Tolly Thompson (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) won a silver medal at 286 pounds, the top U.S. performance in the Alexander Medved Grand Prix, a major freestyle wrestling tournament which was held in Minsk, Belarus, Sept. 26-28. 
 The tournament was hosted to celebrate the 60th birthday of three-time Olympic champion Alexander Medved, one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Medved is the president of the Belarus Wrestling Federation. 
 Thompson was pinned in the gold-medal finals by Oleg Horpyakov of Russia at the 2:28 mark. 
 He won his first two matches of the meet, stopping veteran Krasimir Kotchev of Bulgaria, 4-0, then scoring a 10-0 technical fall over Maxim Shevchenko of Belarus. Thompson is currently ranked No. 2 in the United States in his weight class. 
 Joel Sharratt (Bethlehem, Pa./Dave Schultz WC) won a bronze medal at 213.75 pounds. He defeated Andrey Eremenko of Belarus, 3-1 in the third-place match. 
 Sharratt had a 4-1 record in the tournament. His only lost was to the eventual champion Sergey Pryadun of Ukraine, 3-2 in the third round. Sharratt holds a No. 3 national ranking in the United States. 
 Terry Steiner (Madison, Wis.), placed sixth at 152 pounds. He lost his first match, but came back with four straight victories in the consolation rounds. His 7-3 loss to Dmitri Sirotin of Ukraine eliminated him from medal contention. 
 1997 World Team member Dan St. John (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids), placed ninth at 167.5 pounds with a 2-2 record. 
 The U.S. team was coached by two-time Olympic medalist John Peterson of Comstock, Wis. Peterson won an Olympic gold medal in 1972 and an Olympic silver medal in 1976. 
 Medved dominated wrestling for many years, competing for the former Soviet Union. He claimed three Olympic gold medals (1964, 1968, 1972) and seven World titles. His total of 10 World-level gold medals is the most of any freestyle wrestler in history. 
  MEDVED GRAND PRIX 
 at Minsk, Belarus, Sept. 26-28 
 Medalists 
 119 - Gold - German Kontoev (Belarus); Silver - Rasul Daibov (Russia); Bronze - Jung Soon-Won (Korea) 
 127.75 - Gold - Vyacheslav Senek (Belarus); Silver - Aslan Fidarov (Ukraine); Bronze - Musa Saydulbatalov (Ukraine) 
 138.75 - Gold - Oleg Gogol (Belarus); Silver - Bak Gin Kyk (Korea); Bronze - Velihan Alahverdiev (Russia) 
 152 - Gold - Ramiz Ramazanov (Russia); Silver - Albert Bazaev (Ukraine); Bronze - Efraim Kahraman (Turkey) 
 167.5 - Gold - Moon Eui-Jea (Korea); Silver - Radion Kertanti (Slovakia); Bronze - Gyram Mchedlidze (Ukraine) 
 187.25 - Gold - Georgiy Gogshelidze (Russia); Silver - Alexey Krupnyakov (Russia); Bronze - Rustem Kelehsaev (Russia) 
 213.75 - Gold - Sergey Pryadun (Ukraine); Silver - Yuriy Karlyuk (Ukraine); Bronze - Joel Sharratt (USA) 
 275.5 - Gold - Oleg Korpyakov (Russia); Silver - Tolly Thompson (USA); Bronze - Radjab Ashabaliev (Russia) 
 U.S. performances 
 127.75 - Chris Bollin, Weston, Mo., dnp - lost dec. to Viktor Belokopitniy (Ukraine), 4-1; dec. Roman Kollar (Slovakia), 4-3; dec. Ivan Yuzefovich (Belarus), 5-0; lost dec. to Park Dong Soo (Korea), 11-6 
 152 - Terry Steiner, Madison, Wis., 6th - lost dec. to Sergey Kirrilov (Russia), 3-2, ot, 6:30; won by tech. fall over Alexandr Shaban (Belarus), 10-0, 2:25; won by inj. dft. over Beslam Badalov (Russia), 3:57; dec. Oriyama Okihito (Japan), 3-2; dec. Musalav Omarov (Belarus), 11-3; lost dec. to Dmitri Sirotin (Ukraine), 7-3 
 167.5 - Dan St. John, Norman, Okla., 9th - won by tech. fall over Michael Ribakov (Lithuania), 10-0, 2:20; dec. Valeriy Hodgaev (Russia), 11-4; lost dec. to Moon Eui-Jea (Korea), 5-0; lost by pin to Gyram Mchedlidze (Ukraine), 3:50 
 187.25 - Dean Morrison, Morgantown, W.Va., dnp - lost dec. to Rustem Kelehsaev (Russia), 3-0; lost by pin to Alexey Karebo (Belarus), 4:17 
 213.75 - Joel Sharratt, Bethlehem, Pa., 3rd - dec. Kim Kil Soo (Korea), 3-2; dec. Vladimir Kazak (Belarus), 10-1; lost dec. to Sergey Pryadun (Ukraine), 3-2; pin Peter Pecha (Slovakia), 2:19; dec. Andrey Eremenko (Belarus), 3-1 
 286 - Tolly Thompson, Lincoln, Neb., 2nd - dec. Krasimir Kotchev (Bulgaria), 4-0; won by tech. fall over Maxim Shevchenko (Belarus), 10-0, 3:07; lost by pin to Oleg Horpyakov (Russia), 2:28