Spencer Woods to go for bronze in Greco-Roman at Zagreb Open Ranking Event

Spencer Woods (USA), with coach Spenser Mango, at the 2022 Senior Worlds. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.

ZAGREB, Croatia – Spencer Woods of the USA has qualified for a bronze-medal match at 82 kg on the final day of the Zagreb Open Ranking Event on Sunday.

Woods, who competed at the 2022 Senior World Championships, will face Peter Doemoek of Hungary in the bronze-medal bout. Doemoek was a member of Hungary’s 2022 U23 World Team.

Woods opened the event with a close 3-0 loss to 2022 Croatian World Team member Filip Sacic. Woods was hit for passivity twice and Sacic also forced a step out for his three points. When Sacic qualified for the finals, Woods was pulled back into repechage.

In repechage, Woods drew Jonni Sarkkinen of Finland, who was fifth in the 2019 U17 World Championships. Woods opened the match with a two-point throw out of bounds to lead 2-0. Sarkkinen was hit for passivity to make it 3-0. Woods was able to turn Sarkkinen in par terre, and run the score up to 7-0, and led 7-2 at the break. Woods extended his lead to 8-2 with a step out. Sarkkinen forced a step out and received a passivity point later in the period, but could not score again.

Three other U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers were able to win a match but were unable to reach the medal rounds.

Two-time World Team member Patrick Smith opened with a solid 4-1 win over 2022 European bronze medalist Krisztofer Klanyi of Hungary. Klanyi scored first on a passivity against Smith, but Smith tied it at 1-1 by forcing a first period step out. In the second period, Klanyi was penalized for passivity, then Smith turned him with a gut wrench to secure the 4-1 victory.

In the next round, Smith was edged by 2019 U23 World bronze medalist Saijad Ali Imentalabfoumani of Iran, 3-1. The wrestlers exchanged passivity points, with Imentalabfoumani getting his point in the first period, and Smith getting his in the second period. Officials put Smith down with the third passivity late in the match, and Imentalabfoumani scored the winning gut wrench for the final two points.

Smith was pulled back into repechage when Imentalabfoumani qualified for the finals. Smith drew Jamol Jumabaev of Uzbekistan. Jumabaev scored a takedown, hit a four-point throw, then turned Smith to secure an 8-0 technical fall in the repechage match, knocking Smith out of the meet.

Two-time World Team member Dalton Roberts got a strong start at 60 kg, with a 10-0 technical fall over Mateusz Szewcziuk of Poland, who was fifth in the 2018 U23 European Championships. It took just 1:11 for Roberts to get a takedown for two points, a four-point counter takedown and a four-point arm throw.

Roberts was edged in the quarterfinals by Maito Kawana of Japan, 3-2. Roberts led 2-0 at the break on a passivity point and a step out. In the second period, Roberts was hit with passivity to make it 2-1. Kawana was awarded a step out point, which the USA challenged and lost, making the score 3-2 for Kawana. Roberts could not score late in the bout. When Kawana was beaten in the semifinals, Roberts was not eligible for repechage.

Also winning a match today was Dalton Duffield at 50 kg, who went 1-2 in Pool A but did not advance to the semifinals. Duffield dropped his first two bouts to Ikhtiyor Botirov of Uzbekistan and Poya Dad Marz of Iran. In his third Pool A bout, Duffield jumped to a 3-0 lead over Artion Deleanu of Moldova, who rallied in the second period to tie it at 3-3. Duffield stepped over a gut wrench, turned Deleanu for two points, then turned him again and secured the fall in 4:27.

The medal match finals in the final six Greco-Roman weight classes will be held at 6:00 p.m. local time, which 12:00 noon in the U.S. Eastern time zone. The finals are broadcast live by FloWrestling. https://www.flowrestling.org/live/51207

ZAGREB OPEN RANKING TOURNAMENT
At Zagreb, Croatia,

U.S. Greco-Roman results

55 kg: Dalton Duffield (Army WCAP), eliminated
LOSS Ikhtiyor Botirov (Uzbekistan), tech. fall, 9-0
LOSS Poya Dad Marz (Iran), 10-2
WIN Artion Deleanu (Moldova), pin 4:27

60 kg: Dalton Roberts (Army WCAP), eliminated
WIN Mateusz Szewcziuk (Poland), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Maito Kawana (Japan), 3-2

60 kg: Randon Miranda (Sunkist), eliminated
LOSS Amirreza Dehbozorgi (Iran), tech. fall 9-0

72 kg: Patrick Smith (Minn. Storm), eliminated
WIN Krisztofer Klanyi (Hungary), 4-1
LOSS Saijad Ali Imentalabfoumani (Iran), 3-1
LOSS Jamol Jumabaev (Uzbekistan), tech fall 8-0

72 kg: Britton Holmes (Army WCAP), eliminated
LOSS Luka Malobabic (Croatia), 5-4

82 kg: Spencer Woods (Army WCAP)
LOSS Filip Sacic (Croatia), 3-0
WIN Jonni Sarkkinen (Finland), 8-4
Bronze medal bout – Peter Doemoek (Hungary)

97 kg: Lucas Sheridan (Army WCAP), eliminated
LOSS Gerard Kurniczak (Poland), 3-0

130 kg: Tanner Farmer (NYAC), eliminated
LOSS Alin Alexuc Ciurariu (Romania), 5-2