Day 3, Session 1 Olympic Recap
Aug 16, 2016
Day three has been intense. Get the full session 1 recap from Nomad and CP.
Get a glimpse of "Dance Boy" doing what he does...gut wrenching and dancing.
RECAP
The last day of Greco-Roman wrestling did not disappoint. Going in to the Olympics, I felt 66kg was the deepest weight in any style due to the number of contenders, while 98kg was going to be dominated by one man.
Coming out of the top half of 66kg was 2014 world champ Davor Stefanek (SRB), thanks in large part to his front head pinch to suples. We saw that move in action early on, as he teched Tomohiro Inoue (JPN) in his first match.
Stefanek also used it to get revenge over defending world champ Frank Stabler (GER) in the quarterfinals; Stabler had beaten him 5-1 in last year’s semifinals. Opposite Stefanek in the semis was 2014 junior world champ Shmagi Bolkvadze (GEO).
In the quarters, Bolkvadze upset 2012 Olympic gold medalist Omid Noroozi (IRI) by forcing the Iranian to be put down three times in par terre. Against Bolkvadze, Stefanek went head pinch to suples for a four-pointer, and then hit a tight gator roll for a pin.
We were treated to a ton of action of the bottom half of 66kg as well, with a 2013 world champ taking out a silver medalist from London, and a reigning world champ knocking off a 2008 Olympic gold medalist; none of those guys made the finals.
That finalist is Mr. Helicopter spins himself, Migran Arutyunyan (ARM). The eighth ranked wrestler in the world beat Ryu Han-su (KOR) in the quarters with an incredible trap arm in the first period. Han-su beat London runner-up Tamas Lorincz (HUN) in the first round.
To make the finals, Arutyunyan took out Rasul Chunayev (AZE), coming down from 71kg where the Azeri is ranked first. Arutyunyan lifted Chunayev up in par terre, and when the Azeri turned in was thrown to his back for the deciding four pointer. Chunayev had earlier knocked off Beijing champ Islambek Albiev (RUS).
Up at 98kg, Artur Aleksanyan continued his run of dominance with two techs in his three matches. He will be opposite surprise finalist Yasmany Daniel Lugo Cabrera (CUB), who has never placed at worlds and is Cuba’s third finalist these Olympics.
Aleksanyan was considered an overwhelming favorite coming in, especially considering Russia left Nikita Melnikov at home. Melnikov was 3-0 against Aleksanyan this Olympic cycle, the only person to beat the Armenian this quad. Melnikov’s replacement Islam Magomedov won’t even end up with a medal, as he lost to Ildem Cenk (TUR) and not Aleksanyan.
Lugo Cabrera has not given up a point so far today and is very adept at getting his opponents put down in par terre. His big win was over reigning Olympic gold medalist Ghasem Rezaei (IRI).
