Sanderson, Varner reach bronze-medal matches at World Championships

<< Back to Articles
Craig Sesker (USA Wrestling)
09/17/2011


Cael Sanderson won three straight repechage matches to reach the bronze-medal match on Saturday. Tony Rotundo photo.

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Cael Sanderson has turned in his share of impressive feats in his legendary career.

Add another one to his list.

What he did late Saturday afternoon at the Sinan Erdem Dome certainly was something to see.

Sanderson was on the mat for three repechage matches in just over half an hour and he delivered by winning all three to reach the bronze-medal match at 84 kg/185 lbs. at the World Championships.

American Jake Varner also came through in the repechage to reach the bronze-medal match at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. The two training partners and close friends will go for bronze medals on Saturday night.

Sanderson and Varner have qualified the U.S. for the Olympics in their weight classes by virtue of clinching a top-six finish at the Worlds.

Sanderson shook off the sting of a second-round loss and regrouped to beat wrestlers from Korea, Kazakhstan and Iran to advance to the bronze-medal match.

The 32-year-old Sanderson won his first match of the day before dropping a 4-1, 4-3 decision to Sharif Sharifov of Azerbaijan, who placed third in the European Championships this year. Sanderson shot in for a quick early takedown, but was unable to generate much more offense in the match. Sharifov advanced to the finals to pull Sanderson back in for the repechage.

Sanderson pinned Chan-Uk Yoon of Korea in just 50 seconds in his first repechage match before pulling out a tough win over Yermek Baiduashov of Kazakhstan 4-3, 0-1, 2-1. He then downed Alireza Goudarzi of Iran 6-0, 1-0 to reach the bronze-medal match.

Sanderson scored on a pushout with three seconds left in the second period, clapping his hands as he finished off the impressive victory against the Iranian.

Sanderson will face Russia’s Albert Saritov in the bronze-medal match on Saturday night.

Sanderson (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) won a World silver medal in 2003 and an Olympic gold medal in 2004. The head coach at Penn State returned to competition this year after nearly a seven-year absence.

Varner reached the quarterfinals before falling to Turkey’s Serhat Balci 1-0, 1-0 before a boisterous Turkish crowd at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Balci advanced to the finals to pull Varner back in for the repechage.

Varner took advantage of his opportunity, pinning Rustam Iskandari of Tajikistan in 1 minute, 50 seconds to advance to the bronze-medal match.

Varner will face Taimuraz Tigiyev of Kazakhstan in the bronze-medal match. Tigiyev beat Olympic and World champion Khadismourad Gatsalov of Russia earlier in this tournament. Tigiyev won an Olympic silver medal in 2008.

Varner reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Worlds before finishing ninth in his first trip to this event. Varner (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) was a two-time NCAA champion for Iowa State.

Reece Humphrey won his first two matches before falling to France’s Didier Pais in the quarterfinals. Pais won the match 4-1, 3-3, 4-0 at 60 kg/132 lbs.

The third period was scoreless and went to the ball draw. Pais won the draw and finished in the leg clinch to advance to the semifinals. Pais lost to three-time World champion Besik Kudukhov of Russia in the semifinals. That eliminated Humphrey.

Humphrey (Columbus, Ohio/New York AC) was wrestling in his first Senior World Championships. He is a past World University silver and bronze medalist.

Puerto Rico’s Franklin Gomez, a past NCAA champion for Michigan State, advanced to the finals at 60 kg/132 lbs. Gomez qualifies Puerto Rico for the Olympics in his weight class by virtue of clinching a top-six finish.

Gomez will face Kudukhov in the finals. Gomez trains alongside Sanderson and Varner with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.

Americans Teyon Ware (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC), Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) and Tervel Dlagnev (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) will compete for the U.S. in freestyle on the final day of the event on Sunday.

Ware competes at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Burroughs wrestles at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Dlagnev at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Ware and Burroughs are competing in their first World Championships. Dlagnev won a bronze medal at the 2009 Worlds in Denmark.

Wrestling is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. local time on Sunday.

U.S. RESULTS FROM SATURDAY’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Freestyle

60 kg/132 lbs. – Reece Humphrey, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC)
WIN Guillermo Cervantes Torres (Mexico), 2-1, 2-0
WIN Bilel Douissa (Tunisia), 6-0, fall 0:46
LOSS Didier Pais (France), 1-4, 3-3, 0-4

84 kg/185 lbs. – Cael Sanderson, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
WIN Alejandro Gallardo Ocampo (Mexico), 6-0, 7-0
LOSS Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan), 1-3, 1-4
WIN Chan-Uk Yoon (Korea), fall 0:50
WIN Yermek Baiduashov (Kazakhstan), 4-3, 0-1, 2-1
WIN Alireza Goudarzi (Iran), 6-0, 1-0
vs. Albert Saritov (Russia) for bronze

96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Jake Varner, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
WIN Krassimir Kochev (Bulgaria), 1-0, 5-0
WIN Yunbilige Wu (China), 7-0, 6-0
LOSS Serhat Balci (Turkey), 0-1, 0-1
WIN Rustam Iskandari (Tajikistan), fall 1:50
vs. Taimuraz Tigiyev (Kazakhstan) for bronze