NEW! Gardner/Lindland Advance - Elimination Results - 58, 69, 85, 130 kg

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Heather Van Peursem (USA Wrestling)
12/08/2001


Two members of the U.S. team advanced out of their pools and have moved on to the quarterfinal rounds at the weight classes at the 2001 Greco-Roman World Championships in Patras, Greece Dec. 8. 2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland (Oregon City, Ore./Sunkist Kids) at 85 kg and 2000 Olympic champion Rulon Gardner (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 130 kg.     Lindland decisioned Bojan Mijatov 7-0 then came from behind to decision Cotcha Cichiashvili of Israel 6-2. He was down to Cichiashvili 2-0 before scoring two points on a gut wrench early in the second period. Then Cichiashvili was called twice for legs which gave Lindland two points each time to give him the 6-2 lead.      Gardner decisioned Georgiy Soldadse of Ukraine 3-0 to win his pool. He decisioned Yuriy Yevseychyk of Israel 3-0 in his first match. He will now face Yuri Patrikeev of Russia. "It will be a slow, methodical match with him," said Gardner. "He beat me at the Podubbny Tournament and I want to avenge that. I will need to keep the pace as I want it."     Gruenwald won his pool with a 3-2 decision over Ruslan Khakymov of Ukraine and a 10-0 technical fall over Tomas Kathan of Austria. He then lost a 6-3 decision in the next round against Ali Ashkani of Iran. Ashkani finished fifth at the 2000 Olympic Games last year in Sydney while Gruenwald finished sixth.     Marcel Cooper (Triangle, Va./U.S. Marine Corps) lost his second match in overtime 3-2. He will not advance out of his pool.    2001 Greco-Roman World Championships    Patras, Greece, Dimitrios Tofalos Arena, Dec. 8    58 kg    Jim Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids);  dec. Ruslan Khakymov (Ukraine), 3-2; won by tech. fall over Tomas Kathan (Austria), 10-0, 4:58; lost dec. to Ali Ashkani (Iran), 6-3    69 kg    Marcel Cooper, Triangle, Va. (U.S. Marine Corps); lost dec. to Son Sang Pil (Korea), 6-2; lost dec. to Velin Marinov (Bulgaria), 3-2, ot, 6:14    85 kg    Matt Lindland, Oregon City, Ore. (Sunkist Kids);  dec. Bojan Mijatov (Yugoslavia), 7-0; dec. Cotcha Cichiashvili (Israel), 6-2;     130 kg    Rulon Gardner, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids); dec. Yuriy Yevseychyk (Israel), 3-0; dec. Georgiy Soldadse (Ukraine), 3-0