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Seven U.S. Wrestlers to Contend for Gold Medals in Greco-Roman at 2026 Senior Pan American Championships

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by Zack Chavez, USA Wrestling

Joel Adams (USA) throws Joilson De Brito Ramos Junior (Brazil) in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Senior Pan American Championships.

Joel Adams (USA) throws Joilson De Brito Ramos Junior (Brazil) in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Senior Pan American Championships.

CORALVILLE, Iowa – The United States Greco-Roman team secured 14 wins in the opening session on day one of the 2026 Senior Pan American Championships inside Xtream Arena Thursday, May 7, in Coralville, Iowa. Throughout the qualification rounds, Team USA combined for a 14-1 record heading into the finals session, where seven athletes will contend for gold medals.


Max Nowry, Landon Drury, Otto Black, Joel Adams, Kamal Bey, Beka Melelashvili and Cohlton Schultz return to the mat in the second session. Black and Adams will each look for their third wins of the day to earn their titles, while Melelashvili will need a fourth win to secure his gold. Nowry and Drury remain undefeated and will each conclude their tournament with gold medals with one more victory.


Drury and Melelashvili were the standouts for the USA in the opening session, each capturing three wins to earn their spots in the finals. Drury began the day with a 9-3 win over Ecuador’s Jeremy Peralta Gonzalez, before a 9-0 technical fall decision over Brazil’s Marat Garipov in his second match. He then punched his ticket to the second session with a 3-1 win over Mexico’s Angel Segura Tellez after scoring first with top position and a passivity point, before converting a gutwrench to earn his third point of the match.


Melelashvili earned a narrow decision in his opener against Cuba’s Daniel Gregorich Hechavarria. Despite closing the bout 1-1, Melelashvili secured the criteria to advance to the second round against Mexico’s Jose Vargas Rueda. In his second and third matches, Melelashvili was completely dominant, earning a 9-0 technical decision over Mexico before an 11-2 technical fall over the Dominican Republic’s Johan Batista in the semifinals.


Bey, a Paris 2024 Olympian, earned a direct path to the 82-kilogram gold medal match after securing a bye in the tournament draw. Bey will face Mexico’s Diego Torres to determine the champion in the two-man bracket.


Dalton Roberts concluded his tournament after falling 3-1 to the Dominican Republic’s Yerony Liria Carreras in the 60-kilogram weight class. Roberts did not qualify for the repechage after falling in the quarterfinals of his 10-person bracket.


For a complete match-by-match breakdown of the morning session for Team USA, browse our day one match notes.


The United States will look to close the Greco-Roman competition with seven medals on day one. Thursday’s second session will begin at 5 p.m. CT and will determine medalists within 8 weight classes.


The 2026 Senior Pan American Championships are streaming live on FloWrestling. Brackets and live results are available on UWW Arena.

2026 Senior Pan American Championships

May 7, Coralville, Iowa

Reference Links


Greco-Roman Group One Results

Medal Match Pairings
60 kg

Gold – Kevin De Armas Rodriguezs (Cuba) vs. Clisman Carracedo Veliz (Ecuador)

Bronze – Yerony Liria Carreras (Dominican Republic) vs. Abel Sanchez Juarez (Peru)

Bronze – Pedro De Souza Rodrigues (Brazil) vs. Carlos Herrera Barrios (Venezuela)


67 kg

Gold – Otto Black (United States) vs. Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba)

Bronze – Nilton Soto Garcia (Peru) vs. Irving Salazar Cabrera (Mexico)

Bronze – Jose Varela Garcia (Guatemala) vs. Julian Horta Acevedo (Colombia)


77 kg

Gold – Joel Adams (United States) vs. Oscar Barrios Rochez (Honduras)

Bronze – David Choc Huoc (Guatemala) vs. Joilson De Brito Ramos Junior (Brazil)

Bronze – Eduardo Bernal Molina (Chile) vs. Justin Boyce (Barbados)


87 kg 

Gold – Beka Melelashvili (United States) vs. Daniel Gregorich Hechavarria (Cuba)

Bronze – Luis Avendano Rojas (Venezuela) vs. Johan Batista (Dominican Republic)


130 kg 

Gold – Cohlton Schultz (United States) vs. Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba)

Bronze – Tyrece Thompson (Jamaica) vs. Guilherme Evangelista Dias (Brazil)

Bronze – James Ford III (Puerto Rico) vs. Jose Nunez Encarnacio (Dominican Republic)


Semifinal Results
60 kg 

Kevin De Armas Rodriguezs (Cuba) dec. Yerony Liria Carreras (Dominican Republic), 6-1

Clisman Carracedo Veliz (Ecuador) dec. Pedro De Souza Rodrigues (Brazil), 11-8


67 kg 

Otto Black (United States) tech. fall Nilton Soto Garcia (Peru), 10-0

Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba) tech. fall Jose Varela Garcia (Guatemala), 8-0


77 kg 

Joel Adams (United States) dec. David Choc Huoc (Guatemala), 4-1

Oscar Barrios Rochez (Honduras) dec. Eduardo Bernal Molina (Chile), 7-0


87 kg 

Beka Melelashvili (United States) tech. fall Johan Batista (Dominican Republic), 11-2

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


130 kg 

Cohlton Schultz (United States) tech. fall Tyrece Thompson (Jamaica), 8-0

Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba) tech. fall James Ford III (Puerto Rico), 8-0


Round Robin Bracket Results
55 kg 

R2 | Isaac Marin Mata (Mexico) dec. Moises Peralta Gonzalez (Ecuador), 12-12

R2 | Max Nowry (United States) tech. fall Yan Landim Ribeiro (Brazil), 8-0

R1 | Max Nowry (United States) tech. fall Moises Peralta Gonzalez (Ecuador), 10-1

R1 | Isaac Marin Mata (Mexico) dec. Yan Landim Ribeiro (Brazil), 6-1


Round robin records after session one: Nowry (2-0), Marin Mata (2-0), Peralta Gonzalez (0-2), Landim Ribero (0-2)


63 kg 

R4 | Landon Drury (United States) dec. Angel Segura Tellez (Mexico), 3-1

R4 | Jeremy Peralta Gonzalez (Ecuador) tech. fall Marat Garipov (Brazil), 8-0

R3 | Angel Segura Tellez (Mexico) tech. fall Derick Martinez Mateo (Puerto Rico), 8-0

R3 | Landon Drury (United States) tech. fall Marat Garipov (Brazil), 9-0

R2 | Jeremy Peralta Gonzalez (Ecuador) tech. fall Derick Martinez Mateo (Puerto Rico), 11-4

R2 | Angel Segura Tellez (Mexico) tech. fall Marat Garipov (Brazil), 11-2

R1 | Landon Drury (United States) dec. Jeremy Peralta Gonzalez (Ecuador), 9-3

R1 | Marat Garipov (Brazil) tech. fall Derick Martinez Mateo (Puerto Rico), 9-0


Round robin records after session one: Drury (3-0), Peralta Gonzalez (2-1), Segura Tellez (2-1), Garipov (1-3), Martinez Mateo (0-3)

U.S. Greco-Roman Group One Results

55 kg – Max Nowry (Washington, Ill./New York AC) 

WIN Moises Peralta González (Ecuador), tech. fall, 10-1

WIN Yan Landim Ribeiro (Brazil), tech. fall, 8-0

VS Isaac Marin Mata (Mexico)


60 kg – Dalton Roberts (Fountain, Colo./Army WCAP) 

LOSS Yerony Liria Carreras (Dominican Republic), 3-1


63 kg – Landon Drury (Colorado Springs, Colo./NMU-National Training Center) 

WIN Jeremy Peralta Gonzalez (Ecuador), 9-3

WIN Marat Garipov (Brazil), tech. fall, 9-0

WIN Angel Segura Tellez (Mexico), 3-1

VS Derick Martinez Mateo (Puerto Rico)


67 kg – Otto Black (Marquette, Mich./New York AC) 

WIN Irving Salazar Cabrera (Mexico), tech. fall, 8-0

WIN Nilton Soto Garcia (Peru), tech. fall, 10-0

VS Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba)


77 kg – Joel Adams (Omaha, Neb./Beaver Dam Wrestling RTC) 

WIN Joilson De Brito Ramos Junior (Brazil), 5-2

WIN David Choc Huoc (Guatemala), 4-1

VS Oscar Barrios Rochez (Honduras)


82 kg – Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) 

VS Diego Macias Torres (Mexico)


87 kg – Beka Melelashvili (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) 

WIN Daniel Gregorich Hechavarria (Cuba), 1-1

WIN Jose Vargas Rueda (Mexico), tech. fall, 9-0

WIN Johan Batista (Dominican Republic), tech. fall, 11-2

VS Daniel Gregorich Hechavarria (Cuba)


130 kg – Cohlton Schultz (Tempe, Ariz./Arizona/New York AC) 

WIN Guilherme Evangelista Dias (Brazil), tech. fall, 8-0

WIN Tyrece Thompson (Jamaica), tech. fall, 8-0

VS Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba)