Four Americans earn Greco-Roman gold at Pan-American Championships

Photo: Dalton Roberts, pictured at the 2023 U.S. Open, won the 2023 Pan-American Championships at 60 kg. (Photo: John Sachs/Tech-Fall.com)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – The U.S. hauled in four Greco-Roman gold medals on the first day of competition at the 2023 Pan-American Championships held at Tecnopolis in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Americans earning top prize on Wednesday were Dalton Duffield at 55 kg, Dalton Roberts at 60 kg, Justus Scott at 72 kg and Josef Rau at 97 kg. Heavyweight Donny Longendyke posted a fifth-place finish as well.

It was an impressive outing for Roberts, a recently crowned U.S. Open champion and two-time U.S. World Team member, who won all three of his matches by technical fall while not surrendering a single point to the opposition throughout. He utilized a slick underhook throw-by to trapped-arm gutwrench combination against Jeremy Renzo Peralta Gonzalez of Ecuador to seal the gold medal in just over one minute, 9-0.

Fellow U.S. Open champion Scott, who is a newcomer to the Pan-American scene, made his presence known with a decisive 6-2 win over Brazil’s now three-time Pan-American silver medalist Kennedy Moraes Pedrosa in the finals. Scott presented stout overhook defense throughout the contest and was able to take advantage of his time in par terre, picking up two gutwrench turns to ultimately swing the match in his favor.

Neither Duffield nor Rau wrestled a match in the second session of the day. Duffield wrestled and won both of his round robin matches earlier in the day, guaranteeing himself the gold medal. Rau was scheduled to wrestle two-time Pan-American champion Kevin Mejia Castillo of Honduras in the gold medal match, but instead received a forfeit.

The final American to take the mat on Wednesday was Longendyke, who faced a tough challenge for bronze in Chile’s Yasmani Acosta Fernandez, who is a past World bronze medalist and placed fifth at the 2020 Olympic Games. Acosta picked up three turns from par terre on his way to an 8-0 win over Longendyke.

Although he didn’t finish with a medal, Longendyke did clinch a U.S. berth at the 2023 Pan-American Games at this weight class. The Pan-American Games will be held this November in Santiago, Chile.

U.S. Open champion Robert Perez III dropped his first and only match of the tournament 8-0 to Julian Horta Acevedo of Colombia and finished in 12th place in the overall standings at 67 kg. Perez did not place high enough to qualify the U.S. for the Pan-American Games at this weight class.

The competition in Buenos Aires will continue at 9 a.m. (ET) tomorrow with the remaining Greco-Roman weight classes plus four women’s freestyle weights. The event is being broadcast live on FloWrestling.com.

PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 3, 2023

Greco-Roman Results
55 kg
Gold – Dalton Duffield (United States)
Silver – Jose Alberto Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico)
Bronze – Axel Gabriel Rolon (Argentina)

Round 1 – Dalton Duffield (United States) fall Jose Alberto Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico), 1:29
Round 2 – Dalton Duffield (United States) tech. fall Axel Gabriel Rolon (Argentina), 9-0
Round 3 – Jose Alberto Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico) tech. fall Axel Gabriel Rolon (Argentina), 9-0

60 kg
Gold – Dalton Roberts (United States)
Silver – Jeremy Renzo Peralta Gonzalez (Ecuador)
Bronze – Kevin Yuran De Armas Rodriguez (Cuba)
Bronze – Raiber Jose Rodriguez Orozco (Venezuela)
5th – Dicther Hans Toro Castaneda (Colombia)
5th – Alexis Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico)
7th – Joao Marco Benavides Rochabrun (Peru)
8th – Yerony Arturo Liria Carreras (Dominican Republic)
9th – Emerson Isaias Felipe Ordonez (Guatemala)
10th – Joshua Xavier Media (Puerto Rico)

Gold – Dalton Roberts (United States) tech. fall Jeremy Renzo Peralta Gonzalez (Ecuador), 9-0
Bronze – Kevin Yuran De Armas Rodriguez (Cuba) inj. def. Dicther Hans Toro Castaneda (Colombia)
Bronze – Raiber Jose Rodriguez Orozco (Venezuela) dec. Alexis Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico), 7-2

67 kg
Gold – Luis Alberto Orta Sanchez (Cuba)
Silver – Nestor Evian Almanza Truyol (Chile)
Bronze – Julian Stiven Horta Acevedo (Colombia)
Bronze – Andres Roberto Montano Arroyo (Ecuador)
5th – Enyer Manuel Feliciano (Dominican Republic)
5th – Edsson Rafael Olmos Gutierrez (Mexico)
7th – Nilton Gonzalo Marcos Soto Garcia (Peru)
8th – Mauricio Alejandro Lovera (Argentina)
9th – Calebe Correa Ferreira (Brazil)
10th – Leomar Andres Cordero Depool (Venezuela)

Gold – Luis Alberto Orta Sanchez (Cuba) inj. def. Nestor Evian Almanza Truyol (Chile)
Bronze – Julian Stiven Horta Acevedo (Colombia) dec. Enyer Manuel Feliciano (Dominican Republic), 9-2
Bronze – Andres Roberto Montano Arroyo (Ecuador) dec. Edsson Rafael Olmos Gutierrez (Mexico), 6-1

72 kg
Gold – Justus Scott (United States)
Silver – Kennedy Moraes Pedrosa (Brazil)
Bronze – Jose Alejandro Varela Garcia (Guatemala)
4th – Jesus Antonio Guzman Davila (Peru)
5th – Cole Douglas Sanderson (Canada)
6th – Horacio Oscar Miranda (Argentina)

Gold – Justus Scott (United States) dec. Kennedy Moraes Pedrosa (Brazil), 6-2
Bronze – Jose Alejandro Varela Garcia (Guatemala) dec. Jesus Antonio Guzman Davila (Peru), 3-1

97 kg
Gold – Josef Rau (United States)
Silver – Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras)
Bronze – Igor Fernando Alves De Queiroz (Brazil)
Bronze – Carlos Alberto Adames Palmer (Dominican Republic)
5th – Ricardo Nahuel Gomez (Argentina)
5th – Luillys Jose Perez Mora (Venezuela)
7th – Max Antonio Madrid De Leon (Panama)
8th – Luis Alexis Rivera Santiago (Puerto Rico)
9th – Yurisandy Hernandez Rios (Cuba)
10th – Jhonny Alexander Arias Berdugo (Colombia)

Gold – Josef Rau (United States) inj. def. Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras)
Bronze – Igor Fernando Alves De Queiroz (Brazil) tech. fall Ricardo Nahuel Gomez (Argentina), 9-0
Bronze – Carlos Alberto Adames Palmer (Dominican Republic) tech. fall Luillys Jose Perez Mora (Venezuela), 9-0

130 kg
Gold – Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba)
Silver – Gino Tanislado Avila Dilbert (Honduras)
Bronze – Eduard Soghomonyan (Brazil)
Bronze – Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (Chile)
5th – Moises Salvador Perez Hellburg (Venezuela)
5th – Donny Longendyke (United States)
7th – Paul Baltazar Morales Bojorquez (Mexico)
8th – Leo Dalis Santana Heredia (Dominican Republic)
9th – Edgardo Juan Lopez Morell (Puerto Rico)
10th – Rodolfo Enrique Waithe Marin (Panama)

Gold – Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba) inj. def. Gino Tanislado Avila Dilbert (Honduras)
Bronze – Eduard Soghomonyan (Brazil) dec. Moises Salvador Perez Hellburg (Venezuela), 5-3
Bronze – Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (Chile) tech. fall Donny Longendyke (United States), 8-0

U.S. Greco-Roman Results
55 kg - Dalton Duffield (Army WCAP), Gold
WIN Jose Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico), fall, 1:29
WIN Axel Gabriel Rolon (Argentina), tech. fall, 9-0

60 kg - Dalton Roberts (Army WCAP), Gold
WIN Raiber Rodriguez Orozco (Venezuela), tech. fall, 9-0
WIN Alexis Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico), tech. fall, 8-0
WIN Jeremy Peralta Gonzalez (Ecuador), tech. fall, 9-0

67 kg - Robert Perez III (Sunkist Kids), DNP
LOSS Julian Horta Acevedo (Colombia), tech. fall, 8-0

72 kg - Justus Scott (Army WCAP), Gold
WIN Jose Varela Garcia (Guatemala), tech. fall, 9-1
WIN Cole Sanderson (Canada), tech. fall, 9-1, 1:26
WIN Jesus Guzman Davila (Peru), tech. fall, 9-0, 1:56
WIN Kennedy Moraes Pedrosa (Brazil), 6-2

97 kg - Josef Rau (TMWC/Wildcat WC), Gold
WIN Yurisandy Hernandez Rios (Cuba), 5-1
WIN Luillys Perez Mora (Venezuela), 2-1
WIN Carlos Adames Palmer (Dominican Republic), tech. fall, 8-0
WIN Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras), inj. def.

130 kg – Donny Longendyke (Minnesota Storm), 5th
WIN Leo Santana Heredia (Dominican Republic), fall, 3:53
LOSS Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba), tech. fall, 9-0
LOSS Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (Chile), tech. fall, 8-0