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Aug 7, 2012 by Willie Saylor
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Final GR Recap: US Fails to Medal in Greco

Willie Saylor, Editor

The 2012 Greco Roman action concluded in the ExCel Center in London with the 66 and 96kg weight classes competing today. 

Fittingly, the tournament ended with a final between two members from the teams that dominated all week: Iran and Russia.

In the 96kg final, Ghasem Rezaei (IRI) beat Russia's Rustam Totrov in an entertaining 2-0, 1-0 match.

Korea crowned a champion at 66kgs when Hyeon Kim beat Hungary's Tasam Lorincz in two straight periods, 1-0, 2-0. 

The lone remaining chance for a U.S. medal in Greco, Justin Lester (66kg) lost to Lorincz in the quarterfinals. He was eliminated from the tournament after falling to German, Frank Staebler, who was 5th in last year’s Worlds, in the repechage.

Iran won three medals, but all of them were of the best kind: Gold. Russia had two Golds but led in total medals with five. The two remaining Golds were won by Kim of Korea, and Mijain Lopez of Cuba.

For the first time since 1976, the U.S. Olympic Greco team goes home without any individual medals. Worse yet is that no American even came close. Lester, who needed two more wins to earn a medal, was the closest U.S. rep to get to the podium.

Collectively, the six-man American Greco squad (we didn't qualify an entry at 96kgs) posted a record of 5-8. No U.S. wrestler won more than a single bout.

Final brackets can be found here.

Women's freestyle kicks off tomorrow with Clarissa Chun (48kg) and Elena Pirozhkova (63kg) set to take the mat for the U.S.