Russian Djamal Otarsultanov celebrates his Olympic championship at 55 kg/121 lbs. on Friday night at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London. Larry Slater photo.

LONDON, ENGLAND – The first two Olympic champions in men’s freestyle wrestling have been determined at the ExCel Center on Friday night.

Winning the gold medal at 55 kg/121 lbs. was three-time European champion and two-time Junior World champion Dzhamel Otarsulatnov of Russia, who needed just two periods to beat two-time Junior World champion Vladimer Khinchagashvili of Georgia, 1-0, 3-3.

Otarsultanov won the first period completing a takedown from the clinch. Trailing 3-2 late in the second period, Otarsultanov scored a leg attack takedown with 14 seconds left to tie the score at 3-3 and win based upon scoring the last point.

At 74 kg/163 lbs., 2011 World Champion Jordan Burroughs became the first U.S. wrestler since Kurt Angle to win back-to-back World and Olympic titles. Burroughs did so by converting double-leg takedowns in the last part of each period to strike gold with a 1-0, 1-0 win over two-time World silver medalist Sadegh Goudarzi of Iran. 

For the full story on Burroughs, click here. 

Winning the first bronze medal at 55 kg went to Kyong-Il Yang of North Korea who beat 2011 World bronze medalist Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan, who stopped 2009 World champion, 2-2, 6-0. Yang won the first period by scoring the last point on a takedown, then opened up the offense for a number of takedowns for a technical fall.

2010 Asian champion Shinichi Yumoto of Japan won the other Olympic bronze medal, beating 2006 World champion Radoslav Velikov of Bulgaria, 1-1, 1-1. Yumoto won the first period because of a caution against Velikov, and got the second period by scoring the last takedown with just 16 seconds left. Velikov was an Olympic bronze medalist in 2008.

Winning the first bronze medal at 74 kg was 2008 Olympic silver medalist and 2006 World bronze medalist Soslan Tigiev of Uzbekistan defeated 2010 World bronze medalist Gabor Hatos of Hungary, 1-0, 1-0.Tigiev won the first period with a takedown. The second period went to ball pull, which came up for Tigiev, who scored the takedown from the clinch for the win.

Two-time World champion Denis Tsargush of Russia defeated Matt Gentry of Canada, 1-0, 2-0.
Tsargush won the first period with a takedown, and got a takedown with exposure in the second period.

Gentry was an NCAA champion for Stanford who went to high school in Oregon. Gentry is competing in his second Olympic Games and won the Pan American Olympic Qualifier this year.

OLYMPIC GAMES
At London, England, August 10, 2012

Men’s freestyle results

55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold – Dzhamel Otarsulatnov (Russia)
Silver – Vladimer Khinchagashvili (Georgia)
Bronze – Kyong-Il Yang (North Korea)
Bronze – Shinichi Yumoto (Japan)
5th – Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan)
5th – Radoslav Velikov (Bulgaria)
7th – Mihran Jaburyan (Armenia)
8th – Hassan Rahimi (Iran)
9th – Ahmet Peker (Turkey)
10th – Amit Kumar (India)

Medal Matches
Gold – Dzhamel Otarsulatnov (Russia) dec. Vladimer Khinchagashvili (Georgia), 1-1, 3-3
Bronze –Kyong-Il Yang (North Korea) dec. Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan), 2-2, 6-0
Bronze  -Shinichi Yumoto (Japan) vs. Radoslav Velikov (Bulgaria), 1-1, 1-1

74 kg/163 lbs.
Gold – Jordan Burroughs (United States)
Silver – Sadegh Goudarzi (Iran)
Bronze – Soslan Tigiev (Uzbekistan)
Bronze –Denis Tsargush (Canada)
5th – Gabor Hatos (Hungary)
5th – Matt Gentry (Canada),
7th – Davit Khutishvili (Georgia)
8th – Augusto Midana (Guinea-Bissau)
9th – Ashraf Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
10th – Abdulhakim Shapiev (Kazakhstan)

Medal Matches
Gold – Jordan Burroughs (United States) dec. Sadegh Goudarzi (Iran) 1-0, 1-0
Bronze – Soslan Tigiev (Uzbekistan) dec. Gabor Hatos (Hungary), 1-0, 1-0
Bronze – Denis Tsargush (Canada) dec. Matt Gentry (Canada), 1-0, 2-0