U.S. Greco-Roman scores four medals in opening day of Junior Pan American Games
by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
Photo of Dominic Damon by Jim Thrall.
CALI, Colombia – The USA got off to a great start in wrestling at the inaugural Junior Pan American Games, collecting four medals in Greco-Roman on the first day of competition in Cali, Colombia.
The performance was highlighted by a silver and three bronzes.
Competing at 87 kg, Junior World Team member Kodiak Stephens advanced to the gold-medal match, thanks to an excellent morning-session performance, where he put together shutout wins over Brahamys Fuentes Mosquera of Ecuador, 8-0, and Pedro Bello Soto of Mexico, 4-0. In the finals, Stephens fell to Cuba’s Yan Algudin Fernandez, 8-0, to finish with silver.
Bronzes came from Phillip Moomey (60 kg), Dominic Damon (67 kg) and Eli Pannell (130 kg).
Moomey, a past Cadet World Team member, earned the first medal for Team USA with a 6-2 win against Uvaldo Camacho Diaz of Mexico.
Damon, a two-time age-group World Team member, bounced back from a semifinal loss to win bronze with a dominant 8-0 victory over Nilson Sinisterra Angulo of host country Colombia.
Wrapping up the medal haul for USA was Eli Pannell at heavyweight, who won by first-period pin over Jami Grueso Nunez from Venezuela.
2021 Junior World Team member Matthew Singleton took fifth at 77 kg, getting edged out by Venezuela’s Daniel Bello Vegas, 3-1, in the bronze bout.
At 97 kg, Cameron Dubose forfeited his first match, eliminating him from the tournament.
Wrestling continues tomorrow with women’s freestyle. All three of USA’s representatives—Aliyah Yates, Viktorya Torres and Kylie Welker—will take the mat on Friday. Fans can watch live on PanAm Sports Channel, beginning at 10 a.m. ET.
2021 JUNIOR PAN AMERICAN GAMES
Cali, Colombia | Dec. 1-4, 2021
U.S. Greco-Roman results
60 kg: Phillip Moomey (Kearney, Neb./Spartan Combat RTC) – BRONZE
LOSS Jonaiker Martinez (Venezuela), 6-1
WIN Uvaldo Camacho Diaz (Mexico), 6-2
67 kg: Dominic Damon (Seattle, Wash./NMU) – BRONZE
WIN Piero Cruces (Peru), 4-0
LOSS Yonat Veliz Martinez (Cuba), 8-0
WIN Nilson Sinisterra Angulo (Colombia), 8-0
77 kg: Matthew Singleton (College Park, Ga./Woodward Academy) – FIFTH
LOSS Alain Moreno (Cuba), 7-2
LOSS Daniel Bello Vegas (Venezuela), 3-1
87 kg: Kodiak Stephens (Arnold, Calif./Beaver Dam RTC) – SILVER
WIN Brahamys Fuentes Mosquera (Ecuador), 8-0
WIN Pedro Bello Soto (Mexico), 4-0
LOSS Yan Algudin Fernandez (Cuba), 8-0
97 kg: Cameron Dubose (Yelm, Wash./Team Tornado) – did not compete
LOSS Liober Betancourt Hechevarria (Cuba), forfeit
130 kg: Eli Pannell (Fulton, Ill./Burg Training Center) – BRONZE
WIN Marcos Barbosa da Silva (Brazil), 9-1
LOSS Jeisser Sampson Sanchez (Cuba), 8-0
WIN Jami Grueso Nunez (Venezuela), fall