U.S. Greco-Roman team receives draws at the Zagreb Open Ranking Tournament in Croatia
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
2023 Zagreb Open brackets
https://arena.uww.org/sport-event/show/1eea6071-fd95-65b4-a800-878e5e1c24be
ZAGREB, Croatia – The United States has received its opening draws in Greco-Roman for the Zagreb Open, the first UWW Ranking Tournament of 2024.
Greco-Roman competition will be held alongside women’s freestyle on Friday and Saturday, with the final day of competition on Sunday featuring only Greco-Roman.
Olympians on the USA roster include Ildar Hafizov at 60 kg, Alejandro Sancho at 67 kg and Mahmoud Sebie at 87 kg. 2018 World silver medalist Adam Coon will wrestle at 130 kg. Past World Team members competing include Peyton Omania at 67 kg, Benji Peak at 77 kg, RaVaughn Perkins at 77 kg, Spencer Woods at 87 kg, Alan Vera at 97 kg and Josef Rau at 97 kg.
The USA has two athletes at 60 kg, Hafizov and Hayden Tuma, who are in the same half bracket. Hafizov draws the winner of 2019 World champion Nugzari Tsurtsumia of Georgia and 2022 U20 World silver medalist Denis Mihai of Romania. Tuma draws Haodong Cao of China.
Three USA athletes are at 67 kg, Omania, Sancho and Robert Perez III. All three are in the bottom half bracket. Sancho has two-time World medalist Hasrat Jafarov of Azerbaijan. Omania draws 2014 Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist Oleksii Masyk of Ukraine. Perez will open with Lei Li of China, fifth in the 2023 Asian Games.
The two USA athletes at 77 kg are Peak and Perkins, who are on opposite sides of the bracket. Peak has Italian World Team member Riccardo Abbrescia, while Perkins starts against India wrestler 2013 U23 World bronze medalist Vikas of UWW.
Sebie is the only USA entry at 82 kg, and opens with 2021 World bronze medalist Roland Schwarz of Germany.
Woods is the lone USA athlete at 87 kg, and battles Aleksandr Komarov of Serbia, who won multiple age-group World titles for Russia.
Vera and Rau are in the same quarterbracket at 97 kg. Vera has two-time German Grand Prix medalists Serhii Omelin of Ukraine, while Rau opens with Peter Oehler of Germany, who was fifth in the 2021 Worlds.
Coon faces a fellow World medalist right off the bat, 2015 Word bronze medalist Oleksandr Chernetsky of Ukraine.
A live stream of the event is available to the U.S. audience on FloWrestling.com. https://www.flowrestling.org/events/11737586-2024-ranking-series-1-zagreb-open
Zagreb is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time.
ZAGREB OPEN
At Zagreb, Croatia
U.S. Greco-Roman first-round draws
60 kg: Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP)
Vs. winner of Nugzari Tsurtsumia (Georgia) and Denis Mihai (Romania)
Tsurtsumia – 2019 World champion, 2022 and 2023 World silver medalist, 2018 and 2021 World bronze medalist
Mihai – 8th at 2023 Worlds, 2023 European bronze medalist, 2022 U20 World silver medalist
60 kg: Hayden Tuma (Suples)
Vs. Haodong Cao (China) – no information available
67 kg: Peyton Omania (New York AC/Michigan WC)
Vs. Oleksii Masyk (Ukraine) – 3rd in 2021 U23 Europeans, 2014 Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist, 5th in 2015 U20 Worlds
67 kg: Alex Sancho (Army WCAP)
Vs. Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) – 2023 World silver medalist, 2022 World bronze medalist, 2023 European champion, 2021 U23 World champion, 2021 U20 World champion
67 kg: Robert Perez III (Sunkist Kids)
Vs. Lei Li (China) – 5th in 2023 Asian Games, 3rd in 2023 Imre & Janos Memorial (Hungary)
77 kg: Benjamin Peak (Sunkist Kids)
Vs. Riccardo Abbrescia (Italy) – 5x Italy Senior World Team member, 3x Trophe Milone champion (Italy)
77 kg: Ravaughn Perkins (New York AC)
Vs. Vikas (UWW) – 2023 U23 World bronze medalist, 2nd in 2017 Commonwealth Championships,
82 kg: Mahmoud Sebie (Florida)
Vs. Roland Schwarz (Germany) – 2021 World bronze medalist, 2019 European silver medalist, 2023 European bronze medalist,
87 kg: Spencer Woods (Army WCAP)
Vs. Aleksandr Komarov (Serbia) – (previous achievements for Russia) 2021 U23 World champion, 2021 U23 European champion, 2017 and 2018 U20 World champion
97 kg: Alan Vera (New York AC)
Vs. Serhii Omelin (Ukraine) – 3rd in 2022 and 2023 Grand Prix of Germany, 3rd in 2013 Henri Deglane (France)
97kg: Josef Rau (Titan Mercury WC/USOPTC)
Vs. Peter Oehler (Germany) – 5th in 2021 Worlds, 2012 U20 World silver medalist
130kg: Adam Coon (New York AC/Cliff Keen WC)
Vs. Oleksandr Chernetsky (Ukraine) – 2015 World bronze medalist, 2016 Olympian, 2015 World Military silver medalist
Greco-Roman schedule
(six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)
Friday, January 12
10:00 a.m. – Qualification and repechage - GR 77 kg, 87 kg
5:00 p.m. – Official Ceremony
6:00 p.m. – Finals - GR 77 kg, 87 kg
Saturday, January 13
10:00 a.m. – Qualification and repechage –GR 63 kg, 67 kg
6:00 p.m. – Finals –GR 63 kg, 67 kg
Sunday, January 14
10:00 a.m. – Qualification and repechage – GR 55 kg, 60 kg, 72 kg, 82 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg
6:00 p.m. – Finals – GR 55 kg, 60 kg, 72 kg, 82 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg