2012 Olympian Coleman among surprise winners in Greco at Trials

Photo: Ellis Coleman (bottom), who appeared in the 2012 Olympics, moved closer to another Games when he defeated 2021 Olympian Alejandro Sancho at 67 kilos in the Greco-Roman tournament of the 2024 Olympic Trials in State College, Pa.

The following are the Best-of-3 Championship matches in the six Greco-Roman weight of the 2024 Olympic Trials in State College, Pa., April 19-20. WIN Magazine will provide even more comprehensive coverage of this event in our next issue, printed May 1. Click here or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe.

60k/132 pounds – Dalton Roberts (Army WCAP) defeated Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP), two matches to one

Match 1 – Roberts dec. Hafizov, 2-0 — Both of Roberts’ points came in the first period off a pair of stepouts.

Match 2 – Hafizov won by TF over Roberts, 10–1 — After giving up a stepout to Roberts, Hafizov exploded with a pair of four-pointers during a 23-second phase in the first period, the second one ending the bout with 48 seconds left in the period.

Match 3 — Roberts dec. Hafizov, 3-2 — Roberts ended his 17^th all-time meeting with his Army teammate by scoring a takedown 20 seconds into the second period. This earned him a chance to first qualify the weight, May 9-12 in Istanbul, Turkey, and hopefully a chance to compete in the Olympics.

67k/147.5 pounds — Ellis Coleman (WCAP) defeated Alejandro Sancho (WCAP), two matches to one

Match 1 – Sancho dec. Coleman, 1-1 – Both points came off passivity with neither man scoring off par terre advantage. Coleman did get a second chance in par terre with 1:06 left but could not score.

Match 2 – Coleman dec. Sancho, 2-0 — Coleman dec. Sancho, 2-0 — Coleman scored both of his points when Sancho was called for passivity – one in each period the final one with 1:26 left.

Match 3 – Coleman dec. Sancho, 3-2 — The 2012 Olympian made the most of his passivity par terre when he used a gut to score two points with two minutes left. He will now try to first qualify the weight, May 9-12 in Istanbul, Turkey, for a chance to compete in Paris in August.

77k/169.5 pounds — Kamal Bey (WCAP) defeated Aliaksandr Kikinou (NYAC), two matches to none

Match 1 – Bey won by TF over Kikinou, 9-1 — Bey scored a pair of four-point throws; the first off a passivity par terre with 1:21 left in the first period; the second coming with two minutes in the bout after the 44-year-old Kikinou earned a stepout point.

Match 2 – Bey dec. Kikinou, 6-0 — Bey, a three-time World Team member, scored all his points in the first period, including off an arm drag that led to a four-point throw with 1:46 left in the frame. Bey will now try to qualify the weight for Team USA, May 9-12 in Turkey, for the Olympics.

87k/191.5 pounds — Payton Jacobson (NMU/SKWC) defeated Spencer Woods (WCAP), two matches to one

Match 1 – Jacobson dec. Woods, 8-2 — All the points were scored in the first period, including a four-point arm throw with 41 seconds left in the frame that gave him a 5-0 lead. Woods earned a pair of exposure points in the flurry before Jacobson added two more points with 30 seconds left.

Match 2 – Woods dec. Jacobson, 5-2 — Working off passivity par terre in the second period, Woods used a reverse gut lift but to score four points with 1:53 left.

Match 3 – Jacobson dec. Woods, 3-1 — The native of Elkhorn, Wisc., earned an Olympic spot when he scored two exposure points from par terre at the 1:16 mark in the first period.

97k/213.5 pounds — Joe Rau (TMWC) defeated Alan Vera (NYAC), two matches to one

Match 1 – Vera dec. Rau, 7-1 — Vera made the most of his second passivity par terre advantage when he lifted and gutted Rau three times with one minute left in the bout. Otherwise, both men scored off the other’s passivity.

Match 2 – Rau dec. Vera, 6-0 — Rau scored two of his points from Vera’s passivity and added a two-point takedown with two seconds left in the first period.

Match 3 – Rau won by TF over Vera, 8-0 — Rau earned his first Olympic spot when he scored two takedowns in the first period; the first leading to a pair of gut turns, the second ending the match with 20 seconds left in the first period.

130k/286.5 pounds — Adam Coon (CKWC) defeated Cohlton Schultz (SKWC), two matches to one

Match 1 – Schultz dec. Coon, 3-1 — All of Schultz’s points came in the first period; two stepouts and a passivity against Coon, who tallied his only point from passivity in the second frame.

Match 2 – Coon dec. Schultz, 1-1 — Both men scored their point off the other’s passivity with the 2019 World silver medalist doing it last with 2:20 left. Coon earned another chance in par terre when Coon was called for passivity with 1:13 left but could not score.

Match 3 – Coon dec. Schultz, 6-1 — Coon earned his first Olympic spot when scored a takedown and two stepouts in the first period, then added another takedown after Schultz earned a passivity point.