Men’s Freestyle Worlds Recap: Bronze medals by Dlagnev and Burroughs lead U.S. effort

The men’s freestyle part of the 2014 World Championships is complete and the Americans left Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with two medals, which is one more than the U.S. team captured a year ago in Budapest, Hungary.

Unfortunately, the American men also will leave the Gymnastics Palace without a United World Wrestling gold medal for the first time since 2010 when the United States failed to medal in those World Championships.

The only two Americans to place in men’s freestyle were two-time World champion (and 2012 Olympic gold medalist) Jordan Burroughs and five-time World Team member Tervel Dlagnev, who each settled for bronze medals.

Burroughs, who was 18-0 in four World/Olympic tournaments entering the 2014 semifinals, lost for the first time to Russia’s Denis Tsargush, who eventually won his third World title who twice lost to Burroughs (in the 2011 Worlds and 2012 Olympics). Burroughs came back to pin Rustam Dudaev of the Ukraine for third place and his fourth World/Olympic medal since winning a second NCAA title and the Dan Hodge Trophy for Nebraska in 2011.

Dlagnev has now competed in the bronze-medal bout of every World/Olympic tournament he has competed in, including the 2009 Worlds when the former two-time NCAA Division II champion from Nebraska-Kearney also claimed a bronze medal. But going into the 2014 Worlds, Dlagnev settled for fifth place in the 2011 Worlds, 2012 Olympics and 2013 Worlds.

Dlagnev’s only loss in Uzbekistan came against eventual gold medalist lost to Taha Akgul of Turkey, who defeated the American in last year’s bronze-medal match. Dlagnev came back to beat Alexei Shemarov of Belarus, 2-1, in this year’s bronze-medal bout.

Overall, seven of the eight Americans won at least one match to help the squad — which was 14-8 in the two days — finish tied for ninth place with the Ukraine with 20 points. Russia, with five gold medals, won the team title with 62 points, followed by Iran, which scored 45 points off three silver medals and two bronze medals. Turkey with one gold medal, one silver and one bronze, finished third with 41 points.

The following is a recap of the American men’s freestyle team at the 2014 Worlds, hosted by United World Wrestling (formerly FILA). Women’s freestyle will compete between Wednesday and Friday (Sept. 10-12) with the tournament wrapping up with Greco-Roman Friday through Sunday (Sept. 12-14).

U.S. men’s freestyle results from Day 1

In just his first World Championships, Tony Ramos (top) wrestled in just one match at 57 kilos. (Bob Mayeri image)

57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Tony Ramos, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC)
lost to Bekhbayar Erdenebat (Mongolia), 4-7

70 kg/154 lbs. – Nick Marable, Morgantown, W.Va. (Sunkist Kids)
dec. Akzurek Tantarov (Kazakhstan), 2-1
dec. Grigor Grigoryan (Armenia), 4-2
lost to Ali Shabanov (Belarus), 5-2

Nick Marable, who considered the first native of Tennessee to represent the U.S. in the World Championships, defeated former World medalist Akzurek Tantarov (Kazakhstan) in the first round. (Bob Mayeri image)

86 kg/189 lbs. – Ed Ruth, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
dec. Yusup Melejaev (Turkmenistan), 12-2
lost to Askari Mohammadian (Iran), 4-7

Worlds rookie Ed Ruth outscored two foes, 16-9, but split two matches. (Bob Mayeri image)

Tervel Dlagnev has appeared in the bronze medal of all five Worlds he has competed in, and won two of those (2009 and 2014). (Bob Mayeri image

125 kg/275 lbs. – Tervel Dlagnev, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids/Ohio RTC) – Bronze Medal

dec. Aleksandr Romanov (Moldova), 11-1
dec. Soslan Gagloev (Slovakia), 5-0
lost to Taha Akgul (Turkey), 2-4
dec. Aslan Dzebisov (Azerbaijan), 3-1
dec. Alexei Shemarov (Belarus), 2-1

U.S. men’s freestyle results from Day 2 (Sept. 9)

61 kg/134 lbs. – Jimmy Kennedy, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC/Cliff Keen WC)
Won by TF over Hamka Hamka (Indonesia), 10-0
Lost to Andrei Perpelita (Moldova), 6-4

Jimmy Kennedy (left) scored a technical fall in his first-ever Worlds bout. (Bob Mayeri image)

65 kg/143 lbs. – Brent Metcalf, Iowa City, Iowa (New York AC/Hawkeye WC)
Won by TF over Yun-Seok Lee (Korea), 11-0
Lost to Mustafa Kaya (Turkey), 6-4

After going 0-2 in two previous Worlds, Brent Metcalf finally won a Worlds match with a 11-0 technical fall. (Bob Mayeri image)

74 kg/163 lbs. – Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska Wrestling TC)
Defeated Augusto Midana (Guinea Bisau), 4-3
Won by TF over Yunseok Lee (Korea), 13-2
Defeated Rashid Kurbanov (Uzbekistan), 5-0
Lost to Denis Tsargush (Russia), 9-2
Pinned Rustam Dudaev (Ukraine) in bronze-medal match, 2:48

Jordan Burroughs (left) believes he “tweaked” his left knee in his first-round match over Augusto Midana of Guinea Bisau. (Bob Mayeri image)

97 kg/213 lbs. – Jake Varner, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
Defeated William Harth (Germany), 7-0
Lost to Valeri Andriitsev (Ukraine), 5-3

Jake Varner’s match against Valeri Andritsev of Ukraine was a rematch of their gold medal meeting in the 2012 Olympics, then won by Varner. (Bob Mayeri image)