GARDNER WINS GOLD MEDAL AT GRANMA CUP IN CUBA, FEB. 23-24; HALL, LINDLAND CLAIM SILVER MEDALS AND SHELDON WINS A BRONZEU.S. Greco-Roman star Rulon Gardner (Mesa, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) won a gold medal at 286 pounds at the Granma Cup in St. Spiritus, Cuba, Feb. 23-24.
Gardner defeated his arch rival, 1992 Olympic champion Hector Millian of Cuba, in the gold medal finals, 4-0. Gardner and Millian wrestled each other six times in the 1996-97 season, with Millian claiming five of the bouts.
Gardner won two bouts by technical fall to reach the finals, beating Guillermo Diaz of Mexico, 10-0 and Yangalines Jimenez of Cuba, 11-0. Gardner placed fifth in the 1997 World Championships, the top placing U.S. athlete.
Two U.S. wrestlers claimed silver medals: Dennis Hall (Plover, Wis./Sunkist Kids) at 138.75 pounds and Matt Lindland (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) at 187.25 pounds. Both wrestlers were competing up one weight class from their normal weight division.
Hall won two straight matches to qualify for the gold-medal finals, where he was defeated by veteran Juan Maren of Cuba, 3-0. Hall was a World Champion at 125.5 pounds in 1995 and a silver medalist at the 1996 Olympic Games. Maren won a World bronze medal at 136.5 pounds in 1993.
Lindland, who competed in the 1997 World Championships at 167.5 pounds, had a 3-1 record in the competition. He was defeated in the gold-medal finals by Luis Mendez of Cuba, 4-0.
Lindland won his first two matches by technical fall, then scored an impressive 3-1 win over veteran Alexis Banes of Cuba in the semifinals. Lindland was a 1996 World Cup champion.
U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) resident athlete Shawn Sheldon (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) won a bronze medal at 119 pounds. Sheldon had a 4-1 record in the meet. He lost in the second round to Diosbel Rivalta of Cuba, 3-1, but came back to beat Rivalta in the bronze medal match by pin. Sheldon competed on the 1988 and 1992 U.S. Olympic teams.
Two U.S. wrestlers placed fourth: Dan Niebuhr (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 187.25 pounds and Dave Surofchek (Colorado Springs, Colo./Michigan WC) at 213.75 pounds. Both athletes are USOTC resident athletes and had 3-2 records in the tournament.
Other U.S. place winners included John Oostendorp (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Hawkeye WC) who placed fifth at 213.75 pounds, Mike Ellsworth (Colorado Springs, Colo./Michigan WC), who was eighth at 152 pounds, Miguel Spencer (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) who was eighth at 167.5 pounds and Chris Saba (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), who was ninth at 152 pounds.
The U.S. team was coached by Rob Hermann of Pensacola, Fla., Derrick Waldroup of Colorado Springs, Colo. and National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo.
GRANMA CUP at St. Spiritus, Cuba, Feb. 23-24
Medalists
54 kg/119 lbs. - Gold - Lazaro Rivas (Cuba); Silver - Osmany Duka (Cuba); Bronze - Shawn Sheldon (USA)
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Gold - Armen Nazarian (Bulgaria); Silver - Luis Sarmiento (Cuba); Bronze - Roberto Mozon (Cuba)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold - Juan Maren (Cuba); Silver - Dennis Hall (USA); Bronze - Luis Sarra (Cuba)
69 kg/152 lbs. - Gold - Liubal Colas (Cuba); Silver - Mausheg Torosiah (Bulgaria); Bronze - Rodolpho Fuentes (Cuba)
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Gold - Filiberto Azcuy (Cuba); Silver - Stoyan Dobrev (Bulgaria); Bronze - Nestor Almanza (Cuba)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Gold - Luis Mendez (Cuba); Silver - Matt Lindland (USA); Bronze - Alexis Banes (Cuba)
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Gold - Reynoldo Pena (Cuba); Silver - Juan Veliz (Cuba); Bronze - Giuseppe Giunta (Italy)
130 kg/286 lbs. - Gold - Rulon Gardner (USA); Silver - Hector Millian (Cuba); Bronze - Sergey Mourieko (Bulgaria)
Results of U.S. athletes
54 kg/119 lbs. - Shawn Sheldon, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3rd - dec. Pablo Gonzalves (Portugal), 4-3; lost dec. to Diosbel Rivalta (Cuba), 3-1; pin Alejandro Aguilar (Mexico); dec. Ulices Valentin (Dominican Rep.), 5-0; pin Diosbel Rivalta (Cuba)
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Josh Fox, Colorado Springs, Colo., dnp - lost dec. to Sixto Gil (Venezuela), 3-2; won by ref. dec. over Jairo Alvarado (Venezuela), 1-0, ot, 8:00; lost dec. to Armando Fernandez (Mexico), 6-0
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Dennis Hall, Plover, Wis., 2nd - dec. Luis Fontes (Portugal), 3-0; dec. Luis Sarria (Cuba), 9-6; lost dec. to Juan Maren (Cuba), 3-0
69 kg/152 lbs. - Mike Ellsworth, Colorado Springs, Colo., 8th - lost dec. to Chris Saba (USA), 8-0; dec. Cam Weatherby (Canada), 4-0; pin David Zuniga (USA); lost dec. to Cecilio Rodriguez (Cuba), 6-0
69 kg/152 lbs. - Chris Saba, Colorado Springs, Colo., 9th - dec. Mike Ellsworth (USA), 8-0; lost dec. to Liubal Colas (Cuba), 4-0; dec. Angelo Brea (Dominican Republic), 5-2; lost dec. to Cecilio Rodriguez (Cuba), 6-0
69 kg/152 lbs. - David Zuniga, New Brighton, Minn., dnp - dec. Fernando Izquierdo (Colombia), 4-3; lost pin to Rodolpho Fuentes (Cuba); lost pin to Mike Ellsworth (USA)
69 kg/152 lbs. - Mike Tess, Colorado Springs, Colo., dnp - lost pin to Liubal Colas (Cuba); lost dec. to Cam Weatherby (Canada), 9-3
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Miguel Spencer, Colorado Springs, Colo., 8th -dec. Rafael Gomez (Cuba), 6-3; lost dec. to Stoyan Dobrev (Bulgaria), 4-0; lost dec. to Bisser Gueorgiev (Bulgaria), 5-3
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Jeff Funicello, Gilbert, Ariz., dnp - lost by tech. fall to Stoyan Dobrev (Bulgaria), 11-0; lost dec. to Roy Anderson (Norway), 3-2
85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Matt Lindland, Lincoln, Neb., 2nd - won by tech. fall over Juan Ramos (Spain), 12-0; won by tech. fall over Jose Ayala (Mexico), 13-0; dec. Alexis Banes (Cuba), 3-1; lost dec. to Luis Mendez (Cuba), 4-0
85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Dan Niebuhr, Colorado Springs, Colo., 4th - lost dec. to Luis Mendez (Cuba), 3-2; won by ref. dec. over Salvatore Campanella (Italy), 3-3. ot, 8:00; pin Edy Bartolose (Venezuela); dec. Ernesto Pena (Cuba), 5-2; lost dec. to Alexis Banes (Cuba), 5-0
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Dave Surofchek, Colorado Springs, Colo., 4th - dec. Rolando Luvin (Cuba), 3-2; dec. Eduardo Diaz (Venezuela), 8-0; lost dec. to Juan Veliz (Cuba), 3-2; dec. Michael Casso (Cuba), 4-0; lost by ref. dec. to Giuseppe Giunta (Italy), 2-0, ot, 8:00
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - John Oostendorp, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 5th - won by tech. fall over Jorge Ascuy (Chile), 14-3; lost dec. to Reynaldo Pena (Cuba), 3-0; won by tech. fall over Eduardo Diaz (Venezuela), 11-0; lost dec. to Giuseppi Giunta (Italy), 8-7
130 kg/286 lbs. -Rulon Gardner, Mesa, Ariz., 1st - won by tech. fall over Guillermo Diaz (Mexico), 10-0; won by tech. fall over Yangalines Jimenez (Cuba), 11-0; dec. Hector Millian (Cuba), 4-0