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The Republic, Indiana
Aug 6 2012
Hamid Soryan gives Iran 1st Olympic gold in Greco-Roman wrestling,
Vlasov also wins
LUKE MEREDITH AP Sports Writer
LONDON - It always seemed a bit strange that wrestling-mad Iran had
never won an Olympic gold medal in the Greco-Roman discipline.
Russia's Roman Vlasov reacts after defeating Armenia's Arsen
Julfalakyan in the 74-kg Greco-Roman wrestling gold medal match at the
2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Paul
Sancya)
Hamid Soryan ended that drought on Sunday, and he might not be the
only Iranian to scoop up gold in London either.
Soryan, the five-time world champion, won his country's first gold
medal in men's 55-kilogram, beating Rovshan Bayramov of Azerbaijan
2-0, 1-0.
"I'm hoping that I made everybody happy back home," Soryan said.
Iran has 30 overall medals in freestyle but had only two, a silver and
a bronze, in Greco-Roman before Sunday. The Iranians also have a pair
of Greco-Roman world champions in Omid Noroozi at 60 kilograms and
Saeid Morad Abdvali at 66 kg, and both are considered the favorite in
their respective classes.
Roman Vlasov of Russia won gold as well on Sunday, defeating Armenia's
Arsen Julfalakyan 1-0, 1-0 in the final of the men's 74-kilogram
category.
The 21-year-old Vlasov, who hails from the same Siberian city of
Novosibirsk that produced wrestling great Aleksandr Karelin, now has
Olympic gold to match a world championship in 2011.
There was a lot of pressure on Vlasov to win gold. He didn't
disappoint, and he's in position to dominate this weight class for
years to come.
"It has not sunk in yet that I have the gold medal. I am just so
happy," Vlasov said. "The whole country has supported me, has rooted
for me. This is a success of the whole country."
Soryan has been the best Greco-Roman wrestler in the world at his
weight for years, but he stumbled badly in Beijing and finished fifth.
He bounced back with world titles in 2009 and '10, but only an Olympic
gold would make up for 2008.
Soryan didn't waste his second chance.
Soryan scored two late points to win the first frame. Bayramov then
needed either a pin - which was highly unlikely - or to win the last
two periods. But when Soryan scored midway through the second period,
the match was all but over.
"Beijing was a bit of experience, and I've used that experience to
achieve this victory," Soryan said.
Bayramov, the defending world champion, lost in the Olympic final for
the second straight time after falling to Nazir Mankiev of Russia in
Beijing. He seemed overcome by the thought of another silver medal,
briefly putting his hands to his face when he was announced to the
crowd.
Sensing this, fans began clapping harder as if to let Bayramov know
that, in their eyes, he'd done all he could do.
Julfalakyan was trying to join his father and coach, Levon
Julfalakyan, a gold medalist for the Soviet Union in 1988, as the
first father-son duo to win Olympic gold medals.
Vlasov wasn't having any of that.
The Russian was shaky at the outset, dropping the first period against
Denmark's Mark Madsen in his opening match. Vlasov kept France's
Christophe Guenot from scoring on him in last 30 seconds of the third
period to reach the semifinals, where he closed out Lithuania's
Aleksandr Kazakevic 3-0, 1-0.
Julfalakyan hadn't allowed a point in reaching the finals, where he
was overwhelmed by Vlasov.
"I respect him as an opponent. His father was an Olympic champion, and
every meeting I have with him is a difficult one," Vlasov said.
As expected, the Americans didn't get very far.
Spenser Mango won his first match over Egypt's Abouhalima Abouhalima,
but Bayramov had little trouble with him in his next match, winning
4-0, 4-0. Mango dropped the first match of the consolation bracket to
Russia's Mingiyan Semenov 2-0, 1-0.
"Work hard, that's all I can do, and come back in 2016," Mango said.
Ben Provisor also won his first match before Georgia's Zurabi
Datunashvili beat him 1-0, 6-0. Provisor stopped wrestling after his
elbow popped out, though he was unlikely to win anyway.
(Story distributed by The Associated Press)
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/fd347f83a3bcb3644337710d72a8db80/OLY--WRE-Greco-Roman-Rdp
Aug 6 2012
Hamid Soryan gives Iran 1st Olympic gold in Greco-Roman wrestling,
Vlasov also wins
LUKE MEREDITH AP Sports Writer
LONDON - It always seemed a bit strange that wrestling-mad Iran had
never won an Olympic gold medal in the Greco-Roman discipline.
Russia's Roman Vlasov reacts after defeating Armenia's Arsen
Julfalakyan in the 74-kg Greco-Roman wrestling gold medal match at the
2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Paul
Sancya)
Hamid Soryan ended that drought on Sunday, and he might not be the
only Iranian to scoop up gold in London either.
Soryan, the five-time world champion, won his country's first gold
medal in men's 55-kilogram, beating Rovshan Bayramov of Azerbaijan
2-0, 1-0.
"I'm hoping that I made everybody happy back home," Soryan said.
Iran has 30 overall medals in freestyle but had only two, a silver and
a bronze, in Greco-Roman before Sunday. The Iranians also have a pair
of Greco-Roman world champions in Omid Noroozi at 60 kilograms and
Saeid Morad Abdvali at 66 kg, and both are considered the favorite in
their respective classes.
Roman Vlasov of Russia won gold as well on Sunday, defeating Armenia's
Arsen Julfalakyan 1-0, 1-0 in the final of the men's 74-kilogram
category.
The 21-year-old Vlasov, who hails from the same Siberian city of
Novosibirsk that produced wrestling great Aleksandr Karelin, now has
Olympic gold to match a world championship in 2011.
There was a lot of pressure on Vlasov to win gold. He didn't
disappoint, and he's in position to dominate this weight class for
years to come.
"It has not sunk in yet that I have the gold medal. I am just so
happy," Vlasov said. "The whole country has supported me, has rooted
for me. This is a success of the whole country."
Soryan has been the best Greco-Roman wrestler in the world at his
weight for years, but he stumbled badly in Beijing and finished fifth.
He bounced back with world titles in 2009 and '10, but only an Olympic
gold would make up for 2008.
Soryan didn't waste his second chance.
Soryan scored two late points to win the first frame. Bayramov then
needed either a pin - which was highly unlikely - or to win the last
two periods. But when Soryan scored midway through the second period,
the match was all but over.
"Beijing was a bit of experience, and I've used that experience to
achieve this victory," Soryan said.
Bayramov, the defending world champion, lost in the Olympic final for
the second straight time after falling to Nazir Mankiev of Russia in
Beijing. He seemed overcome by the thought of another silver medal,
briefly putting his hands to his face when he was announced to the
crowd.
Sensing this, fans began clapping harder as if to let Bayramov know
that, in their eyes, he'd done all he could do.
Julfalakyan was trying to join his father and coach, Levon
Julfalakyan, a gold medalist for the Soviet Union in 1988, as the
first father-son duo to win Olympic gold medals.
Vlasov wasn't having any of that.
The Russian was shaky at the outset, dropping the first period against
Denmark's Mark Madsen in his opening match. Vlasov kept France's
Christophe Guenot from scoring on him in last 30 seconds of the third
period to reach the semifinals, where he closed out Lithuania's
Aleksandr Kazakevic 3-0, 1-0.
Julfalakyan hadn't allowed a point in reaching the finals, where he
was overwhelmed by Vlasov.
"I respect him as an opponent. His father was an Olympic champion, and
every meeting I have with him is a difficult one," Vlasov said.
As expected, the Americans didn't get very far.
Spenser Mango won his first match over Egypt's Abouhalima Abouhalima,
but Bayramov had little trouble with him in his next match, winning
4-0, 4-0. Mango dropped the first match of the consolation bracket to
Russia's Mingiyan Semenov 2-0, 1-0.
"Work hard, that's all I can do, and come back in 2016," Mango said.
Ben Provisor also won his first match before Georgia's Zurabi
Datunashvili beat him 1-0, 6-0. Provisor stopped wrestling after his
elbow popped out, though he was unlikely to win anyway.
(Story distributed by The Associated Press)
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/fd347f83a3bcb3644337710d72a8db80/OLY--WRE-Greco-Roman-Rdp