U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers receive draws at the Matteo Pellicone ranking event in Italy, June 22-25
by Ellen Paddock, USA Wrestling
Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) will compete at the Matteo Pellicone ranking event. Photo by Tony Rotundo.
The nine Greco-Roman wrestlers headed to the Matteo Pellicone ranking event in Italy have received their draws. This is the third UWW ranking event of the season and will help determine the seeds for the 2022 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 10-18.
Seven 2022 Greco-Roman World Team members will be featured: 2020 Olympians Ildar Hafizov (60 kg) and Alejandro Sancho (67 kg), 2016 Olympian Jesse Thielke (63 kg) plus past World Team members Max Nowry (55 kg), Kamal Bey (77 kg), Alan Vera (87 kg) and Cohlton Schultz (130 kg). Nowry is a past University World champion, Bey a past Junior World champion and Schultz a past Cadet World champion.
Rounding out the Greco-Roman roster is past World Team member Patrick Smith (72 kg) and 2021 U.S. Open champion Spencer Woods (82 kg), both current National Team members.
At 55 kg, Nowry will wrestle in a round-robin with Tita Florin of Romania and Mohammed Hosseinvand, who won the 2017 Cadet Asian Championship for Iran.
In Hafizov’s round-robin is Mammadov Murad (Azerbaijan) who was both a 2021 World and European Championship bronze medalist, 2021 Junior World bronze medalist Nihat Mammadli (Azerbaijan) and 2018 World bronze medalist from Turkey, Ekrem Ozturk.
63 kg will also be wrestled in a round-robin. Thielke sits in Group A with Taleh Mammadov and Victor Ciobanu. Mammadov is a 2021 Azerbaijan World Team member and Ciobanu is a 2021 World Champion for Moldova.
At 67 kg, Sancho received a first-round bye and will wrestle the winner of 2019 U23 World Bronze medalist for Iran, Sajjag Imentalabfoumai, and Tigran Galustyan of France.
Smith will open with Norway's 2021 World Team member, Harvaard Joergensen at 72 kg. At 77 kg, Bey drew 2021 European Champion for Hungary, Robert Fritsch. Woods will face Matteo Maffezzoli of Italy, who was fifth in the 2021 Matteo Pellicone ranking series event. Vera will open with Istvan Takacs of Hungary, the 2022 European Champion and 2019 Junior World champion.
Schutlz will face the winner of 2018 World Team member for Azebaijan Sabah Shariati and Dariusz Vitek of Hungary. Vitek was a bronze medalist at both the 2021 U23 World Championships and the 2022 European Championships.
Seven of the Greco-Roman weight classes will be wrestled on Wednesday with the remaining three on Thursday. Nowry, Hafizov, Thielke, Sancho, Vera and Schultz, will compete on Wednesday with qualification rounds and repechage beginning at 10:30 a.m. and medal matches starting at 6 p.m. (six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone). Smith, Bey and Woods will compete on Thursday, beginning at 8 a.m. with medal matches at 6 p.m.
The action can be streamed live on FloWrestling. Rome is six hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern time zone.
MATTEO PELLICONE RANKING SERIES EVENT
At Rome Italy, June 22-25, 2022
U.S. first round draw
55 kg: Max Nowry (Army WCAP)
Round robin
vs. Tita Florin (Romania), 1st at 2017 U15 European Championships
vs. Mohammed Hosseinvand (Iran), 1st at 2016 and 2017 Cadet Asian Championship
60 kg: Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP)
Round robin
vs. Murad Mammadov (Azerbaijan), 3rd at 2021 World Championships, 3rd at 2021 European Championships, 2nd at 2018 U23 World Championships
vs. Nihat Mammadli (Azerbaijan), 3rd at 2021 Junior World Championships, 1st at 2019 Cadet Worlds; Ekrem Ozturk (Turkey), 3rd at 2018 Worlds Championships
63 kg: Jesse Thielke (Army WCAP)
Round robin
vs. Taleh Mammadov (Azerbaijan), 4x World Team member
Victor Ciobanu (Moldova), 2021 World Champion, 2020 Olympian
67 kg: Alejandro Sancho (Army WCAP)
vs. the winner of Sajjag Imentalabfoumai (Iran), 3rd at 2019 U23 Worlds and Tigran Galustyan (France)
Imentalabfoumai - 3rd at 2019 U23 Worlds
Galustyan - 2nd at 2019 Haparanda Cup
72 kg: Patrick Smith (Minnesota Storm)
vs. Harvaard Joergensen (Norway), 2021 World Team member, 1st at 2021 Nordic Championship, 2x Junior World Team member
77 kg: Kamal Bey (Army WCAP)
vs. Robert Fritsch (Hungary),1st at 2021 European Championships, 2021 World Team member, silver at 2017 U23 Worlds
82 kg: Spencer Woods (Army WCAP)
vs. Matteo Maffezzoli (Italy), 2nd at Muhamet Malo Tournament, 5th at 2021 Matteo Pellicone ranking series event
87 kg: Alan Vera (NYAC)
vs. Istvan Takacs (Hungary), 1st at 2022 European Championships, 5th at 2021 World Championships, 2019 Junior World champion, bronze at 2018 Junior Worlds, silver at 2017 Cadet Worlds
130 kg: Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist Kids)
vs the winner of Sabah Shariati (Azebaijan), 2018 World Team member and Dariusz Vitek (Hungary), 3rd at 2021 U23 World Championships and 3rd at 2022 European Championships
Shariati (Azebaijan)- 2018 World Team member
Vitek (Hungary), 3rd at 2021 U23 World Championships and 3rd at 2022 European Championships
Schedule (six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)
Wednesday, June 22
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechage (GR 55, 60, 63, 67, 87, 97, 130)
6 p.m. – Medal matches (GR 55, 60, 63, 67, 87, 97, 130)
Thursday, June 23
8 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechage (GR 72, 77, 82)
6 p.m. – Medal matches (GR 72, 77, 82)
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