Nowry, Bunker and Hancock win Greco gold at Pan American Championships

Photo of G’Angelo Hancock by Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com.

OTTAWA, Canada – All six of the day’s U.S. representatives put together medal-winning performances at the Pan American Championships, including golds from Max Nowry, Raymond Bunker and G’Angelo Hancock, as well as two silvers and one bronze.

Highlighting the night was an impressive win from Hancock in the 97 kg finals, where he took on Gabriel Rosillo Kindelan of Cuba for the second time of the day.

Competing in a Nordic system bracket, Hancock and Rosillo competed against each other in pool action earlier in the day, where Rosillo won by pin. Because they were the top-two athletes in their pool, they were put into opposite semifinals and eventually made their ways to another showdown; this time for gold.

There, Hancock got a chance on top in par terre in the first period. Locking up a front headlock, Hancock threw Rosillo twice for four points each. After a failed challenge from Cuba, Hancock had his hand raised in a 10-0 victory.

At 55 kg, Nowry won his second-consecutive Pan American Championships title with a swift 10-0 technical fall against Kieran Akhtar of Canada.

The American went up 6-0 early with a pair of takedowns, including a four-pointer. He finished off the bout with an arm throw to secure the dominant win.

In the gold-medal bout at 72 kg, Bunker gritted out a 3-2 win, in his first match of the day, over Joilson de Brito Ramos Junior of Brazil.

De Brito was on the board first with two points from an arm throw to lead at the break. In the second period, Bunker drew a passivity point from the Brazilian and got a chance on top in par terre, where he went for a big throw, but De Brito committed a leg foul, giving Bunker two more points. Bunker held on in the final minute to edge out De Brito for gold.

Three other athletes earned spots on the podium, including Leslie Fuenffinger at 60 kg, Alex Sancho at 67 kg and Adam Coon at 130 kg.

In the gold-medal bout at 60 kg, Fuenffinger fell to Ditcher Toro Castaneda of Colombia. Toro used a takedown, a pair of gut wrenches and a throw on the edge to propel him to a 9-0 win over the American.

With the silver medal, Fuenffinger improves drastically on his 2018 Pan Am finish, when he took eighth.

Also picking up a silver was 2018 World silver medalist and reigning Pan Am champ Coon, who dropped an 8-0 bout to Angel Pacheco Romero of Cuba, who was third at last year’s Pan Am Championships.

At 67 kg, Sancho finished off his day with a win, scoring a two giant throws for a 10-0 win against Julian Horta Acevedo of Colombia in the bronze-medal bout.

Pan Am action continues tomorrow with the final Greco-Roman weights, which feature Americans Pat Smith (77 kg), John Stefanowicz (82 kg) and Joe Rau (87 kg), and two women’s weights represented by Lauren Louive (59 kg) and Victoria Francis (72 kg).

Fans can watch all the action live on Trackwrestling.com, beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET.

2020 PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Ottawa, Canada (March 6-9)

Finals results

55 kg
GOLD – Max NOWRY (USA)
SILVER – Kieran AKHTAR (CAN)
BRONZE – Sargis KHACHATRYAN (BRA)

60 kg
GOLD – Ditcher TORO CASTANEDA (COL) df. Leslie FUENFFINGER (USA), 9-0
BRONZE – Emerson FELIPE ORDONEZ (GUA) df. Marat GARIPOV (BRA), 4-3
BRONZE – Jancel PIMENTEL GONZALEZ (DOM) df. Miguel UGALDE AGUILAR (MEX), 8-0

67 kg
GOLD – Ismael BORREREO MOLINA (CUB) df. Diego MARTINEZ de LEIJA (MEX), 11-2
BRONZE – Alejandro SANCHO (USA) df. Julian HORTA ACEVEDO (COL), 10-0
BRONZE – Cristhian RIVAS CASTRO (ECU) df. Cristobal Alonso TORRES NUNEZ (CHI), 7-2

72 kg
GOLD – Raymond BUNKER (USA)
SILVER – Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA)

97 kg
GOLD - G’Angelo HANCOCK (USA) df. Gabriel ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUB), 10-0
BRONZE – Luillys Jose PEREZ MORA (VEN) df. Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON), injury default

130 kg
GOLD – Angel PACHECO ROMERO (CUB) df. Adam COON (USA), 8-0
BRONZE – Moises PEREZ HELLBURG (VEN) df. Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI), injury default
BRONZE – Leo SANTANA HEREDIA (DOM) df. Luciano DEL RIO (ARG), 3-0

U.S. Greco-Roman results
55 kg: Max Nowry (Army WCAP) – GOLD
WIN Sargis Khachatryan (Brazil), injury default
WIN Kieran Akhtar (Canada), 10-0

60 kg: Leslie Fuenffinger (Army WCAP) – SILVER
WIN Miguel Ugalde Aguilar (Mexico), 11-0
WIN Jancel Pimentel Gonzalez (Dominican Republic), fall
LOSS Ditcher Toro Castaneda (Colombia), 9-0

67 kg: Alejandro Sancho (Army WCAP) – BRONZE
WIN Joseph Dashou (Canada), 8-0
WIN German Diaz Maldonado (Puerto Rico), 11-8
LOSS Ismael Borrero Molina (Cuba), 9-0
WIN Julian Horta Acevedo (Colombia), 10-0

72 kg: Raymond Bunker (Marines) - GOLD
WIN Joilson de Brito Ramos Junior (Brazil), 3-2

97 kg: G’Angelo Hancock (Sunkist Kids/USOPTC) – GOLD
WIN Edson Acuna Salazar (Mexico), 9-0
LOSS Gabriel Rosillo Kindelan (Cuba), fall
WIN Luillys Perez Mora (Venezuela), 3-0
WIN Gabriel Rosillo Kindelan (Cuba), 10-0

130 kg: Adam Coon (New York AC/Cliff Keen WC) – SILVER
WIN Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (Chile), injury default
WIN Moises Perez Hellburg (Venezuela), fall
LOSS Angel Pacheco Romero (Cuba), 8-0