SOFIA, Bulgaria – The U.S. picked up a pair of medals from its second group of athletes competing at the Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International. Dymond Guilford secured a gold medal on the women’s freestyle side, while Josef Rau battled to bring home a bronze medal in Greco-Roman.

Guilford, a 2022 U23 World silver medalist and Senior U.S. World Team member, picked up the 76 kg gold medal by winning two matches in a round robin bracket. She topped three-time Asian bronze medalist Eunju Hwang of Korea, 9-0, prior to pinning 2022 European silver medalist Pauline Lecarpentier of France in 3:19. It is Guilford’s second international medal of 2024 after she earned bronze at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix in Nice, France.

It was an impressive 3-1 effort from Rau in the 97 kg Greco-Roman division. He started the event with a pair of shutout technical fall victories, 10-0 over Daniel Gastl of Austria and 8-0 over fellow American George Sikes. Rau was bested in the semifinal round by reigning U20 Asian champion Amirreza Akbari of Iran, 10-7, but came back strong with a pin in his bronze medal match over Zegang Wang of China.

Rau was the U.S. World Team rep at 97 kg last summer and has competed at three Senior World Championships dating back to 2014. He was the U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion in 2016 but didn’t get to compete at the Rio Games with his weight class going unqualified. Rau is tuning up for one more run at the Olympics, and his performance in Bulgaria is a nice indication of positive progress for the Greco-Roman veteran.

Two Northern Michigan athletes took part in the Greco-Roman competition—Sikes and 87 kg participant Patrick Curran. Neither man was able to win a bout nor qualify for the medal rounds.

Group two weight classes in action at the Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International included women’s freestyle 62 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg, men’s freestyle 57 kg, 65 kg and 74 kg, and Greco-Roman 87 kg and 97 kg. Medal winners for each group two bracket can be found below.

The third and final set of weight classes taking the mats in Bulgaria on Saturday are women’s freestyle 50 kg, 53 kg and 57 kg, men’s freestyle 86 kg, 97 kg and 125 kg, and Greco-Roman 60 kg, 67 kg and 77 kg. Two Americans are featured in this group—Alex Dieringer in men’s freestyle and David Stepanian in Greco-Roman.

The Bulgarian Wrestling Federation is providing complete results and a live stream of the event at bul-wrestling.org.

Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International | At Sofia, Bulgaria, March 7-10

Women’s Freestyle Group Two Medalists

62 kg

Gold – Xinyuan Sun (China)

Silver – Bilyana Dudova (Bulgaria)

Bronze – Amina Capezan (Romania)

Bronze – Ameline Douarre (France)

68 kg

Gold – Yuliana Yaneva (Bulgaria)

Silver – Man Zhang (China)

Bronze – Khadija Jlassi (Tunisia)

76 kg

Gold – Dymond Guilford (United States)

Silver – Pauline Lecarpentier (France)

Bronze – Eunju Hwang (Korea)

Men’s Freestyle Group Two Medalists

57 kg

Gold – Andrii Yatsenko (Ukraine)

Silver – Roman Hutsuliak (Ukraine)

Bronze –Ivaylo Tisov (Bulgaria)

65 kg

Gold – Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi (Iran)

Silver – Junsik Yun (Korea)

Bronze – Marwane Yezza (France)

Bronze – Taras Markovych (Ukraine)

74 kg

Gold – Ramazan Ramazanov (Bulgaria)

Silver – Miroslav Kirov (Bulgaria)

Bronze – Vadym Tsurkan (Ukraine)

Bronze – Mihail Georgiev (Bulgaria)

Greco-Roman Group Two Medalists

87 kg

Gold – Semen Novikov (Bulgaria)

Silver – Yoan Dimitrov (Bulgaria)

Bronze – Sultan Eid (Jordan)

97 kg

Gold – Amirreza Akbari (Iran)

Silver – Markus Ragginger (Austria)

Bronze – Kaloyan Ivanov (Bulgaria)

Bronze – Josef Rau (United States)

U.S. Women’s Freestyle Group Two Results

76 kg – Dymond Guilford (Lancaster, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/USOPTC), gold medal

WIN Eunju Hwang (Korea), 9-0

WIN Pauline Lecarpentier (France), fall, 3:19

U.S. Greco-Roman Group Two Results

87 kg – Patrick Curran (Carol Stream, Ill./NMU-National Training Center), eliminated

LOSS Sultan Eid (Jordan), tech. fall, 9-0

LOSS Lukas Staudacher (Austria), tech. fall, 13-2

LOSS Yoan Dimitrov (Bulgaria), tech. fall, 8-0

97 kg – George Sikes (Fort Pierce, Fla./New York AC/NMU-National Training Center), eliminated

LOSS Josef Rau (United States), tech. fall, 8-0

97 kg – Josef Rau (Chicago, Ill./Titan Mercury WC/USOPTC), bronze medal

WIN Daniel Gastl (Austria), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN George Sikes (United States), tech. fall, 8-0

LOSS Amirreza Akbari (Iran), 10-7

WIN Zegang Wang (China), fall, 2:40

Guilford brings in gold, Rau earns bronze at Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International

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