Jake Herbert battles Cuba’s Reineri Salas at the World Championships. Larry Slater photo.

MOSCOW, Russia – A day filled with promise became short-lived as Americans Mike Zadick, Jake Herbert and J.D. Bergman combined to go 1-3 at the World Championships on Saturday at the Olympiysky Sports Complex.

Zadick and Herbert, past World silver medalists, both lost in two straight periods in freestyle wrestling in the first round. Bergman lost in the second round.

Herbert lost in the first round to Cuba’s Reineri Salas 4-0, 2-0 at 84 kg/185 lbs. The explosive Salas scored four takedowns in the first period and two more in the second period. Herbert was eliminated when Salas lost his next match to 2009 World champion Zaurbek Sokhiev of Uzbekistan. Salas came back to win a bronze medal.

“Things just didn’t go my way,” Herbert said. “I got in on the Cuban’s legs, but he was able to counter me. He’s good. The guy can scramble and he’s athletic.”

Herbert had lost to the Cuban earlier this year in the Cerro Pelado event in Cuba.

“I can beat every single guy in this bracket,” Herbert said. “I didn’t have a good game plan against the Cuban. I thought I could get him win my single leg.”

Zadick lost his first-round match to Korea’s Seung-Chul Lee 3-1, 2-0 at 60 kg/132 lbs. Zadick was eliminated when Lee lost in the quarterfinals.

Zadick won a World silver medal in 2006, but he has now dropped five straight matches in World and Olympic competition.

“When you want to win something so bad, and put forth so much time and effort, it’s tough to go out like that,” Zadick said. “I was feeling real confident in my wrestling and I believed in my preparation 100 percent. I’m not done yet. I still have goals I want to accomplish.”

Bergman dropped his second-round match to Iran’s Arfan Amiri 2-1, 4-2 at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Bergman was eliminated when the Iranian lost in the semifinals to Olympic and World champion Khadzhimurat Gatsalov of Russia. Amiri place fifth and Bergman finished 10th.

"Obviously, I have a lot of mixed feelings," said Bergman, who was wrestling in his first World Championships. "I felt really good and I feel like I was ready to wrestle. I wrestled really well my first match, but I made a couple of mistakes against the Iranian that cost me. It's heartbreaking."

Russia's Besik Kudukhov captured his third straight World title after winning the gold medal at 60 kg/132 lbs. He was third in the 2008 Olympics at 55 kg/121 lbs. when American Henry Cejudo won the gold medal.

Bulgaria's Mihail Ganev knocked off Sohkiev in the finals at 84 kg/185 lbs. Azerbaijan's Khetag Gazyumov avenged a loss in last year's finals to beat Gatsalov for the title at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Gatsalov was seeking his fifth straight World title.

The seventh and final day of the event is set for Sunday in Moscow. Americans Brent Metcalf (Iowa City, Iowa/New York AC), Travis Paulson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) and Les Sigman (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) are set to compete for the U.S.

Metcalf competes at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Paulson wrestles at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Sigman will take the mat at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. This is the first trip to the Worlds for each of these wrestlers.

U.S. RESULTS FROM SATURDAY’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Freestyle

60 kg/132 lbs. – Mike Zadick, Solon, Iowa (Gator WC), dnp/25th
LOSS Seung-Chul Lee (Korea), 1-3, 0-2

84 kg/185 lbs. – Jake Herbert, Evanston, Ill. (New York AC), dnp/25th
LOSS Reineri Salas (Cuba), 0-4, 0-2

96 kg/211.5 lbs. – J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC), 10th
WIN Farkhad Anakalov (Tajikistan), 4-0, fall 0:20
LOSS Arfan Amiri (Iran), 1-2, 2-4

Saturday's freestyle results

60 kg/132 lbs.
Gold – Besik Kudukhov (Russia)
Silver – Vasyl Fedoryshin (Ukraine)
Bronze –Sayed Morad Mohammadi (Iran)
Bronze –Zelimhkan Huseynov (Azerbaijan)
5th – Ulan Nadyrbek Uulu (Mongolia)
5th – Ersin Cetin (Turkey)
7th – Alejandro Valdes (Cuba)
8th – Seung-Chul Lee (Korea)	
9th – Malkhaz Kurdiani (Georgia)
10th – Artur Arakelyan (Armenia)

84 kg/185 lbs.
Gold – Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria) 
Silver – Zaurbek Sokhiev (Uzbekistan)
Bronze –Soslan Ktsoev (Russia)
Bronze – Reineris Salas (Cuba)
5th – Piotr Ianulov (Moldova)
5th – Ibragim Aldatov (Ukraine)
7th – Maciej Balawender (Poland)
8th – Dato Marsagishvili (Georgia)
9th – Vadim Laliev (Armenia)
10th – Nauruz Temrezov (Azerbaijan)

96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Gold – Khetag Gazyumov (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Khadzimurat Gatsalov (Russia)
Bronze – Alexey Krupnyakov (Kyrgyzstan)
Bronze – George Gogshelidze (Georgia)
5th – Ruslan Sheikhau (Belarus)
5th – Arfan Amiri (Iran)
7th – Khetag Pliev (Canada)
8th – Michel Batista (Cuba)
9th – Serhat Balci (Turkey)
10th – J.D. Bergman (USA)