Schultz caps Pan American Games with silver medal for Team USA in Greco-Roman wrestling

SANTIAGO, Chile – Team USA ended its time on the wrestling mats at the 2023 Pan American Games with a silver medal performance in Greco-Roman wrestling from one of the bright young prospects in the sport, Cohlton Schultz.

Schultz stood opposite four-time World medalist and two-time defending Pan American champion Oscar Pino Hinds of Cuba in the 130 kg final, the last bout of the entire four-day wrestling competition at Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico.

It was clear from the onset Pino Hinds would have the length and reach advantage over the more compact Schultz, which came into play throughout the gold medal tussle. The Cuban got his chance from the top position just over a minute into the bout and capitalized with two low gut wrench turns to take a 5-0 lead. Pino Hinds added a step out point early in the second frame, which nullified any real chance for Schultz to gain forced par terre. The bout cruised to a 6-0 finish in favor of Pino Hinds.

Competing in his first Senior level Pan American event, Schultz earned two impressive victories to gain his place in the heavyweight final. The three-time age-group World medalist and NCAA All-American for Arizona State picked up a fall against Edgardo Lopez Morell of Puerto Rico to open his day and followed up with a 5-2 semifinal victory against Moises Perez Hellburg of Venezuela.

Three-time U.S. World Team member Josef Rau came one win shy of a bronze medal after a sturdy performance in the 97 kg bracket on Saturday. A 1-1 record in the morning session booked Rau a spot in the medal round against Kevin Mejia Castillo of Honduras, who owns medals from past U17 World Championships, U20 World Championships and Pan American Games.

Mejia Castillo proved to have Rau’s number from the neutral position, gathering two timely takedowns that really set the match out of reach. Rau persevered to the final buzzer, scoring his only points of the contest on a powerful takedown as time expired, but it wouldn’t be enough. Mejia Castillo took the win, 7-2.

U.S. World Team member Zac Braunagel experienced a tale of two matches on Saturday morning. The Illinois native made quick work of Ronisson Brandao Santiago of Brazil with a series of high gut-wrench attacks. In the quarterfinals, Braunagel was unable to defend the top onslaught from Colombian buzzsaw Carlos Munoz Jaramillo, falling 11-0.

Munoz Jaramillo, a 2016 Olympian, dropped his semifinal to Luis Avendano Rojas of Venezuela, which eliminated Braunagel from medal contention in Chile. He finished in seventh place overall at 87 kg.

With the addition of Schultz’s silver medal, the U.S. Greco-Roman group finished with three medals, two gold and a silver, while only sending five athletes to the competition. The island nation of Cuba dominated the Greco-Roman tournament to the tune of six total medals, four of which were gold. The U.S. was the only country outside of Cuba to win a gold medal. Venezuela finished in second place in the Greco-Roman medal count with four medals.

Brackets and complete results from the 2023 Pan American Games can be found at arena.uww.org.

67 kg

Gold – Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba)

Silver – Julian Horta Acevedo (Colombia)

Bronze – Andres Montano Arroyo (Ecuador)

Bronze – Nolton Soto Garcia (Peru)

5th – Nestor Almanza Truyol (Chile)

5th – Mauricio Lovera (Argentina)

7th – Starlin Laguerre Laureus (Dominican Republic)

8th – Calebe Correa Ferreira (Brazil)

9th – Edsson Olmos Gutierrez (Mexico)

10th – Lisandro Cabrera Ortiz (Paraguay)

Gold – Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba) tech. fall Julian Horta Acevedo (Colombia), 10-1

Bronze – Andres Montano Arroyo (Ecuador) dec. Nestor Almanza Truyol (Chile), 5-3

Bronze – Nolton Soto Garcia (Peru) tech. fall Mauricio Lovera (Argentina), 9-0

87 kg

Gold – Daniel Gregorich Hechavarria (Cuba)

Silver – Luis Avendano Rojas (Venezuela)

Bronze – Carlos Munoz Jaramillo (Colombia)

Bronze – Jose Moreno Bustos (Chile)

5th – Ariel Alfonso Rodriguez (Honduras)

5th – Johan Batista (Dominican Republic)

7th – Zac Braunagel (United States)

8th – Daniel Vicente Gomez (Mexico)

9th – Ronisson Brandao Santiago (Brazil)

Gold – Daniel Gregorich Hechavarria (Cuba) dec. Luis Avendano Rojas (Venezuela), 5-1

Bronze – Carlos Munoz Jaramillo (Colombia) dec. Ariel Alfonso Rodriguez (Honduras), 5-3

Bronze – Jose Moreno Bustos (Chile) dec. Johan Batista (Dominican Republic), 2-1

97 kg

Gold – Gabriel Rosillo Kindelan (Cuba)

Silver – Luillys Perez Mora (Venezuela)

Bronze – Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras)

Bronze – Igor Alves De Queiroz (Brazil)

5th – Josef Rau (United States)

5th – Ricardo Gomez (Argentina)

7th – Max Madrid De Leon (Panama)

8th – Jose Jourdan Calderon (Puerto Rico)

9th – Carlos Adames Palmer (Dominican Republic)

Gold – Gabriel Rosillo Kindelan (Cuba) tech. fall Luillys Perez Mora (Venezuela), 9-1

Bronze – Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras) dec. Josef Rau (United States), 7-2

Bronze – Igor Alves De Queiroz (Brazil) dec. Ricardo Gomez (Argentina), 7-0

130 kg

Gold – Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba)

Silver – Cohlton Schultz (United States)

Bronze – Moises Perez Hellburg (Venezuela)

Bronze – Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (Chile)

5th – Edgardo Lopez Morell (Puerto Rico)

5th – Eduard Soghomonyan (Brazil)

7th – Gino Avila Dilbert (Honduras)

8th – Leo Santana Heredia (Dominican Republic)

9th – Paul Morales Bojorquez (Mexico)

Gold – Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba) dec. Cohlton Schultz (United States), 6-0

Bronze – Moises Perez Hellburg (Venezuela) tech. fall Edgardo Lopez Morell (Puerto Rico), 10-2

Bronze – Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (Chile) tech. fall Eduard Soghomonyan (Brazil), 9-0

87 kg – Zac Braunagel (O’Fallon, Illinois/Illini WC/Illinois RTC), 7th

WIN Ronisson Brandao Santiago (Brazil), tech. fall, 9-0

LOSS Carlos Munoz Jaramillo (Colombia), tech. fall, 11-0

97 kg – Josef Rau (Chicago, Illinois/Titan Mercury WC/Wildcat WC), 5th

WIN Jose Jourdan Calderon (Puerto Rico), tech. fall, 9-0

LOSS Gabriel Rosillo Kindelan (Cuba), tech. fall, 8-0

LOSS Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras), 7-2

130 kg – Cohlton Schultz (Parker, Colorado/Sunkist Kids WC), Silver

WIN Edgardo Lopez Morell (Puerto Rico), Fall, 1:54

WIN Moises Perez Hellburg (Venezuela), 5-2

LOSS Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba), 6-0