UPDATED: Mango wins bronze medal at Junior World Championships in Greco-Roman

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
08/30/2006


Spenser Mango (Flourissant, Mo./USOEC/Gator WC) won a bronze medal at 55 kg/121 lbs in men's Greco-Roman wrestling at the Junior World Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Mango won four of his five matches during the competition, including a 2-3, 3-3, 3-0 decision over Ji-Nam I of Korea in the bronze-medal match.

"In the first few periods, I had some trouble stopping his reverse lift," said Mango of his bout against Ji-Nam I of Korea. "In the third period, I was able to reverse him, and it won me the match."

He opened by pinning Antero Perez-Juntunen of Finland in second period, then scored a 6-0, 5-0 victory over Edi Leonel Giron Tocal of Guatemala. In the quarterfinals, Mango stopped Sobrado Nunta Paul of Peru, 5-3, 2-0. His lone loss came in the semifinals, where he was defeated by Jasem Amiri of Iran), 1-2, 0-2.

"I thought I wrestled well," said Mango. "I would have liked to have been in the gold-medal match, but I wrestled back to get the bronze medal. In the semifinals, I couldn't get anything going on my feet and on the mat. It is hard to win like that."

Mango was also a University World Championships gold medalist in Mongolia earlier this year. He has now won two age-group World medals during the same summer. He is a U.S. Olympic Education Center resident athlete at Northern Michigan Univ.

"There is always room for improvement, but I am happy with how the summer went," Mango said. 

The Greco-Roman tournament completed on Wednesday with action in four weight classes.  

Jason Robbins (Orlando, Fla./Sunkist Kids) placed 10th at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Robbins opened with a technical fall win over Hector Diaz Moreno of Guatemala, 6-0, 7-0. In the second round, he was defeated by Danijel Janecic of Croatia, 0-4, 0-2. When Janecic was beaten in the next match, Robbins was eliminated from the wrestle-back rounds.

Two other U.S. wrestlers competed but did not place in their weight classes, Chas Betts (St. Michael, Minn./USOEC/Minnesota Storm) at 84 kg/185 lbs. and Erik Nye (Red Bluff, Calif.) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. 

Betts won his first match, a 4-0, 4-2 victory over Cho Hyo-Chul of Korea. In the next round, Betts was beaten by  Rustan Zhusupov of Kazakhstan, 1-2, 0-3. When Zhusupov was beaten in the semifinals, Betts was eliminated from medal contention. Betts, also a USOEC athlete from Northern Michigan, was second at the 2006 University World Championships earlier this summer.

Nye was beaten in the first round by Esmail Nazari of Iran, 0-6, 0-3, and when Nazari lost his next match, Nye was knocked out of the wrestlebacks.

The United States placed 11th in the final team standings, with 11 points, led by Mango's bronze medal and two other place winners. Russia won the team title with 62 points, followed by Turkey with 45 points and Ukraine with 38 points. A total of 46 nations are participating at the FILA Junior World Championships.

The coaches for the U.S. team are Gary Mayabb (Kansas City, Mo.), Mark Halvorson (Brentwood, Calif.) and National Greco-Roman Developmental Coach  Ike Anderson (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

"Spenser Mango wrestled well the whole tournament," said Anderson. "He showed the heart of a champion to stick it out through adversity and fight back for the bronze medal. The team finish was a bit disappointing. We had some guys who were in good position to get into the medal matches. I thought we could get another medalist and more wrestlers in the top 10 of their weights. We underachieved as a team."

FILA has set up a website with results, pairings and information about the Junior World Championships, at:
http://www.fila-wrestling.com/gestion_competition/internet/home/accueil.php?num_compet=562

All three international styles of wrestling will be contested at the FILA Junior World Championships.  The women's freestyle competition will be held on Thursday and Friday and men's freestyle on Saturday and Sunday.

Weighins have been held for the first four women's weight classes. Three U.S. wrestlers will be competing on Thursday and have received their first round draw.

Nicole Woody (Odenton, Md./NYAC)will face Anastasia Koltun of Russia at 44 kg/97 lbs. Jessica Medina (Pomona, Calif./Univ. of the Cumberlands will wrestle Pam Ewanishin of Canada at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. Heather Martin (Wellington, Ohio/Univ. of the Cumberlands/NYAC)opens with Luz Vasquez (Argentina) at 67 kg/147.5 lbs.

At 59 kg/130 lbs., Deanna Rix (South Berwick, Maine/NYAC)did not make weight

FILA JUNIOR WORLD GRECO-ROMAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Guatemala City, Guatemala, August 3-

U.S GRECO-ROMAN TEAM RESULTS FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30

55 kg/121 lbs. - Spenser Mango, Flourissant, Mo. (USOEC/Gator WC), 3rd
WIN Antero Perez-Juntunen (Finland), 2-1, pin in second period
WIN Edi Leonel Giron Tocal (Guatemala), 6-0, 5-0
WIN Sobrado Nunta Paul (Peru), 5-3, 2-0
LOSS Jasem Amiri (Iran), 1-2, 0-2
WIN Ji-Nam I (Korea), 2-3, 3-3, 3-0

66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Jason Robbins, Orlando, Fla. (Sunkist Kids), 10th
WIN Hector Diaz Moreno (Guatemala), 6-0, 7-0
LOSS Danijel Janecic (Croatia), 0-4, 0-2
Lost the next round

84 kg/185 lbs. - Chas Betts, St. Michael, Minn. (USOEC/Minnesota Storm), dnp/11th
WIN Cho Hyo-Chul (Korea), 4-0, 4-2
LOSS Rustan Zhusupov (Kazakhstan), 1-2, 0-3
Kaz lost in the semifinals

120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Erik Nye, Red Bluff, Calif. dnp/13th
LOSS Esmail Nazari (Iran), 0-6, 0-3
IRI lost in the next round

Weight Class results

55 kg/121 lbs.
1 RUS KURAMAGOMEDOV ZAUR 
2 IRI AMIRI JASEM 
3  BUL KOSTADINOV ALEKSANDAR 
3  USA MANGO SPENSER 
5  JPN KURAMOTO KAZUMA 
5  KOR JI-NAM IM 
7 PER PAUL SOBRADO NUNTA 
8 MEX HERNAN GARCIA 
9 ROM MUNTEANU VIRGIL 
10 GEO LASHKI REVAZ 
11 ECU LAZO LUIS 
12 HUN JAGER KRISZTIAN 
13 KGZ TEMIRBEKOV ULAN 
14 NOR RONNINGEN THOMAS 
15 TUR AYGUN HUSEYIN 
16 VEN CASTILLO HERNIN 
17 KAZ KEBESPAEV ALMAT 
18 GER CRUSIUS FLORIAN 
19 FIN PEREZ-JUNTUNEN ANTERO 
20 UKR VYCHKO STEPAN 
20 GUA GIRON TOCAL EDI LEONEL 
22 DOM ENCARNACION FRANCISCO 
23 GRE TERSENIDIS VASILIOS 

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
1 TUR AYVAZOGLU REFIK 
2 KOR HYEON-WOO KIM 
3  HUN LORINCZ TAMAS 
3  RUS BELKMAROEV RUSLAN 
5  KAZ DYLMUHAMEDOV ASKHAT 
5  UKR LOHOYDA VOLODYMYR 
7 CRO JANECIC DANIJEL 
8 FRA HASSLI FRANCK 
9 JPN NARUSE KAZUHIKO 
10 USA ROBBINS JASON 
11 GEO GULBATASHVILI ILIA 
12 KGZ BODOSHOV ASYLBEK 
13 ROM CARPEN GEORGIAN 
14 MEX SAUL CERDA 
15 ARM HOVHANNISYAN HRACH 
16 LTU KAZAKEVIC ALEKSANDR 
17 BOL NOVA CHRISTIAN 
18 DEN EKSTROM FREDERIK 
19 CUB MINOJOSD ALEXENDER CASAL 
20 CHI VERA EDUARDO 
21 PER ROJAS KUISPE YANFRANCO 
22 VEN TABLANTE MARCOS 
22 GUA DIAZ MORENG HECTOR 

84 kg/185 lbs.
1 TUR ILDEM CENK 
2 GER FISCHER JAN 
3  RUS SHAKALOV OLEG 
3  GEO KARCHAVA DAVID 
5  BUL MARINOV HRISTO 
5  KAZ ZHUSUPOV RUSTAN 
7 IRI AKHBARI DAVOOD 
8 GRE PIKILIDIS ALEXANDROS 
9 SWE SCHON FREDERIK 
10 LTU ADOMAITIS LAIMUTIS 
11 USA BETTS CHAS 
12 BLR DZEINICHENKA TSIMAEE 
13 ARM SHAHINYAN ARTUR 
14 UKR YEROSHKIN SERGIY 
15 ROM SURUGIU CATALIN 
16 CUB FALCON YUNIOR ESTRADA 
17 VEN GUERRERO JOHNJAIRO 
18 EST TOOM ALO 
19 JPN SAIKAWA NORIKATSU 
20 KOR HYO-CHUL CHO 
21 POL MALINOWSKI PRZEMYSLAW 
22 SCG FRANJKOVIC DEJAN 
23 ITA SCIBILIA VINCENZO 
24 SUI BAUMGARTNER MARIO 
25 CHI OVANDO ALFREDO 
26 GUA CORDON CARLOS 

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
1 TUR GUZEL ISMAIL 
2 BUL IVANOV IVAN 
3  RUS FARNIEV SOSLAN 
3  UKR TSEPOVATENKO ARTEM 
5  GEO JVAKHISHVILI DIMITRI 
5  SCG PETKOVIC RODOMIR 
7 IRI NAZARI ESMAIL 
8 COL ASPRILLA VICTOR 
9 ISR KRASNOV ILYA 
10 MEX RAMIREZ ORLANDO 
11 KAZ SARTBHEV ABDUMALIK 
12 JPN YASUDA IORI 
13 USA NYE ERIC 
14 GRE LAGOS VASSILIOS 
15 GER WILKENS FINN

Final Team Standings

1 Russia 62 
2 Turkey 45 
3 Ukraine 38 
4 Korea 33 
5 Iran 30 
6 Hungary 27 
7 Kazakhstan 26 
8 Bulgaria 17 
9 Georgia 15 
10 Japan 14 
11 United States 11 
12 Serbia and Montenegro 9 
13 Finland 8 
14 Belarus 7 
15 Cuba 6 
15 Estonia 6 
15 Venezuela 6 
15 Croatia 6 
19 Norway 5 
20 Lithuania 4 
20 Peru 4 
20 Mexico 4 
20 Israel 4 
24 Colombia 3 
24 France 3 
24 Germany 3 
27 Romania 2 
(of 46 nations)

U.S. WOMEN'S FREESTYLE FIRST ROUND DRAW

44 kg/97 lbs. - Nicole Woody, Odenton, Md. (NYAC)
Vs. Anastasia Koltun (Russia)

51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Jessica Medina, Pomona, Calif. (Univ. of the Cumberlands)
Vs. Pam Ewanishin (Canada)

59 kg/130 lbs. - Deanna Rix, South Berwick, Maine (NYAC)
Did not make weight

67 kg/147.5 lbs. - Heather Martin, Wellington, Ohio (Univ. of the Cumberlands/NYAC)
Vs. Luz Vasquez (Argentina)

Coaches - Trevor Keifer (Le Mesa, Calif.), Vladislav "Izzy" Izboinikov (Colorado Springs, Colo.)