Hildebrandt, Shilson, Snyder and Zillmer advance to Saturday’s Zouhaier Sghaier finals
by Taylor Gregorio, USA Wrestling
TUNIS, Tunisia – Eight of the nine U.S. wrestlers that competed today at the Zouhaier Sghaier, UWW’s fourth Ranking Series event, are in the hunt for medals in Tunis, Tunisia, including four Americans going for gold.
The medal matches will take place Saturday at 1 p.m. ET live on FloWrestling.org.
Advancing to the finals in women’s freestyle are Olympic bronze medalist and two-time World runner-up Sarah Hildebrandt and Cadet, Junior and U23 World champion Emily Shilson, while men’s freestylers going for gold are Olympic and two-time World champion Kyle Snyder and 2022 World Team member Hayden Zillmer.
Hildebrandt and Shilson both dominated at 50 kg and will go head-to-head in the title bout. Recording a pin and a technical fall in the first session, Snyder will face-off against Kazakhstan’s Mamed Ibragimov, a 2022 Asian Championships bronze medalist, in the finals at 97 kg, and Zillmer, who emerged to the finals via a Nordic bracket, will take on Olympic silver medalist and four-time World champion Geno Petriashvili of Georgia at 125 kg in a rematch from pool action earlier in the day, where Zillmer fell 8-2.
Three women’s freestylers will compete for bronze later today, including 2022 World Team members Dom Parrish and Amit Elor as well as National Team member Skylar Grote.
Parrish went 2-2 in a Nordic bracket at 53 kg, claiming wins over Luisa Valverde Melendres of Ecuador and Nour Raouafi of Tunisia. For bronze, she’ll take on Esra Pul of Turkey, who was third at the 2021 U23 European Championships.
Grote dropped her tournament opener to U23 World champion and two-time Senior World medalist Buse Cavusoglu Tosun from Turkey, but the American was pulled into the bronze bout, where she will compete against Manju Manju of India. Elor forfeited her first bout at 72 kg and was pulled into the bronze match. It can be assumed that she will not compete in the second session.
At 65 kg in women’s freestyle, Emma Bruntil wrestled in a three-woman round-robin bracket, where she went 1-1. She received a third-round bye and awaits the results to determine her medal color.
National Teamer Marilyn Garcia was eliminated from competition at 72 kg after losing her first match to African Championships runner-up Zaineb Sghaier from Tunisia. Sghaier failed to advance to the finals, ending Garcia’s run.
The medal matches will take place Saturday at 1 p.m. ET live on FloWrestling.org.
ZOUHAIER SGHAIER – UWW RANKINGS SERIES EVENT #4
Tunis, Tunisia | July 14-17, 2022
U.S. men’s freestyle results
97 kg: Kyle Snyder (Nittany Lion WC/TMWC) – gold match
WIN Burak Sahin (Turkey), fall 3:18
WIN Polat Polatci (Turkey), 12-1
vs. Mamed Ibragimov (Kazakhstan)
125 kg: Hayden Zillmer (Gopher RTC WC) – gold match
WIN Mohit Mohit (India), 7-0
LOSS Geno Petriashvili (Georgia), 8-2
WIN Alisher Yergali (Kazakhstan), 6-5
vs. Geno Petriashvili (Georgia)
U.S. women’s freestyle results
50 kg: Sarah Hildebrandt (USOPTC/NYAC) – gold match
WIN Patricia Bermudez (Argentina), fall 2:17
WIN Neelam Neelam (India), 5-2
vs. Emily Shilson (USA)
50 kg: Emily Shilson (Twin Cities RTC/TMWC) – gold match
WIN Zehra Demirhan (Turkey), fall 3:51
WIN Lisa Ersel (Germany), 11-1
vs. Sarah Hildebrandt (USA)
53 kg: Dom Parrish (Sunkist Kids) – bronze match
WIN Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador), 7-4
LOSS Antim Antim (India), 11-0
WIN Nour Raouafi (Tunisia), 10-0
LOSS Karla Godinez Gonzalez (Canada), 3-1
vs. Esra Pul (Turkey)
65 kg: Emma Bruntil (USOPTC/TMWC)
WIN Khadija Jlassi (Tunisia), 7-6
LOSS Manisha Manisha (India), 2-1
72 kg: Amit Elor (NYC RTC/TMWC) – bronze match
LOSS Bipasha Bipasha (India), forfeit
vs. Zaineb Sghaier (Tunisia)
72 kg: Skylar Grote (Beaver Dam RTC/NYAC) – bronze match
LOSS Buse Cavusoglu Tosun (Turkey), 10-0
vs. Manju Manju (India)
72 kg: Marilyn Garcia (Victory School of Wrestling) – eliminating
LOSS Zaineb Sghaier (Tunisia), 4-1
Schedule (5 hours ahead of U.S. EST)
Saturday, July 16
10:30 a.m. – Qualification and repechage (WFS 50, 53, 55, 59, 65, 72; MFS 97, 125 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (WFS 50, 53, 55, 59, 65, 72; MFS 97, 125 kg)
Sunday, July 17
10:30 a.m. – Qualification and repechage (MFS 57, 61, 65, 70, 74, 79, 86, 92 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (MFS 57, 61, 65, 70, 74, 79, 86, 92 kg)