Running Amateur Wrestling Thread

When the conversation turns to sports dynasties, this program has to be mentioned early.

Penn State has made some bad coaching hires. This was not one of them. Cael Sanderson might be the sharpest guy in America with cauliflower ears.

 

Never thought I'd see something more dominant than Gable's Iowa teams.

 

Brooks must be fun on a date.

"Aaron, would you like a blow job?"

"Only if you can do it in the name of our Lord"

 

A Pennsylvania high school sophomore ragdolls former NCAA champ for tech fall to get to finals for chance at Olympic trials.

 

This ESPN feature on cauliflower ear has been bugging the shit out of me all day. It's not a fucking badge of honor. It's a sign you don't wear your headgear (for the most part). We should not be setting this as an aspiration for young wrestlers or boxers or mixed martial artists.

Maybe you think it makes you look tough at 18, but it's embarrassing at 55.

 

Crazy story out of the European Qualifier for Paris that was held in Azerbaijan last week.

Cuban-Italian, and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, Frank Chamizo was in the semi-finals against Azerbaijani Turan Bayramov at 74kg. Match is tied 8-8 going in to the final seconds when Chamizo scores a takedown for the win. Referees go to the video to confirm it, which they do. And it was a good call.

Then the Azerbaijan coach challenges the call. A committee of judges review and reverse the call giving the win - and a spot at the Olympics - to Bayramov. An awful and inexplicable call.

Now Chomizo says he was approached before the match and offered $300,000 to throw it.

Instagram video of the end of the match:

110K views · 15K likes | Frank Chamizo on Instagram: "Quiero pedir disculpa a quien está mirando esto mi deporte es bello. Esto es solo un grupo de personas sobornadas y corruptas que tristeza el corazón me llora mi deporte es bello mi deporte es bello lo siento lo siento .."

AP Story on Chomizo's claim:

Italian wrestler Chamizo claims he rejected $300,000 bribe to throw a match he controversially lost

 

One of the great ones retired.

https://x.com/o__wrestle/status/1778581849876373723?s=46&t=f1bCJ9Ncf7mPQzqE8-YWxQ

 

Two-time world champ J'den Cox left his shoes on the mat last night.

https://apnews.com/article/us-olympic-wrestling-trials-9967d2f472640b11c38b176b92d00c23

 

How do you lose a match 2-2, as stated in the lead? Criteria, or a typo?

 

Criteria. Kollin Moore got a takedown while Cox' points were 1-pointers for Moore being passive and then stepping out.

 

Huge news as the IOC released its list of Russian and Belarusian wrestlers who are eligible to compete as independent athletes.

2x Olympic gold medalist and 5x world champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev was not included. His absence takes out one of the big three in the 97kg bracket of death, where Saludev, 2016 gold & 2020 silver medalist Kyle Snyder and current world champion Akhmed Tazhudinov of Bahrain were all slated to be in the bottom half of the bracket.

Also left off the list was 2020 74kg Greco gold medalist Zaurbek Sidakov. It looks like his absence may open the door for American Kamal Bey to wrestle in Paris as he's the next eligible athlete in line after the US failed to qualify that weight.

 

This is from last week, but I missed it then.

Wild finish to the 67kg Greco semi-finals at an Olympic tune up in Budapest. 2020 gold medalist Luis Orta of Cuba appears beat by the Iranian Saieed Esmaeli Leivesi, but Leivesi starts to celebrate a touch too early.