Dremiel Byers tries to turn Turkey's Riza Kayaalp in the bronze-medal match. Larry Slater photo.

MOSCOW, Russia – Dremiel Byers finished fifth in the World Championships in Greco-Roman wrestling on Tuesday night 

Byers fell to Turkey’s Riza Kayaalp 1-0, 2-0 in the bronze-medal match at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. before 6,000 fans at the Olympiysky Sports Complex.

Kayaalp, 20, was third in the World in 2009. He is a two-time junior World champion.

Kayaalp scored on a pushout in the first period and then countered a Byers turn attempt in the second period to prevail. U.S. coaches protested the call in the second period, but the call was upheld.

"I didn't have it for that match," Byers said. "In the second period, I was starting to back him up with underhooks but it was too little, too late."

Byers won his first three bouts Tuesday before he dropped a semifinal decision to Armenia’s Yuri Patrikeev. Byers was unable to turn Petrikeev in par terre in the first period before Patrikeev turned him with 10 seconds left in the second period.

Patrikeev was a 2002 World bronze medalist for Russia before becoming a 2007 World bronze medalist and a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist for Armenia. He is 30 years old.

"Hats off to Patrikeev. It was a good gut wrench," Byers said. "My singlet doesn't have any pockets, so I won't carry around any excuses. The guy got me, I will give him that. He has always been a tough competitor."

Byers, 35, was seeking his U.S.-record fourth World medal in Greco-Roman. Byers won a World title in Moscow in 2002 before adding a World bronze medal in 2007 and a World silver medal in 2009.

Americans Jake Clark and Jeremiah Davis fell short of winning medals in Greco-Roman on Tuesday.

Clark won his first two matches before falling to Poland’s Damian Janikowski 1-0, 2-0 in the quarterfinals at 84 kg/185 lbs. Clark was unable to turn Janikowski in par terre in the first period before Janikowski hit a gut wrench to score two points in the second period.

Clark was eliminated when Janikowski lost his next match and fell short of making the finals. Clark was competing in his second World Championships. He also wrestled in this event in 2006.

Davis fell to past World champion and 2009 World silver medalist Dilshod Aripov of Uzbekistan in the first round. Davis won the first period 1-0 before dropping the next two 2-0, 3-0 at 60 kg/132 lbs. Aripov, 32, gained a lift and exposure to win the match in the final 30 seconds.

Aripov lost in the quarterfinal round, knocking Davis out of the tournament. Davis was competing in his second straight World Championships.

Champions crowned on Tuesday included Azerbaijan’s Hasan Aliyev at 60 kg/132 lbs., Bulgaria’s Hristo Marinov at 84 kg/185 lbs. and Cuba’s Mijain Lopez at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.

Lopez won his third straight World title. He also won the 2008 Olympics.

Day 3 of the seven-day event is set for Wednesday in Moscow. First-time World Team member Jake Fisher (Boise, Idaho/New York AC) will compete in the final Greco-Roman weight class at 74 kg/163 lbs. The U.S. hasn’t been shut out in the medal department at the World Championships in Greco-Roman since 2003.

The U.S. women start competition on Wednesday with Alyssa Lampe (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) and Jessica Medina (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) set to wrestle.

Lampe will compete at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. and Medina at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. Lampe is competing in her first Worlds while Medina is in her second.

WORLD WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Moscow, Russia, Sept. 7

Greco-Roman results

60 kg/132 lbs.
Gold – Hasan Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Ryutoro Matsumoto(Japan)
Bronze – Almat Kepispayev (Kazakhstan)
Bronze – Ji-Hyun Jung (Korea)
5th – Ivaylo Angelov (Bulgaria)
5th – Revaz Lashkhi (Georgia)
7th – Ruslan Tiumenbaev (Kyrgyzstan)
8th – Lenur Temirov (Ukraine)
9th - Omid Noroozi (Iran) 
10th – Dilshod Aripov (Uzbekistan)

84 kg/185 lbs.
Gold – Hristo Marinov (Bulgaria)
Silver – Pablo Shorey (Cuba)
Bronze – Alexey Mishine (Russia)
Bronze – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia)
5th – Damian Janikowski (Poland)
5th – Nazmi Avluca (Turkey)
7th - Alkhazur Ozdiyev (Kazakhstan)
8th - Vladimer Gegeshidze(Georgia)
9th - Vasyl Rachyba (Ukraine)
10th – Adomaitis Laimutis (Lithuania)

120 kg/211.5 lbs.
Gold – Mijain Lopez (Cuba)
Silver – Yuri Patrikeev (Russia)
Bronze –Nurmakhan Tinaiyev (Kazakhstan)
Bronze –Riza Kayaalp (Turkey)
5th – Marec Svec (Czech Republic) 
5th – Dremiel Byers (USA)
7th – Khasan Baroev (Russia) 
8th – Lukasz Banak (Poland)
9th - Johan Magnus Euren (Sweden)
10th – Guram Pherselidze (Georgia)

U.S. GRECO-ROMAN RESULTS FROM TUESDAY’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

60 kg/132 lbs. – Jeremiah Davis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), dnp/17th
LOSS Dilshod Aripov (Uzbekistan), 1-0, 0-2, 0-3

84 kg/185 lbs. – Jake Clark, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force), dnp/11th
WIN Andrian Mocanu (Moldova), 0-1, 7-0, 3-0
WIN T. Tounousidis (Greece), 2-0, 2-0
LOSS Damian Janikowski (Poland), 0-1, 0-2

120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) – 5th
WIN Ivan Popov (Australia), 1-0, 1-0
WIN Ioseb Chugoshvili (Belarus), 0-1, 1-0, 1-0
WIN Guram Pherselidze (Georgia), 4-0, 1-0
LOSS Yuri Patrikeev (Armenia), 0-1, 0-2
LOSS Riza Kayaalp (Turkey), 0-1, 0-2