ALEXANDER KARELIN PINS MATT GHAFFARI IN GOLD-MEDAL FINALS AT GRECO-ROMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AT SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT, IN A REMATCH OF THEIR DRAMATIC FINALS IN THE 1996 OLYMPICS
Superstar Alexander Karelin of Russia pinned Matt Ghaffari (Avon Lake, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) in 2:00 in the gold medal finals at 286 pounds at the Greco-Roman World Championships in Gavle, Sweden, August 30.
It was a rematch of their gold-medal bout in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., won by Karelin, 1-0 in overtime. The two have been rivals for many years, although Karelin has won every one of their more than a dozen meetings.
KARELIN RUNS GOLD STREAK TO AMAZING ELEVEN YEARS
Many consider Karelin the greatest amateur athlete in the world, perhaps of all time. Karelin has never lost an international wrestling match.
The victory gave Karelin his 11th straight World or Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, the most of any wrestler ever. He entered the meet tied with the freestyle legend Alexander Medved of the former Soviet Union, who won 10 World or Olympic gold medals during the 1960's and early 1970's. He also becomes the only wrestler of either style with eight career World gold medals.
Karelin has now won three Olympic gold medals (1988, 1992, 1996) and eight World Championship gold medals (1989-91, 93-95, 97-98). A hero in his native Russia, he has carried his nation's flag at all three Olympic Games he has entered.
GHAFFARI CONTINUES HIS QUEST TO BEAT KARELIN
Ever since Ghaffari has emerged on the international Greco-Roman scene, it has been his dream and personal mission to beat the undefeated Karelin. His closest match came in the 1996 Olympic finals, when he lost a close 1-0 decision. Few athletes have challenged Karelin.
Ghaffari took over a year off and is competing in his first international tournament since the Atlanta Olympics. His ability to return to the gold-medal match in his first year back on the mats is impressive. Ghaffari is originally from Paramus, N.J. and competed for Cleveland State.
GHAFFARI SETS U.S. RECORD FOR GRECO-ROMAN MEDALS
Ghaffari has now won four World or Olympic medals in Greco-Roman, the most of any U.S. wrestler. He entered the meet tied with Dennis Hall of Wisconsin and Dennis Koslowski of Minnesota with three career World or Olympic medals.
Ghaffari has been a 1996 Olympic silver medalist, a 1991 and 1998 World silver medalist and a 1995 World bronze medalist.
CLARK PLACES NINTH AT 187.25 POUNDS
Quincey Clark (New Brighton, Minn./Minn. Storm), who was eliminated from medal contention on Saturday, placed ninth in the final standings at 187.25 pounds. He had a 2-2 record in the tournament. Clark grew up in San Diego, Calif., and competed for San Diego State and the Univ. of Oklahoma.
RUSSIA WINS THREE OF THE FOUR FINAL GOLDS
The final four weight classes contested at the 1998 Greco-Roman World Championships were completed on Sunday, August 30, with Russia claiming three of the titles.
Russia was led by Karelin, who claimed his record eighth World title and 11th World or Olympic title. The other two Russian champions on Sunday, Alexander Tretiakov at 152 pounds and Alexander Menshikov at 187.25 pounds, won their first career World titles.
The new World champion at 127.75 pounds is Kim In-Sub of Korea.
RUSSIA CLAIMS TEAM TITLE, FOLLOWED BY KOREA AND TURKEY
Russia, with four individual champions, claimed the team title at the 1998 Greco-Roman World Championships, with 66 points. Korea placed second with 36 points, led by two champions and two bronze medalists. Turkey was third with 34 points, featuring a silver and bronze medalist. Kazakhstan placed fourth, with Hungary and Bulgaria tied in fifth.
USA PLACES 11TH IN FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
Led by silver medalist Matt Ghaffari at 286 pounds, the United States placed 11th in the final team standings with 16 points. Two other U.S. wrestlers placed in the top 10 of their weight classes, Matt Lindland (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids), who was sixth at 167.5 pounds, and Quincey Clark, who was ninth at 187.25 pounds.
The 1998 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team Coaches are Joe DeMeo of Niskayuna, N.Y., Dan Mello of Colorado Springs, Colo. and National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo. The United States moved up one position from its 12th place finish in 1997.
GRECO-ROMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS at Gavle, Sweden, Aug. 30
Final standings in final four weight divisions
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - 1st - Kim In-Sub (Korea) won by ref. dec. over Zetian Sheng (China), 2-0, ot, 8:00; 3rd - Armen Nazarian (Bulgaria) won by inj. dft. over Jurij Melnitchenko (Kazakhstan), 0:00; 5th - Constantin Borascu (Romania); 6th - Rafik Simonian (Russia); 7th - Oleksandr Stepanian (Ukraine); 8th - Asliddin Hudoyberdiev (Uzbekistan); 9th - Igor Petrenko (Belarus); 10th - Istvan Majoros (Hungary)
69 kg/152 lbs. - 1st - Alexander Tretiakov (Russia) won by ref. dec. over Csaba Hirbik (Hungary), 0-0, ot, 8:00; 3rd - Son Sang-Pil (Korea) won by tech. fall over Bisser Gueorguiev (Bulgaria), 11-0, 2:20; 5th - Mecnun Guler (Turkey); 6th - Ryszard Wolny (Poland); 7th - Vitali Zhouk (Belarus); 8th - Valeri Nikitin (Estonia); 9th - George Jinchvelashvili (Georgia); 10th - Adam Juretzko (Germany)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. - 1st - Alexander Menshikov (Russia) dec. Janos Kismoni (Hungary), 3-0; 3rd - Martin Lidberg (Sweden) dec. Gotcha Tzitziashvily (Israel), 3-0; 5th - Hamza Yerlikaya (Turkey); 6th - Behrouz Jamshidi (Iran); 7th - Aleksandar Jovancevic (Yugoslavia); 8th - Thomas Zander (Germany); 9th - Quincey Clark (United States); 10th - Alexander Sidorenko (Belarus)
130 kg/286 lbs. - 1st - Alexander Karelin (Russia) pin Matt Ghaffari (United States), 2:00; 3rd - Jurij Jevseijtchik (Israel) dec. Mirian Giorgaze (Georgia), 6-0; 5th - Georgij Soldadze (Ukraine); 6th - Sergeij Murieko (Bulgaria); 7th - Hector Milian (Cuba); 8th - Anatoli Fedorenko (Belarus); 9th - Bardos Mihaly Deak (Hungary); 10th - Mehdi Sabzali (Iran)
Final team standings
1. Russia, 66 pts.; 2. Korea, 36 pts.; 3. Turkey, 34 pts.; 4. Kazakhstan, 27 pts.; 5. Hungary and Bulgaria, 26 pts.; 7. Romania, 22 pts.; 8. Cuba and Ukraine, 19 pts.; 10. Poland, 18 pts.; 11. United States, 16 pts.; 12. Israel and Georgia, 15 pts.; 14. Sweden and Belarus, 12 pts.; 16. China, Czech Republic and Germany, 9 pts.; 19. Syria and Iran, 8 pts.; 21. Uzbekistan, 7 pts.; 22. Armenia and Estonia, 6 pts.; 24. Latvia and Yugoslavia, 4 pts.; 26. France and Finland, 3 pts.; 28. Greece and Switzerland, 1 pt.; 30. Algeria, Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Guam, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Tunisia, 0 pts.
U.S. results on August 30
130 kg/286 lbs. - Matt Ghaffari, Avon Lake, Ohio - lost by pin to Alexander Karelin (Russia), 2:00
Visit the 1998 World Championships web page at http://www.wrestling1998.com and USA Wrestling web page at http://www.usawrestling.org