The second and last stop on the current tour of Sweden for most of the US culminates this weekend at the 2017 Malar Cupen in Västerås and after Day 1, there are three Americans in position to win it all.
Two-time Junior World Team member Randon Miranda (59 kg, NYAC/OTS) has a great chance to pick up his second gold medal in as many weeks. He’s 2-0 thus far with a tech over Otto Miikki (FIN) and a pin in his next match versus Sweden’s Muhammed Anvari. Last week, Miranda earned his third international title of 2017 at the Klippan Cup, where aside from a close bout in the pool finals, was similarly dominant throughout the day. (An example of Miranda’s handiwork can be found below.)
From today pic.twitter.com/UQFW749Riz
— Randon (@randontheguy) November 4, 2017
The Malar Cupen is actually Benji Peak‘s (63 kg, NMU/OTS) third tournament overseas this month, having earned bronze medals at both the Bear Cup in Denmark and the Klippan Cup. Putting points on the board has not been a problem for him on the first day of action in Västerås. Competing in Pool A, Peak tech’ed out all three opponents, outscoring his foes a combined 34-8. His first opponent Sunday morning with be Ron Siren (FIN).
Peyton Robb (76 kg, Minnesota Storm) just missed out on a podium spot last weekend following a hectic high-scoring battle with Lukas Ahlgren (SWE). Robb and Ahlgren then met again on Wednesday as part of the Team USA/Team Skåne Brottning dual meet with the Minnesota in control throughout en-route to a 9-2 victory. The 2017 Cadet Pan Am champ must’ve had his confidence working again today, because like Miranda and Peak, he is also going into tomorrow unscathed in pool competition. A tough win over August Eriksson (SWE) opened up his morning and he followed up with a pin and a tech in his next two matches as he now prepares for the second and final day of wrestling.
If there is one well-known prospect on the US roster who certainly wants to perform well internationally, it’s Tommy Brackett (85 kg, TN), the eager, tough-as-nails high schooler who declares his intent to pursue a full-time Greco-Roman career every chance he gets. However, Brackett didn’t have the tournament of his life last Saturday and Wednesday’s dual didn’t go his way, either. But he righted the ship on Saturday to stay alive in his pool. Brackett enters Sunday with a shot at winning his first international title after going 2-0 with wins over Rickard Modig (SWE) and Arttu-Petteri Klami (FIN) 7-3, respectively.
Notes:
- Britton Holmes (71 kg, NMU/OTS) put himself on the map last year with his win at the Malar Cupen and since that point, he has turned himself into one of the country’s best young full-timers with impressive performances everywhere he’s been. However — there will not be a repeat at this event. Holmes won his first match but dropped his next two to end his bid for gold.
- Wisconsin youths Logan Hatch (63 kg) and Hunter Lewis (54 kg) are both 1-1 and staring down possible contention for podium spots. Hatch briskly dispatched of Kristoffer Pettersen (NOR) in his second bout with a nifty takedown to gut sequence before finishing him off with a lift attempt that went out of bounds but still saw Pettersen drop. Lewis, who took bronze here in 2016, can still do so and he opens up with Abulfazel Hashimy (SWE).
- Dominic Damon (63 kg, WA), too, is still in it with wins in two of his three bouts. Altogether, Team USA Greco-Roman has 17 wrestlers advancing to Day 2, which is to say, incredible.
- The Nordic system of pool competition already guarantees athletes get in multiple matches. But the Malar Cupen takes it to a different level, as wrestlers can sometimes have as many as five bouts or more in order to medal. Case in point: last year, US wrestlers who placed averaged 5.6 matches. So even if a wrestler has a loss, due to the size of the pool brackets placing is still in view.
2017 Malar Cupen — Västerås, Sweden
Team USA Day 1 Results
CADET
54 kg
Hunter Lewis (WI)
LOSS Niklas Öhlen (SWE) 8-0, TF
WIN Hugo Hübinette (SWE) via fall
58 kg
Austin Almaguer (WA)
LOSS Henri Halonen (FIN) 9-5
WIN Mansor Tasuev (NOR) via fall
LOSS Shirshah Amiri (SWE) 4-0
63 kg
Benji Peak (NMU/OTS)
WIN Puttichart Phaikoonwong (SWE) 18-8, TF
WIN Noah Reister (GER) 8-0, TF
WIN Walter Wale (SWE) 8-0, TF
Dominic Damon (WA)
LOSS Walter Wale (SWE) 4-3
WIN Elias Moen (NOR) 7-2
WIN Noah Reister (GER) 8-0, TF
Logan Hatch (WI)
LOSS Radoslaw Molin (SWE) 3-3 (criteria)
WIN Kristoffer Pettersen (NOR) 8-0, TF
76 kg
Peyton Robb (Minnesota Storm)
WIN August Eriksson (SWE) 3-0
WIN Alireza Tajik (SWE) via fall
WIN Rikard Åhlen (SWE) 8-0, TF
85 kg
Jacob Olson (WA)
WIN Benjamin Sjöstrand (NOR) 8-0, TF
LOSS Antti Haanpää (FIN) 14-6, TF
SENIOR
59 kg
Randon Miranda (NYAC/OTS)
WIN Otto Miikki (FIN) 8-0, TF
WIN Muhammed Anvari (SWE) via fall
Luis Hernandez (OTC)
LOSS Linus Markusson (SWE) 8-0, TF
66 kg
Riley Briggs (NMU/OTS)
WIN Markus Tjörnby (SWE) via fall
WIN Eemeli Kunttu (FIN) 8-0, TF
LOSS Mikkel Lassen (DEN) 13-8
Jake Drexler (WI)
LOSS Mikkel Lassen (DEN) 8-0
LOSS Anton Rosen (SWE) via fall
Mason Hartshorn (NMU/OTS)
LOSS Kasper Ravn (DEN) 8-0, TF
WIN Erik Spence (NMU/OTS) 9-0, TF
WIN Ahmad Zaki Yaqobi (SWE) 8-0, TF
Erik Spence (NMU/OTS)
LOSS Mason Hartshorn (NMU/OTS) 9-0, TF
LOSS Anton Holk (SWE) 8-0, TF
71 kg
Britton Holmes (NMU/OTS)
WIN Lucas Söderblom (SWE) 8-0, TF
LOSS Emil Svensson (SWE) 11-5
LOSS Marcus Selldén (SWE) 8-0, TF
Calvin Germinaro (NMU/OTS
LOSS Simon Erlandsson (SWE) 10-2, TF
WIN Babar Ali (SWE) via fall
LOSS Rasmus Åström (SWE) via fall
Justin Lien (NMU/OTS)
LOSS Elias Andersson (SWE) 9-2
LOSS Salim Al Rays (SWE) 9-0, TF
75 kg
Josh Anderson (NMU/OTS)
LOSS Calle Norberg (SWE) 4-2
LOSS Sharafmal Sediqi (DEN) 3-2
Colby Baker (NMU/OTS)
WIN Gustav Bengtsson (SWE) 10-6
LOSS Jesper Øiaas (NOR) 10-1, TF
LOSS Michael Donato (NMU/OTS) 10-0, TF
Michael Donato (NMU/OTS)
WIN Jesper Øiaas (NOR) 9-0, TF
LOSS Mikkel Wind (DEN) 10-0, TF
WIN Colby Baker (NMU/OTS) 10-1, TF
80 kg
Corey Fitzgerald (NMU/OTS)
LOSS Andrija Maletin (SWE) via fall
LOSS Joseph Rodriguez (SWE) 10-6
Carter Nielsen (NMU/OTS)
WIN Albin Olofsson (SWE) via fall
WIN Martin Gistorp (NOR) 8-0, TF
85 kg
Tommy Brackett (TN)
WIN Rickard Modig (SWE) 10-3
WIN Arttu-Petteri Klami (FIN) 7-3
George Sikes (NMU/OTS)
LOSS Martin Dalsbotten (NOR) 8-0, TF
98 kg
Keaton Fanning (NMU/OTS)
LOSS Aleksandar Stjepanetic (SWE) via fall
LOSS Elias Kenneryd (SWE) 8-0, TF
Spencer Wilson (NMU/OTS)
LOSS Martynas Nemsevicius (DEN) via fall
130 kg
Nick Boykin (Sunkist)
LOSS Mattias Viitanen (SWE) via fall
WIN Fardin Anosheh (SWE) via fall
Marc Leon (NMU/OTS)
LOSS Fardin Anosheh (SWE) 8-0, TF
LOSS Mattias Viitanen (SWE) via fall
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