2016 UWW Junior World Championships

Day 2 Greco Draws

Day 2 Greco Draws

Team USA will try to keep the momentum going as they head in to Day 2 of Junior World Championships fresh off a 9-5 record and capturing two Bronze medals.T

Aug 30, 2016 by Willie Saylor
Day 2 Greco Draws
Team USA will try to keep the momentum going as they head in to Day 2 of Junior World Championships fresh off a 9-5 record and capturing two Bronze medals.

Taylor Lamont (UT/60kg) and Tracy Hancock (CO/96kg) each took home hardware a year after U.S. Junior Greco came up empty in Brazil. Tomorrow the last four members of the Junior Greco World Team take the stage. We take a look at their roads below.


55kg - Dalton Roberts, MI

Dalton Roberts' first round draw is against Jacobo Sandron (ITA), a first year junior who competed for Italy at Cadet Worlds and Euros each of the past three years. His potential quarters opponent is a Junior Euro bronze in Dato Chkhartishvili (GEO). Two tough matches to start, and then the semis could feature one of two Cadet World Medalists; Edgar Tamazyan (ARM) was Silver in 2014 at 54kg, but the other option is Ekrem Oeztuerk (TUR), who was Bronze at that same weight two years ago. Roberts will have to be ready for three tough matches in his second appearance at junior worlds. 

66kg - Jamal DeArmond, CA

Jamal DeArmond lands on the bottom half of this bracket and starts off with Flavio Freuler (SUI). Though Freuler has never won a medal in several tries at Euros and Worlds, he has far more experience than DeArmond against foreign opposition. After Switzerland, the Northern Michigan athlete could see two similarly inexperienced foes. Mohammad Morad Elyasi (IRI) has only competed in the Vehbi Emre and Clubs World Cup.

84kg - Nick Reenan, TX

Four bouts stand in the way of Reenan and a spot in the finals. He opens with Hassan Ahmed (EGY) who has appeared in an international major since he won Mediterranean's in 2014. The rest of his quadrant has some experienced talent, but no medalists. Two more winnable matches are on the horizon. The returning Junior World Champion, Ali Cengiz (TUR) sits in the bottom quarter. Reenan would have him in the semi's. Here's his final from last year.



120KG - Mike Rodgers, PA

Russia had the World Runner-Up last year at Junior Worlds. Sergei Semenov went on to win Olympic Silver in Rio. The next man up for Russia is Nikolai Izmailov, who Rodgers draws in the first round. Izmailov was European Runner-Up this year, to Zviadi Pataridze (GEO) who won Junior Worlds last year, and who sits in the top half of the bracket this year. The good news is that if Rodgers can get past Izmailov, there are no other World medalists (Cadet or Junior) in his quarter. Osman Yildirim (TUR), a returning Bronze medalist, is the favorite to reach the semi's from the other quarter.