (Klippans BK)
3. Sebastian Aak (Norway)
77 kg
1. Arsen Jufalakyan (Armenia)
2. Mateusz Wolny (Poland)
3. Edgar Babayan (Poland)
82 kg
1. Rajbek Bisultanov (Denmark)
2. Alex Kessidis (Sweden)
3. Hannes Wagner (Germany)
87 kg
1. Eividas Stankevicius (Lithuania)
2. Zakarias Berg (Sweden)
3. Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland)
97 kg
1. Vladlen Kozliuk (Ukraine)
2. Tadeusz Michalik (Poland)
3. Daniel Gastl (Austria)
1. Jello Krahmer (Germany)
2. Hamza Bakir (Turkey)
3. Christian John (Germany)
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