The United States will have four athletes who will compete in the upcoming SportAccord World Combat Games in Beijing, China. This unique competition includes elite international competition in a number of combat and martial arts disciplines.

FILA, the international wrestling federation, has been included in this event, with competition on Sept. 1-2.

Four disciplines of wrestling will be showcased: women’s freestyle wrestling; men and women’s No-Gi Grappling; Belt Wrestling; Pankration. The wrestling competition will be held at the China Agricultural University Gymnasium, which was also the venue for wrestling at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Included in the competition will be two U.S. women’s freestyle wrestlers and two U.S. No-Gi Grapplers. USA Wrestling has no participants in the other two wrestling disciplines.

The women wrestlers are two of the top young talents in the nation, Michaela Hutchison, (Soldotna, Alaska/Gator WC/OCU) at 55 kg/121 lbs. and Amberle Montgomery (Kent, Wash./Gator WC/OCU) at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.

Both were WCWA women’s college national champions last year for Oklahoma City University. Hutchison has won the WCWA Nationals for two straight years. Montgomery is currently a member of Women’s Team USA, holding a No. 3 ranking on the national team at her weight class.

The U.S. earned its positions in the SportAccord World Combat Games based upon the results of the 2009 World Wrestling Championships held in Herning, Denmark.

“The women wrestlers are among the best in our program at OCU,” said coach Archie Randall, who will coach the U.S. wrestlers. “They are both national champions on the college level and both are ranked on the Senior level. This is a great step for them. It will give them valuable experience by competing on the Senior level. Our program at OCU is geared for our athletes to compete internationally. We expect great things from them there.”

The U.S. Grappling athletes will include Tom LeCuyer (Plano, Ill. (Atlas XT/Torres MA) at the Men’s 70 kg/154 lbs. division and Tara LaRosa (Woodstown, N.J./Philadelphia Fight Factory) at the Women’s 60 kg/132 lbs.

Both are past Grappling World champions for the United States. LaRosa was a Gi gold medalist at the 2009 Grappling World Championships, and won a No-Gi gold medal in the Grappling competition at the World Wrestling Games in 2007. LeCuyer won a No-Gi gold medal at the 2009 Grappling World Championships.

The U.S. earned its positions in Grappling based upon the No-Gi results of the 2010 World Grappling Championships held in Krakow, Poland. LeCuyer and LaRosa both won bronze medals in No-Gi Grappling at their weight classes at the 2010 World Championships. 

“It is a great opportunity,” said LeCuyer. “It is a big tournament. It will be just like the World Championships. It will include the top eight from last year’s World Championships. I am looking forward to a great competition where I can challenge myself.”

The sports included in the SportAccord World Combat Games include Aikido, Boxing, Judo, Ju-Jitsu, Muaythai, Sombo, Sumo, Karate, Kendo, Kickboxing, Taekwondo, Wrestling and Wushu.

Updates will be posted on the official website at:
http://www.worldcombatgames.com/en/

SPORTACCORD WORLD COMBAT GAMES
At Beijing, China, Sept. 1-2

U.S. women’s freestyle wrestlers

55 kg/121 lbs. – Michaela Hutchison, Soldotna, Alaska (Gator WC/OCU)

63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Amberle Montgomery, Kent, Wash. (Gator WC/OCU)

Coach – Archie Randall, Mustang, Okla.

U.S. No-Gi Grapplers

Women’s 60 kg/132 lbs. – Tara LaRosa, Woodstown, N.J. (Philadelphia Fight Factory)

Men’s 70 kg/154 lbs. - Tom LeCuyer, Plano, Ill. (Atlas XT/Torres MA)

SPORTACCORD WORLD COMBAT GAMES SCHEDULE

September 1
Women’s freestyle wrestling and Belt wrestling competitions

September 2
No-Gi Grappling and Pankration competitions