It's not often you see Jordan Burroughs lose. In fact, until Tuesday at the World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, it's only happened once in a very active 4-year span.

It happened again in the semifinals when Burroughs faced old Russian rival, Denis Tsargush, who was the last World Champion before Burroughs' impressive run.

Coming out of camp, American coaches and wrestlers agreed Burroughs was wrestling as well, perhaps better, than he ever has.

But a knee injure in the opening moments of his first bout Tuesday morning that very noticeably affected Burroughs' renowned explosiveness. 

He gutted out a 4-3 in that bout then teched a Korean opponent. In the quarters, he won a controlled 5-0 decision over returning medalist and 6th-ranked (at 84KG) Rashid Kurbanov of Uzbekistan.

In the semi, Tsargush countered a deep Burroughs' shot and locked up a trapped-arm gutwrench that paced him to a 7-0 lead before the break and a 9-2 final score.

Tsargush would go on to beat Shoshuke Takatani (JPN) in the finals.

Before the evening's medal session, there was chatter that Burroughs might not wrestle in the Bronze bout. But he came out and earned his fourth medal in as many years in the grandest of fashions: by pinning Ukrainian Rustam Dudaiev.

In his post-match interview, Burroughs attributed his loss to Tsargush being very good and well prepared. He would go one to say that the first bout injury was a sprained MCL.

Burroughs capped of the American freestyle performance by joining Tervel Dlagnev (125KG) as the only other U.S. medalist.

Russia won the team title with 62pts. Iran and Turkey were Silver and Bronze.



Day II Finals and Medal Matches - # = Current World Ranking
61KG - Gold - #1-Haji Aliyev (AZE) dec. #2-Masoud Ismailpoor (IRI), 12-7
61KG - Bronze - Nyam Enkhsaikhan (MGL) dec. Artas Sana (KAZ), 2-1
61KG - Bronze - Yowlys Bonne (CUB) dec. #16-Andrei Perpelita (MDA), 8-2

65KG - Gold - #13-Soslan Romanov (RUS) fall #9-Sayed Mohammadi (IRI) 
65KG - Bronze - #17-Manda Ganzorig (MGL) dec. #14-Azamat Nurikov (BLR), 8-7
65KG - Bronze - Artas Saya (MDA) dec. #16-Mustafa Kaya (TUR), 16-15

74KG - Denis Tsargush (RUS) dec. Sohsuke Takatani (JPN), 8-2
74KG - Bronze - #1-Jordan Burroughs (USA) fall Rustam Dudaiev (UKR)
74KG - Bronze - #14-Livan Lopez (CUB) vs. #10-Jumber Kvelashvili (GEO)

97KG - Gold - #2-Abdulsalam Gadisov (RUS) vs. #3-Khetag Gayzumov (AZE)
97KG - Bronze - Samil Erdogan (TUR) tf. #19-Javier Cortina (CUB), 10-0
97KG - Bronze - #7-Valeri Andriitsev (URK) fall. #12-Elizbar Odikadze (GEO)



Day II U.S. Results
Jimmy Kennedy
61KG -R1- #17-Jimmy Kennedy tf. Giorgi Kaliev (BLR), 10-0
61KG -R2- #16-Andrei Perpelita (MDA) dec. #17-Jimmy Kennedy, 6-4

Brent Metcalf
65KG -R1- #11-Brent Metcalf tf. Seourgun Park (KOR), 11-0
65KG -R2- #16-Mustafa Kaya (TUR) dec. #11-Brent Metcalf, 7-4

Jordan Burroughs
74KG -R1- #1-Jordan Burroughs dec. Augusto Midan (GBS), 4-3
74KG -R2- #1-Jordan Burroughs tf. Yunseok Lee (KOR), 13-2
74KG -QF- #1-Jordan Burroughs dec. #6 (at 184) Rashid Kurbanov (UZB), 5-0
74KG -SF- Denis Tsargush (RUS) dec. #1-Jordan Burroughs, 9-2

Jake Varner
97KG -R1- #9-Jake Varner dec. William Harth (GER), 7-0
97KG -R2- #7-Valeri Andriitsev (URK) dec. #9-Jake Varner, 5-3


Day I Recap

Tervel Dlagnev was the lone medalist for the U.S. on the opening day of the 2014 World Championships.

In his fifth career medal bout, Tervel earned his second World medal and beat a familiar foe for it. In the Bronze match, Dlagnev knocked off the 5th-ranked Aleksey Shemerov (BLR), who beat him in the World semifinals in 2011.

Dlagnev won his first two matches before falling in controversial fashion to the current #1-ranked wrestler in the world, Taha Akgul (TUR). 

Trailing 3-0 with :30 left, Dlagnev scored a takedown and appeared to expose Akgul, but no additional points were awarded.

Although the U.S. brought home just one medal, the four Day I representatives wrestled quite well. Three other Americans went a combined 3-3: Tony Ramos (0-1, 57KG), Nick Marable (2-2, 70KG), and Ed Ruth (1-1, 86KG). And to put things in perspective, each of them lost to wrestlers in medal bouts. Ramos' loss came to 5th place finisher Bekhayar Ergenbat (MGL) while both Marable and Ruth's opponents finished with Bronze.

Wrestling resumes tomorrow with four more American freestylers taking the state. Their first round draws are posted below the Day I results.

Day I Finals and Medal Matches - # = Current World Ranking
57KG - Gold - Kyong Il Wang (PRK) dec. #1-Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO), 5-3
57KG - Bronze - #5-Hassan Rahimi (IRI) dec. #18-Yuki Takahashi (JPN), 7-4
57KG - Bronze - #16-Vladislav Andreev (BLR) dec. #8-Behkbayar Erdenbat (MGL), 1-1

57KG BRACKET

70KG - Gold - #6-Khetag Tsabolov (RUS) tf. #5-Yakup Gor (TUR), 10-0
70KG - Bronze - Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (BLR) dec. Zalimkhan Yusupov (TJK), 7-3
70KG - Bronze - #7 (at 74KG) Ali Shabanau (BLR) tf. Cleopas Ncube (CAN), 13-1

70KG BRACKET

86KG - Gold - #1-Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) tf. #2-Reineris Salas (CUB), 10-0
86KG - Bronze - #16-Mohammad Mohammadi tf. #8-Gazmat Osmanov (AZE), 11-2
86KG - Bronze - Selim Yasar (TUR) dec. #15-Azlan Kakhidze (KAZ), 5-2

86KG BRACKET

120KG - Gold - #2-Taha Akgul (TUR) dec. #1-Komeil Ghasemi (IRI), 4-3
120KG - Bronze - #4-Murat Gastsalov (RUS) fall #3-Aleksander Khotsianivski (URK)
120KG - Bronze - #16-Tervel Dlagnev (USA) dec. #5-Aleksey Shemerov (BLR), 2-1

125KG BRACKET


U.S. Results
Tony Ramos
57KG - #8-Bekhbayar Erdenbat (MGL) dec. Tony Ramos, 7-4


Nick Marable
70KG -R1-  #19-Nick Marable dec. Akzhurek Tanatarov (KAZ), 2-1

70KG -R2- #19-Nick Marable dec. #4-Grigor Grigoryan (ARM), 4-2

70KG -QF- #7 (at 74KG) - Ali Shabanau (BLR) dec. #19-Nick Marable, 5-2


Ed Ruth
86KG -R1- #20-Ed Ruth tf. Yusup Melejayev (TRM), 12-2

86KG -R2- #16-Mohammad Mohammadi (IRI) dec. #20-Ed Ruth, 7-4


Tervel Dlagnev
125KG - #16-Tervel Dlagnev tf. Alexandr Romanov (MDA), 11-1

125KG -R2- #16-Tervel Dlagnev dec. Soslan Gagloev (SVK), 5-0

125KG -QF- #1-Taha Akgul (TUR) dec. #16-Tervel Dlagnev, 4-2

125KG - REP - #16-Tervel Dlagnev dec. Aslan Dzebisov (AZE), 3-0

125KG - BRONZE - #16-Tervel Dlagnev dec. Aleksey Shemerov (BLR), 2-1