2018 UWW World Championships

World Championships Day 8 Match Notes

World Championships Day 8 Match Notes

Match notes of day 6 of the 2018 UWW Senior World Championships from Budapest, Hungary.

Oct 27, 2018 by Andrew Spey
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It's the second to last day here in Budapest. We welcome Kamal Bey, G'Angelo Hancock and Adam Coon to the event in another all Greco-Roman extravaganza! Also, Ellis Coleman will have a shot at bronze from the repechage. Let's enjoy some throws!

Coleman is the first wrestler to start the day for the Americans. Coleman loses to France in his first match of the repechage via pinfall. Ellis goes 1-2 in Budapest.

77 Kilograms

Kamal Bey vs Ridong Zhang

Bey gets the crowd involved early in his match against China, taking Zhang for a ride for five to the delight of the crowd here in Papp Laszlo Arena! Bey then counters an attack from Zhang for two more to make it 7-0. Another counter less than two minutes into the match and Kamal Bey has a win by 9-0 technical superiority! 

Bey will wrestle Reinier Jimenez of Guatemala next. Bey and Jimenez were two of four wrestlers to have pigtails. Their match will be in the round of 32. 

Kamal Bey vs Reinier Jimenez

Bey's second match is underway. Jimenez gets put down first so Bey picks up a point and will go to work in par terre. Bey is trying to pick Jimenez up off the mat, switching grips, before finally getting his opponent up off the mat. Kamal executes a correct throw but doesn't land Jimenez in danger so it's two more points for Bey. Scoreboard reads 3-0 in favor of the American. That's the score at the end of the second period. 

No scores after the first minute and Bey gets put in par terre. Score is 3-1 and Bey escapes, for no points. Was that a Gizoni Kamal just hit? They put Bey back down to give Jimenez another opportunity on top (not sure why) but this time Bey hits a reversal for one. It's 4-1 with a minute to go, now in neutral. Bey tries to go lat drop but will settle for a takedown. It's 6-1 10 seconds left. Bey is not stopping though, he goes back arch for a correct throw and two more. Bey wins 8-1 and is into the round of 16 with authority!

Kamal Bey vs Elvin Mursaliyev

Elvin Mursaliyev (EM) is from Azerbaijan and is a two time world medalist. Bey will have his hands full, as he gives up a step out early. Bey answers with a takedown but can't get a turn while on top, making the score 2-1 in favor of the American. Both come close to stepping out at the end of the period but time runs out before either land a foot outside the circle so we go to the break with Bey holding on to a 2-1 lead. 

EM earns a step out, barely, about a minute into the second period. Bey still holds criteria by way of his two-point move compared to EM's two, one-point moves. 97 seconds to go and Bey gets hit with passivity. Bey wasn't being passive but that's how these matches go. EM leads 3-2, then manages to back arch Bey out of bounds for another step out point. Bey trailing 4-2 but any two-point move would give him the lead via criteria. 50 seconds left in the match. Bey working furiously to make something happen. EM defending all of the action from Bey. A whizzer just barely saves EM from a takedown and time runs out on Bey. A desperation throw gave Mursaliyev two garbage time points and the final scores is 6-2 in favor of Azerbaijan. Bey has to hope Elvin makes the finals to be pulled back into the repechage. 

Mursaliyev has Chekherkin of Russia in the quarterfinals. Chkherkin was a silver medalist at 77 kg last year in Paris. Mursaliyev's won bronze at 80 kg at the same event. Chkherkin defeats Mursaliyev 3-0 and Bey's tournament is over. 

130 Kilograms

Adam Coon vs Rafal Krajewski

Like Bey, Coon also has a pigtail. Unlike Bey, Coon is trying to advance to the round of 16 in his first match, rather than the round of 32. Coon has Poland, who tries to toss Coon once they're in dueling body locks. This is unwise. Coon flattens Rafal after the Polish wrestler initiates the throw. Coon picks up two, then tosses Rafal in a move of his own. Coon is up 6-0 early. Another move by Rafal is countered by Coon and Adam stays on top of Rafal working for the fall. He gets it! Coon wins via pinfall and moves on to the round of 16!

Coon will see Lingzhe Meng China in his next match. Meng took his opponent from Japan to the woodshed in his pigtail match. 

Adam Coon vs Lingzhe Meng

An armspin by Meng fails and they're brought back up to their feet with no damage to either wrestler early in the first period. Coon picks up a passivity point 90 seconds into the match and Meng assumes the par terre position. Coon gets Meng off the mat briefly but can't work a turn so they come back to neutral, still 1-0 in favor of Coon. Meng somehow gets a step out from Coon, but actually, it is white paddled as a straight push which is not rewarded with a point. Coon goes unscored on in the first period and will start the second with a slim 1-0 lead. 

Coon is controlling the center, moving Meng around the mat, but finds himself out of position and gives up a step out and the lead via criteria. But the constant pressure pays off and Coon pancakes Meng to his back for four. Looking for the fall, and he gets it! Two straight pins from the big man from Michigan! 

Coon advances to quarterfinals. He'll see Eduard Popp of Germany next. 

Adam Coon vs Eduard Popp

It's a classic Coon Popp matchup in the quarterfinals! Popp just had a war with Balint Lam of Hungary in the last round. We'll see what he has left for Coon, as both wrestlers take the mat with some bizarre techno version of the Pink Panther theme song plays in the arena. N scores after a minute and twenty seconds and Popp gets put in par terre and Coon picks up a point. Popp manages to reverse Coon and then guts him for a three-point lead. They come up to their feet with 4:18 but Popp needs some cold spray on his ankle first. Coon looking for that spin throw to a pancake but misses by the edge. No scores as we get to short time in the first period. AND THERE IT IS AGAIN. PINFALL FOR COON! Popp goes down as Coon hits a beautiful lat drop to advance to the semifinals. Adam Coon will wrestle for a medal on the final day here in Budapest. 

Coon's semifinal opponent will be Minseok Kim of South Korea. 

Adam Coon vs Minseok Kim

Coon registered three pins to get to the semifinals, Kim won three one-point decisions. Kim goes armspin right off the whistle, Coon jumps to the opposite, appears to hold Kim on his back for a second and then covers as Kim rolls to his stomach. Unfortunately it is white paddled as a slip. Same sequence happens again. Then Kim is put down on the mat for passivity and Coon picks up a point. Coon can't work a turn so they go back up to their feet with 90 seconds left in the first period. Coon has an over-under body lock and is taking ground from Kim. Kim is retreating from Coon is probably more accurate and the referees notice this and award a caution and 2 to Coon for Kim's fleeing the hold. Big points for Coon as they hit the midway point. 

More of the first period here in the second, Coon with a body lock Kim retreating. And Kim goes down! COON WITH HIS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE PIN! COON WILL WRESTLE IN THE GRECO-ROMAN 130 KG FINALS!

Coon's finals opponent will be Sergey Semenov of Russia, who just beat Estonia's Heiki Nabi 2-0. Finals are scheduled to start at 11:30AM ET.

97 Kilograms

G'Angelo Hancock vs Peter Oehler

Hancock will wrestle a German in his first match of the day in the round of 32. A flurry of activity right before the five minute mark results in a step out by Hancock and a point for Oehler. Same thing happens about 20 seconds later to make it 2-0 in favor of the German. Now Hancock is put on the mat and the score is 3-0. Lead hips from G'Angelo keeps the score that way. Hancock goes for a throw but ends up on his own back and Oehler has a 5 point lead, which he takes into the break. 

Early in the second period Oehler gets put down on the mat and Hancock earns his first point. A high gut wrench later and Hancock cuts the deficit to just two points. They'll go back to neutral with a minute and a half to work. Hancock gives up a big step out point that extends Oehler's lead to three. Hancock can't get anything going in the final 30 seconds and he falls to Germany 3-0. 

Oehler loses to Venezuela in his next match, eliminating Hancock from the possibility of repechage.