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Pico, Butler, Micic qualify for bronze matches in freestyle at UWW Junior Worlds in Brazil
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By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | Aug. 16, 2015, 1:45 p.m. (ET)
Aaron Pico gets behind Kalman Balasz of Hungary on the way to a technical fall at 66 kg at the UWW Junior Worlds in Brazil.
SALVADOR, Brazil – Three American wrestlers have earned spots in the bronze-medal round on the final day of the UWW Junior World Championships on Sunday.
Going for bronze are Stevan Micic (Cedar Lake, Ind. (Chicago RTC) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Aaron Pico (Whittier, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and Nathan Butler (Leavenworth, Kan. (California RTC) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.
The championship finals begin at 6:00 p.m., which is 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern time and will be streamed live on the UWW website at UnitedWorldWrestling.org
Pico opened with a pair of technical falls, dispatching Kalman Balasz of Hungary, 11-0, then 2015 Asian Junior champion Ilyas Zhumay of Kazakhstan, 10-0.
In the semifinals, Pico lost a wild match to 2014 Youth Olympic Games champion and 2014 Cadet World champion Teymur Mammadov of Azerbaijan. Right off the bat, Pico hit a leg shot but Mammadov threw him with a cutback counter for four points. Pico battled back in the match, tying it up at 6-6 in the second period. Mammadov was put on the shot clock, and Pico received a point for a 7-6 lead. With just one second left, Mammadov pushed Pico out of bounds to tie it at 7-7. The four-point move by Mammadov gave him the tiebreaker.
Pico will face 2015 European Junior champion Enus Uslu of Turkey for the bronze medal.
Pico, a 2014 UWW Junior World silver medalist, will seek his second Junior World medal. Pico was also a UWW Cadet World champion in 2013.
Stanford heavyweight Nathan Butler (Leavenworth, Kan./California RTC) opened the tournament at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. with a big win over 2014 Europeam Junior champion Beka Kandelaki of Georgia, 6-2.
Kandelaki led 2-1 early in the second period, but Butler got things going late in the match with a takedown with one minute left, then a counter takedown as time ran out. The Georgians protested at the end, which was denied, giving Butler the 6-2 win.
In the semifinals, Butler fell to Said Gamidov of Azerbaijan, 1-5. Gamidov led 1-0 at the break on a pushout. He added two takedowns in the second period, with Butler scoring only on a shot clock penalty.
Butler draws 2014 Junior World bronze medalist Kamil Kosciulek of Poland in his bronze-medal bout.
Past Cadet World team member Stevan Micic (Cedar Lake, Ind./Chicago RTC) opened his tournament with a disappointing 8-12 loss to 2015 Asian Junior champion Ravi Kumar of India. Micic led 8-2 at the break, getting his offense going well. But Kumar rallied with 10 second-period points to take the match.
When Kumar reached the finals, Micic was drawn back into the repechage. He quickly dispatched Samuel Jagas of Canada in a 10-0 technical fall, with a takedown and four straight turns.
He will face 2014 Asian Junior bronze medalist Zanzabar Zandanbud of Mongolia in the bronze-medal round.
Competing on his first U.S. World Championships was Arizona State recruit Zahid Valencia (Pico Rivera, Calif./Sunkist Kids) at 84 kg/185 lbs., who finished with a 1-1 record.
Valencia opened with a first-period 10-0 technical fall over Benjamin Optiz of Germany, scoring four takedowns and a gutwrench.
In the quarterfinals, Valencia kept it close against Arsen Musalaliev of Russia, but lost 4-7. Valencia trailed by one point late in the match, and was scored upon trying to take the lead. When Musalaliev was beaten in the semifinals, Valencia was not eligible for the repechage.
This is the final day of wrestling at the Junior World Championships. So far, the USA has won two medals, a gold medal from men’s freestyle star Spencer Lee and a bronze medal from women’s freestyle wrestler Becka Leathers.
UWW JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Salvador, Brazil
55 kg/121 lbs. – Stevan Micic, Cedar Lake, Ind. (Chicago RTC)
LOSS Ravi Kumar (India), 8-12
WIN Samuel Jagas (Canada), 10-0
Bronze Medal Match - Vs. Zanzabar Zandanbud (Mongolia)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Aaron Pico, Whittier, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Kalman Balasz (Hungary), 11-0
WIN Ilyas Zhumay (Kazakhstan), 10-0
LOSS Teymur Mammadov (Azerbaijan), 7-7
Bronze Medal Match - Vs. Enus Uslu (Turkey)
84 kg/185 lbs. – Zahid Valencia, Pico Rivera, Calif. (Sunkist Kids)
WIN Benjamin Optiz (Germany), tech. fall, 10-0
LOSS Arsen Musalaliev (Russia), 7-4
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Nathan Butler, Leavenworth, Kan. (California RTC)
WIN Beka Kandelaki (Georgia), 6-2
LOSS Said Gamidov (Azerbaijan), 1-5
Bronze Medal Match – Vs. Kamil Kosciulek (Poland)
