Greco News

Entry List for the 2018 German Grand Prix, The US Seniors’ World “Test Event”

By 5PM Staff

Posted on August 14, 2018

Jesse Thielke prepares for the 2018 Grand Prix of Germany

Jesse Thielke -- Photo: Tony Rotundo

Tomorrow morning, the 2018 US Senior Greco-Roman World Team will be heading over to Europe for the Grand Prix of Germany. As always, the main hook for this tour is not the competition itself but the accompanying international training camp that begins next week. Camp is the operative word for this year’s Senior World Team. First there was Oregon’s strength-and-conditioning camp; last week, the group worked together for five days in Vegas; now it is Germany; early next month it will be the major World/National Team camp in Colorado Springs; and then finally, the acclimation prep in Tata, Hungary that will conclude just before the start of the World Championships in Budapest.

But none of this renders the tournament this coming weekend inconsequential. Far from it. There are six first-time Senior World Team members for the US in 2018 and the squad has yet to compete as a fully-functional unit. This matters, certainly to an extent. We have not seen Sam Hazewinkel (55 kg, Sunkist) square off with a foreign (Greco) opponent in quite a while. The same can be said of Adam Coon (130 kg, Cliff Keen). Out of the six first-time Seniors, it is these two athletes most observers will be interested in checking out over the weekend.

Then there is Jon Jay Chavez (72 kg, NYAC/FLWC), who offers a compelling story in his own right. It’s not that Chavez hasn’t gotten in some international matches on occasion He has. But the fact that there haven’t been a lot of them recently along with his entrance into a new, lighter weight class automatically makes him someone to keep on eye on. Chavez last competed overseas at the 2017 Tbilisi Grand Prix. Though it was a 1-1 performance, Chavez still impressed due to the intensity he displayed and the general manner in which he went after the opposition. He profiles like an athlete who turns it on even more when the other guy has a different country code on the back of his singlet. If accurate, it is difficult to understate how valuable of an approach that may be given the task awaiting in Budapest.

The US also brings plenty of solid experience to the table. There are two Olympians on this Team — Jesse Thielke (63 kg, NYAC/LOG — Rio 2016) and Ellis Coleman (67 kg, Army/WCAP — London 2012). Kamal Bey (77 kg, Sunkist) won the Junior Worlds a year ago. Geordan Speiller (82 kg, Florida Jets), Patrick Martinez (87 kg, NYAC), and Dalton Roberts (60 kg, NYAC/OTS) all boast a collection of international wins and medals. It is, of course, worth noting that because Budapest won’t be the first hop in the saddle for Thielke, Coleman, Martinez, and G’Angelo Hancock (97 kg, Sunkist), it is likely they will use the Grand Prix of Germany more to work out kinks in their respective games than anything else.

They all want to win, it’s how they’re programmed. And watching the Americans go toe-to-toe with foreign counterparts they may find in their brackets come October is anything but meaningless. But ultimately, the Grand Prix of Germany represents an opportunity to workshop their attack plans and become reacquainted with the feel they need prior to the final homestretch of training that will close out the summer. Perhaps the most important takeaway is the point alluded to above. This event marks the US World Team’s first competition as a World Team. Whatever chemistry that builds from here on out will no doubt receive its most substantial boost from their time together on this particular trip.

2018 Grand Prix of Germany Entry List

TEAM USA

Note: the Grand Prix of Germany offers a 2 kg allowance; Ellis Coleman’s status for the tournament remains questionable as of press time.
*US World Team member

55 kg
*Sam Hazewinkel (Sunkist)
Max Nowry (Army/WCAP)

60 kg
*Dalton Roberts (NYAC/OTS)
Taylor LaMont (Sunkist)

63 kg
*Jesse Thielke (NYAC/LOG)

67 kg
*Ellis Coleman (Army/WCAP)
Alex Sancho (NYAC)

72 kg
*Jon Jay Chavez (NYAC/FLWC)

77 kg
*Kamal Bey (Sunkist)

82 kg
*Geordan Speiller (Florida Jets)

87 kg
*Patrick Martinez (NYAC)
Joe Rau (Chicago RTC)

97 kg
*G’Angelo Hancock (Sunkist)
Lucas Sheridan (Army/WCAP)

130 kg
*Adam Coon (Cliff Keen WC)

THE REST

55 kg

Nugzar Tsurtsumia (GEO)
Fabian Schmitt (GER)
Jozsef Andrasi (HUN)
Dogus Ayazci (TUR)

60 kg

Etienne Kinsinger (GER)
Lauri Mahonen (FIN)
Viktor Petryk (UKR)
Christopher Kramer (GER)
Ardit Fazljija (SWE)
Maksim Kazharski (BLR)
Christoffer Svensson (SWE)
Przemysław Piatek (POL)
Dawid Ersetic (POL)
Erik Torba (HUN)
Ali Elcin (TUR)

63 kg

Stig-Andre Berge (NOR)
Dato Chkhartishvili (GEO)
Deniz Menkse (GER)
Justas Petravicius (LTU)
Bence Kovacs (HUN)
Dmytro Tsymbaliuk (UKR)
Alexander Bica (SWE)
Yasin Ozay (FRA)
Hassan Mohammed (EGY)
Istvan Vancza (HUN)
Altan Abdurahaman (TUR)
Atalay Onur (TUR)

67 kg

Mateusz Bernatek (POL)
Edgaras Venckaitis (LTU)
Fredrik Bjerrehuus (DEN)
Soslan Duarov (BLR)
Vitalis Lazovski (GER)
Niklas Ohff (GER)
Erik Weiss (GER)
Michael Widmayer (GER)
Yasin Yeter (GER)
Benedict Puffer (AUT)
Morten Thoresen (NOR)
Mikko Peltokangas (FIN)
Rami Syrje (FIN)
Serhii Kozub (UKR)
Hussam Omar Ali (SWE)
Danielo Di Feola (SWE)
Marcus Sellden (SWE)
Simon Erlandson (SWE)
Gevorg Sahakyan (POL)
Mamadassa Sylla (FRA)
Andreas Vetsch (SUI)
Flavio Freuler (SUI)
Mate Krasznai (HUN)
Istvan Kozak (HUN)
Otto Losonczi (HUN)
Bence Balatoni (HUN)
Levan Kavjaradze (GEO)
Atakan Yuksel (TUR)

72 kg

Frank Staebler (GER)
Artak Margaryan (FRA)
Murat Dag (TUR)
Pavel Liakh (BLR)
Timo Badusch (GER)
Christoph Burger (AUT)
Stefan Steigl (AUT)
Jan Zizka (CZE)
Mateous Morbitzer (CZE)
Kristupas Sleiva (LTU)
Pal-Eirik Gundersen (NOR)
Vegard Jorgensen (NOR)
Mikko Lyctin (FIN)
Artur Politaiev (UKR)
Seyran Simonyan (TUR)
Daniel Soini (SWE)
Avtandil Gigoashvili (SWE)
Roman Pacurkowski (POL)
Nicolas Christ (SUI)
Robert Fritsch (HUN)
Ramaz Zoidze (GEO)

77 kg

Fatih Cengiz (TUR)
Tamas Lorincz (HUN)
Pascal Eisele (GER)
Alex Kessidis (SWE)
Florian Neumaier (GER)
Karan Mosebach (GER)
Oldrich Varga (CZE)
Rabbia Khalil (PLE)
Paul Galkinas (LTU)
Brage-Haugmo Ringheim (NOR)
Matias Lipasti (FIN)
Tero Halmesaki (FIN)
Mykola Daragan (UKR)
Elmar Nuraliev (UKR)
Dutro Pyshkov (UKR)
Khalid Kerchiyev (SWE)
Andre Isberg (SWE)
Dawid Klimek (POL)
Ivan Nylpiuk (POL)
Gil Nugues (FRA)
Anthony Tantini (FRA)
Laos Drmula (SVK)
Dennis Horvarth (SVK)
Zoltan Levai (HUN)
Beka Mamukashvili (GEO)
Mindia Tsulukidze (GEO)
Torniki Dzamashvili (GEO)
Emre Basar (TUR)
Serkan Akkoyun (TUR)

82 kg

Peter Bacsi (HUN)
Roland Schwarz (GER)
Gela Bolkvadze (GEO)
Hannes Wagner (GER)
Michael Wagner (AUT)
Petr Novak (CZE)
Jarno Alander (FIN)
Vili Roppones (FIN)
Yaroslav Filehakov (UKR)
Oskar Johansson (SWE)
Edgar Babyan (POL)
Niklas Krzystof (POL)
Maksym Zakharchuk (POL)
Dragutin Dukic (FRA)
Norbart Sipka (SVK)
Laszlo Szabo (HUN)

87 kg

Denis Kudla (GER)
Zakarias Berg (SWE)
Viktor Lorincz (HUN)
Julius Matuzevicius (LTU)
Arkadiusz Kulynycz (POL)
Evidas Stankevicius (LTU)
Martynas Nemesivicius (LTU)
Amer Hrustanovic (AUT)
Toni Metsomaki (FIN)
Semen Novikov (UKR)
Emil Sandal (SWE)
Aleksander Stepanetic (SWE)
Radzik Kulyev (BLR)
Eerik Aps (EST)
Tadeusz Michalik (POL)
Erik Szilvassy (HUN)
Gurami Khetsuriani (GEO)
Ali Gengiz (TUR)
Salih Aydin (TUR)

97 kg

Cenk Ildem (TUR)
Aliaksander Hrabovik (BLR)
Felix Baldauf (NOR)
Javid Hamzatau (BLR)
Leon Kessidis (GRE)
Ramsin Azizsir (GER)
Peter Oehler (GER)
Jan Zirn (GER)
Felix Radinger (GER)
Artur Omarov (CZE)
Vilius Laurinaitis (LTU)
Elias Kousman (FIN)
Arvi Savolaines (FIN)
Antti Makinen (FIN)
Vladlen Kozlink (UKR)
Pontus Lund (SWE)
Kalle Person (SWE)
Siarhei Staradub (BLR)
Marcin Olejniczak (POL)
Melon Noumonvi (FRA)
Tamas Soos (SVK)
Balaz Kiss (HUN)
Ivan Nemeth (HUN)
Zsolt Torok (HUN)
Giorgi Melia (GEO)
Suleiman Demirci (TUR)

130 kg

Heiki Nabi (EST)
Zviadi Pataridze (GEO)
Balint Lam (HUN)
Edward Popp (GER)
Oskar Marvik (NOR)
Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu (ROU)
Christian John (GER)
Jello Krahmer (GER)
Etka Sever (GER)
Marc Bonert (GER)
Stepan David (CZE)
Mantas Knystautas (LTU)
Tuomas Lahti (FIN)
Oleksandr Chernetskyy (UKR)
Georgi Chugoshvili (BLR)
Iosef Chugoshvili (BLR)
Kyril Hryschanka (BLR)
Rafal Krajewski (POL)
Marcin Luto (POL)
Daniel Ligeti (HUN)
Abddellatif Ahmed (EGY)
Iakobi Kajaia (GEO)