USA Greco sends all six wrestlers to finals in first day of Senior Pan American Championships

Photo of Xavier Johnson with a huge throw. Photo by Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com. 

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Team USA advanced all six of its day-one Greco-Roman athletes to the finals of the 2021 Senior Pan American Championships in Guatemala City. The finals are set for Thursday at 7 p.m. ET live on FloWrestling.org.

Wrestling for gold tonight is 2020 Olympian Ildar Hafizov (60 kg), Olympic Trials runners-up Xavier Johnson (67 kg) and Braxton Amos (97 kg), 2021 Senior Nationals champion Randon Miranda (63 kg), Senior Nationals runner-up Jamel Johnson (72 kg) and U.S. Open All-American Donny Longendyke (130 kg).

The other three weights, 77 kg, 82 kg and 87 kg, will compete tomorrow.

Miranda, Amos and Longendyke competed in Nordic brackets, while Jamel Johnson was in a four-man round robin. Hafizov and Xavier Johnson wrestled in eight-man brackets.

Xavier Johnson and Longendyke led the session with 3-0 records. Miranda and Amos also collected three wins, but also each suffered one loss in pool competition. Both were able to bounce back and secure spots in their respective finals. Hafizov and Jamel Johnson both went 2-0 in the morning action.

So far, the USA has surrendered only 30 points in 18 matches. Going 16-2 in the session, the USA earned shutouts in nine of those wins.

The finals will take place Thursday at 7 p.m. ET live on FloWrestling.org. Fans can also follow along with the action on Twitter @USAWrestling.

2021 SENIOR PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Guatemala City, Guatemala | May 27-30

U.S. Greco-Roman results
60kg: Ildar Hafizov (U.S. Army WCAP) – FINALS
WIN Joshua Alfonso Medina (Peru), 9-0
WIN Marat Garipov (Brazil), 10-1
vs. Ditcher Toro Castaneda (Colombia)
63kg: Randon Miranda (Rise RTC) – FINALS
WIN Victor Mena Vergel (Colombia), 8-0
WIN Juan Rodriguez Jovel (El Salvador), 10-0
LOSS Andres Montano Arroyo (Ecuador), 5-0
WIN Emerson Felipe Ordonez (Guatemala), 11-2
vs. Andres Montano Arroyo (Ecuador)
67kg: Xavier Johnson (U.S. Marines) – FINALS
WIN Daniel Coles (Canada), 9-0
WIN Nilton Soto Garcia (Peru), 7-3
WIN Calebe Correa Ferreira (Brazil), 11-0
vs. Enyer Feliciano (Dominican Republic)
72kg: Jamel Johnson (U.S. Marines) – FINALS
WIN Juan Ruiz Lugo (Mexico), 9-0
WIN Carlos Fuentes Peralta (Guatemala), 7-3
vs. Gerardo Oliva Montes (Peru)
97 kg: Braxton Amos (Wisconsin RTC) – FINALS
WIN Rafael Daniel Escamilla Sanchez (El Salvador), 8-0
WIN Santiago Osorio (Colombia), 11-0
LOSS Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras), 9-0
WIN Igor Alves de Queiroz (Brazil), 3-0
vs. Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras)
130kg: Donny Longendyke (Minnesota Storm) – FINALS
WIN Luis Roman Barrios (Mexico), 5-2
WIN Catriel Pehuen Muriel (Argentina), 8-4
WIN Isaque Medeiros Conserva (Brazil), 6-1
vs. Leo Santant Heredia (Dominican Republic)