BUCHAREST, Romania – The United States did not reach the medal rounds in the four weight classes contested on the opening day of the FILA Junior World Championships on Tuesday.

Josh Castellano (Wood Dale, Ill./USOEC) opened with a solid 1-0, 1-0 win over Ahmad Iskandaranian of Denmark at 74 kg/163 lbs. Castellano scored a takedown in both periods for the win.

In his second match, Castellano fell to Poland’s Arkadiusz Kulynycz, 0-1, 0-2. Kulunycz defended in the par terre for a point in the first period and scored a lift and throw from par terre in the second period.

Castellano was a 2009 Pan American Junior champion in Greco-Roman.

Jesse Thielke (Germantown, Wis./Sunkist Kids), competing in his third Junior World Championships, lost a tough three-period bout to Radoslav Vasilev of Bulgaria, 0-3, 7-0, 0-1. 

Vasilev had a lift and throw in the first period. Thielke hit a three-point throw and a gutwrench for the second period technical fall. In the deciding third period, neither athlete scored on their feet. Thielke chose the top position during par terre but was unable to turn Vasilev in the 30-second period.

At 50 kg/110 lbs., Jake Bellis (Bloomington, Ill./USOEC) was shut out in his opening bout by Pavel Vasilenko of Russia, 0-7, 0-2.

Marcus Finau (Ewa Beach, Hawaii/USOEC) was defeated in his opening bout at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. by Tynchtyk Toktorbaev of Kyrgyzstan, 0-1, 1-1, 0-1.

All four of the U.S. wrestlers were unable to enter the repechage when their opponents were defeated and did not reach the finals. Two of the opponents, Vasilenko at 50 kg and Kulynycz at 74 kg, got all the way to the semifinals before they were beaten.

“We had some tough breaks, but we have to learn to seize the moment and take these breaks ourselves and put ourselves in position to win matches,” said Ike Anderson, USA Wrestling’s National Greco-Roman Developmental Coach.

FILA Juniors are athletes who are 17-20 years old. Many of the athletes who are successful at the Junior World Championships go on to win World and Olympic medals for their nations.

Four other U.S. wrestlers weighed in on Tuesday and will compete on Wednesday. An additional article will be posted on the draws.

Brackets, results and more will be available on the official website at:
http://www.fila-wrestling.com/bucarest2011/

JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Bucharest, Romania, July 26-31

50 kg/110 lbs.
Gold – Vilayat Gahramanli (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Shanserik Sarsenbiyev (Kazakhstan)
Bronze – Tolgahan Karatas (Turkey)
Bronze –Rudik Mkrtchyan (Armenia)
5th – Batyrbek Kurmankaziev (Kyrgyzstan)
5th – Pavel Vasilenko (Russia)
7th - Ali Soto Macias (Mexico) 
8th - Nika Tsetskhaladze (Georgia)
9th - Firuz Tukhtaev (Uzbekistan)
10th  - Andriy Tsaryuk (Israel)

60 kg/132 lbs.
Gold – Bobirbek Zaylobidinov (Uzbekistan)
Silver – Dawid Karecinski (Poland)
Bronze – Mohammed Nourbakhsh (Iran)
Bronze – Kemal Kharabadze (Georgia)
5th – Maxim Mamulat (Moldova)
5th – Niklas Amnemo (Sweden)
7th - Kubanychbek Altymyshbaev (Kyrgyzstan)
8th - Aslan Poghosyan (Armenia)
9th - Ville Antti Juhani Ohukainen (Finland)
10th - Emre Arslan (Turkey)

74 kg/163 lbs.
Gold – Rafik Manukyan (Armenia)
Silver – Zurabi Datunashvili (Georgia)
Bronze – Mikhail Kornilov (Russia)
Bronze – Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland)
5th – Toghrul Yunisli (Azerbaijan)
5th – Ismail Kocaslan (Turkey)
7th - Jan Alexander Jersgren (Sweden)
8th - Michael Wagner (Austria)
9th - Patrik Szabo (Hungary) 
10- Veli-Karri Osvald Suominen (Finland)

96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Gold – Islam Magomedov (Russia)
Silver – Sandro Dikhaminjia (Georgia)
Bronze – Di Xiao (China)
Bronze – Metehan Basar (Turkey)
5th – Peter Oehler (Germany)
5th – Gyorgy Rizmajer (Hungary)
7th - Marius Hamlet Nielsen (Norway)  
8th -  Tynchtyk Toktorbaev (Kyrgyzstan)  
9th - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia)
10th - Arslan Saparmamedov 

U.S. Junior World Greco-Roman performance

50 kg/110 lbs. – Jake Bellis, Bloomington, Ill. (USOEC), dnp/16th
LOSS Pavel Vasilenko (Russia), 0-7, 0-2

60 kg/132 lbs. – Jesse Thielke, Germantown, Wis. (Sunkist Kids), dnp/19th
LOSS Radoslav Vasilev (Bulgaria), 0-3, 7-0, 0-1

74 kg/163 lbs. – Josh Castellano, Wood Dale, Ill. (USOEC), dnp/19th
WIN Ahmad Iskandaranian (Denmark), 1-0, 1-0
LOSS Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland), 0-1, 0-2

96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Marcus Finau, Ewa Beach, Hawaii (USOEC), dnp/14th
LOSS Tynchtyk Toktorbaev (Kyrgyzstan), 0-1, 1-1, 0-1