Snyder collects third Pan American Games gold; Parris, Richards, Berger also nab titles for U.S. men’s freestyle

SANTIAGO, Chile – The first day of wrestling at the Pan American Games was near perfection for Team USA—Kyle Snyder furthered his legacy with a third gold medal at the prestigious event while Mason Parris, Zane Richards and Tyler Berger swept the field, joining Snyder atop the medal stand at night’s end.

Snyder was poised and consistent in front of a rowdy crowd at Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico in Santiago, Chile. In the 97 kg gold medal bout, which was a rematch of this year’s Pan American Championships final, Snyder rallied from an early two-point deficit against Cuba’s Arturo Silot Torres to surge to a 14-4 technical fall. The match ended 25 seconds into the second frame.

The 2016 Olympic gold medalist torched his other two opponents on the day, Nishan Randhawa of Canada and Maxwell Lacey Garita of Costa Rica, by 10-0 technical superiority. This marks the first tournament for Snyder since he finished with bronze at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Snyder added a third gold medal at the Pan American Games, cementing his place as one of the legends to compete in the event. Prior to today, he stood atop the medal stand in Toronto, Canada, in 2015 and in Lima, Peru, in 2019. The 27-year-old is currently riding the longest Olympic and World medal streak in American history at nine-in-a-row dating back to 2015. He is a two-time Olympic medalist and seven-time World medalist with four golds to his name.

Fresh off a bronze medal effort at his first Senior World Championships, Parris capped his day with a chippy 2-0 decision over two-time Olympian and three-time Pan American Games medalist Jose Diaz Robertti of Venezuela in the 125 kg gold medal match.

It was an odd match for the usually explosive Parris. He picked up both of his points in the first period, one by shot clock and the other from an extracurricular-induced caution. Diaz Robertti’s strategy of keeping things close and playing for a late takedown was apparent, but Parris didn’t flinch.

Down at 57 kg, Richards made quick work of 2020 Olympian Oscar Tigreros Urbano of Colombia in the gold medal match. The U.S. World Team member was on the legs early and often, mixing in some tight top game, to get the 10-0 technical fall.

It was a shift in energy from his semifinal round against three-time Pan American medalist and past NCAA champion for Lehigh Darian Cruz of Puerto Rico, which was substantially more competitive. A match Richards won going away at the end, 8-2.

The most competitive final of the evening came at 74 kg between Berger, a U.S. National Team member bumped up from 70 kg, and past World bronze medalist Franklin Maren Castillo of Cuba. The critical point in the contest came at the end of the first period as Berger fought through for the only takedown of the match with 10 seconds remaining in the opening frame. He finished things off with a 3-0 decision to give the U.S. its fourth gold medal of the event.

Without question Berger has the highest degree of difficulty throughout the day in Santiago. He opened the day with a gritty three-point win against Anthony Montero Chirinos of Venezuela before sailing past NCAA All-American Anthony Valencia of Mexico by technical fall, 17-3.

The U.S. is atop the medal standings in wrestling after day one with its four golds. Cuba and Venezuela both collected three medals on Wednesday, Cuba holding two silvers and one bronze, and Venezuela with a single silver and two bronze.

The Pan American Games resumes at 9 a.m. (ET) tomorrow with the preliminary rounds for the remaining men’s freestyle weights (65-86 kg) and the first three women’s freestyle weights (50-57-68 kg). Nahshon Garrett, Mark Hall Erin Golston, Xochitl Mota-Pettis and Forrest Molinari are the Thursday crew for Team USA.

The Panam Sports Channel is broadcasting the event live at panamsportschannel.org. Brackets and updated results from this event can be found at arena.uww.org.

57 kg

Gold – Zane Richards (United States)

Silver – Oscar Tigreros Urbano (Colombia)

Bronze – Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico)

Bronze – Hernan Almendra (Argentina)

5th - Juan Ramirez Beltre (Dominican Republic)

5th – Hernan Almendra (Argentina)

7th – Pedro Mejias Rodriguez (Venezuela)

8th – Edwin Segura Guerra (Guatemala)

Gold – Zane Richards (United States) tech. fall Oscar Tigreros Urbano (Colombia), 10-0

Bronze – Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico) forfeit Juan Ramirez Beltre (Dominican Republic)

Bronze – Osmany Diversent Martinez (Cuba) fall Hernan Almendra (Argentina), 1:24

74 kg

Gold – Tyler Berger (United States)

Silver – Franklin Maren Castillo (Cuba)

Bronze – Anthony Montero Chirinos (Venezuela)

Bronze – Anthony Valencia (Mexico)

5th – Adam Thomsen (Canada)

5th – Luis Barrios Rochez (Honduras)

7th – Shane Jones (Puerto Rico)

8th – Cesar Bordeaux Rego Alvan (Brazil)

9th – Leon Peralta Lanas (Chile)

Gold – Tyler Berger (United States) dec. Franklin Maren Castillo (Cuba), 3-0

Bronze – Anthony Montero Chirinos (Venezuela) dec. Anthony Valencia (Mexico), 7-2

Bronze – Adam Thomsen (Canada) dec. Luis Barrios Rochez (Honduras), 6-5

97 kg

Gold – Kyle Snyder (United States)

Silver – Arturo Silot Torres (Cuba)

Bronze – Nishan Randhawa (Canada)

Bronze – Cristian Sarco Colmenarez (Venezuela)

5th – Maxwell Lacey Garita (Costa Rica)

5th – Matias Uribe Sepulveda (Chile)

7th – Ricardo Baez (Argentina)

8th – Carlos Angulo Murillo (Colombia)

9th – Luis Perez Sosa (Dominican Republic)

Gold – Kyle Snyder (United States) tech. fall Arturo Silot Torres (Cuba), 14-4

Bronze – Nishan Randhawa (Canada) dec. Maxwell Lacey Garita (Costa Rica), 7-6

Bronze – Cristian Sarco Colmenarez (Venezuela) tech. fall Matias Uribe Sepulveda (Chile), 10-0

125 kg

Gold – Mason Parris (United States)

Silver – Jose Diaz Robertti (Venezuela)

Bronze – Aaron Johnson (Jamaica)

Bronze – Catriel Muriel (Argentina)

5th – Elison Adames Garcia (Dominican Republic)

5th – Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico)

7th – Ibrain Torres Espinosa (Cuba)

Gold – Mason Parris (United States) dec. Jose Diaz Robertti (Venezuela), 2-0

Bronze – Aaron Johnson (Jamaica) dec. Elison Adames Garcia (Dominican Republic), 5-1

Bronze – Catriel Muriel (Argentina) dec. Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico), 7-6

57 kg – Zane Richards (Champaign, Illinois/Titan Mercury WC/Illinois RTC), Gold

WIN Juan Ramirez Beltre (Dominican Republic), forfeit

WIN Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico), 8-2

WIN Oscar Tigreros Urbano (Colombia), tech. fall, 10-0

74 kg – Tyler Berger (Lincoln, Nebraska/Sunkist Kids WC/Pennsylvania RTC), Gold

WIN Anthony Montero Chirinos (Venezuela), 5-2

WIN Anthony Valencia (Mexico), tech. fall, 17-3

WIN Franklin Maren Castillo (Cuba), 3-0

97 kg – Kyle Snyder (State College, Pennsylvania/Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC), Gold

WIN Nishan Randhawa (Canada), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Maxwell Lacey Garita (Costa Rica), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Arturo Silot Torres (Cuba), tech. fall, 14-4

125 kg – Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Indiana/Titan Mercury WC/Cliff Keen WC), Gold

WIN Elison Adames Garcia (Dominican Republic), tech. fall, 12-0

WIN Aaron Johnson (Jamaica), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Jose Diaz Robertti (Venezuela), 2-0