Duffield clinches 55 kg Pan American Greco-Roman gold, Roberts, Rau, Scott advance to finals, Longendyke in bronze bout

Dalton Duffield has clinched a gold medal at 55 kg at the Pan American Championships. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.


BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – The United States Greco-Roman team had a strong start during the first session of the Pan American Senior Championships, clinching one gold medal and pushing three other athletes into medal matches.

Dalton Duffield guaranteed himself a gold medal during the session at 55 kg. Duffield wrestled both of his round robin matches, pinning Jose Rodriguez Hernandez of Mexico in 1:29 and securing a 9-0 technical fall in 1:08 over Axel Gabriel Rolon of Argentina. Duffield had two big throws against Rolon. The last match in the weight class will determine the silver and bronze medal.


Two 2023 U.S. Open champions and past Senior World Team members have powered their way into the championship finals, Dalton Roberts at 60 kg and Joe Rau at 97 kg. Rau has won two previous Pan American Championships titles (2015, 2022).


Roberts opened at 60 kg with a 9-0 technical fall over 2016 Olympian Raiber Rodriguez Orozco of Venezuela. In the semifinals, he was equally dominant with an 8-0 technical fall over Alexis Rodriguez Hernandez of Mexico. In the championship finals, Roberts will battle Jeremy Peralta Gonzalez of Ecuador.


Rau won three matches on the way to the finals. He opened with a pair of decisions, 5-1 over Yurisandy Hernandez Rios of Cuba and 2-1 over Luillys Perez Mora of Venezuela in the quarterfinals. He opened up his offense in the semifinals with an 8-0 technical fall over Carlos Adames Palmer of the Dominican Republic. His gold-medal match will be against veteran Kevin Mejia Castillo of Honduras.


2023 U.S. Open champion Justus Scott will also go for a gold medal. He opened his 72 kg competition with a pair of technical fall wins in Group A, beating Jose Varela Garcia of Guatemala), 9-1 and Cole Sanderson of Canada, 9-1. In the semifinals, he used four gut wrenches to win by technical fall over Jesus Guzman Davila of Peru, 9-0.In the gold medal finals, Scott will battle Kennedy Moraes Pedrosa of Brazil.

Donny Longendyke will compete in a bronze-medal match at 130 kg. Longendyke opened with a pin over 2021 Pan American champion Leo Santana Heredia of the Dominican Republic, then lost by technical fall to World medalist Oscar Pino Hinds of Cuba, 9-0. Pino Hinds defeated World medalist Yazmani Acosta Fernandez of Chile in the semifinals, 3-1, pulling Longendyke back into a bronze-medal match against Acosta.


The United States had not yet qualified for the Pan American Games at 130 kg in Greco-Roman. However, with Longendyke guaranteed at least fifth place in the weight class, he has clinched a U.S. berth in the Pan American Games at this weight class.


2023 U.S. Open champion Robert Perez III was defeated in his opening match by Julian Horta Acevedo of Colombia, 8-0. Horta lost in the quarterfinals to Almanza of Chile, 4-4 by criteria, which eliminated Perez. The USA has not yet qualified for the Pan American Games at this weight class. The final placement for Perez will be crucial, because the top four wrestlers in the bracket whose nation has not already qualified for the Pan American Games will qualify their nation.


The second session of the Pan American Championships today will be held at 6:00 p.m. local time. Buenos Aires is one hour ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone. The event is being broadcast live on FloWrestling

PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 3, 2023


Greco-Roman performance


55 kg - Dalton Duffield (Army WCAP), gold medal

WIN Jose Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico), pin 1:29

WIN Axel Gabriel Rolon (Argentina), tech fall, 9-0, 1:08


60 kg - Dalton Roberts (Army WCAP)

WIN Raiber Rodriguez Orozco (Venezuela), tech fall, 9-0, 4:05

WIN Alexis Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico), tech fall, 8-0

Gold Medal Finals – Vs. Jeremy Peralta Gonzalez of Ecuador.


67 kg - Robert Perez III (Sunkist Kids), eliminated

LOSS Julian Horta Acevedo (Colombia), tech fall, 8-0, 2:56


72 kg - Justus Scott (Army WCAP)

WIN Jose Varela Garcia (Guatemala), tech fall, 9-1, 4:37

WIN Cole Sanderson (Canada), tech fall, 9-1, 1:26

Jesus Guzman Davila (Peru), tech fall, 9-0, 1:56

Gold medal finals – Kennedy Moraes Pedrosa (Brazil)


97 kg - Josef Rau (TMWC/Wildcat WC)

WIN Yurisandy Hernandez Rios (Cuba), 5-1

WIN Luillys Perez Mora (Venezuela), 2-1

WIN Carlos Adames Palmer (Dominican Republic), tech fall 8-0, 4:01

Gold Medal Finals – Vs. Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras)


130 kg – Donny Longendyke (Minnesota Storm)

WIN Leo Santana Heredia (Dominican Republic), pin 3:53

LOSS Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba), tech fall 9-0, 3:14

Bronze Medal Match - Yazmani Acosta Fernandez (Chile)