Greco team highlight


The first session of the UWW junior world championships could be deemed a successful one for the Greco team. They went 7-5 combined and will have two wrestling for bronze medals. The afternoon session starts at 12:30 p.m. central time and complete brackets can be found on FloArena.

The win total is already greater than the four garnered by last year's squad. Two in the bronze means they've put up 12 team points, which again is more than the 11 scored a year ago in Brazil.

Taylor Lamont faced three European opponents in the morning, coming out with an 8-4 comeback win over Bulgar (ROU) and grinding out a 5-3 victory against Adjaoud (FRA). However, he fell 2-1 in the semis to past cadet world champ Etienne Kinsinger (GER). The U23 and junior Euro bronze from earlier this year picked up both of his passive calls in the second period. 

Lamont comes back in round one


Last year, Lamont lost in the quarters of cadet worlds 1-0 on a passive call to the eventual world champ from Iran. This is Lamont's fourth overall age-level world team, but first as a junior. He finished fifth in Sarajevo last August as a 58kg cadet.

G'Angelo Hancock looked much more comfortable in his second go-round at junior worlds. His day started off by overpowering Ravi (IND) 6-1 in a match whose score belies the dominance showed by Hancock to move India around the mat. He then pinned Shamilov (AZE) to make the semis and guarantee himself a medal match.

Hancock pins to guarantee a medal match


The semifinal was a rematch from the Austrian Open in February. Hancock lost that one 4-0 to Melia (GEO), but fought hard in a nip-and-tuck 12-8 loss this time around to the junior Euro silver medalist. Melia threw Hancock twice for four, though the Georgian coach was clearly frustrated throughout the match and looked concerned that his wrestler might lose.

Kamal Bey dominated his first two foes, teching both of them and getting several throws, similar to what American fans are used to seeing from him in Fargo. Those matches against China and Israel lasted a combined 80 seconds.

Bey dominates China early


In the quarterfinals, he ran into Zoltan Levai (HUN), who won junior Euros this year and is a returning bronze medalist. Bey lost 10-2 and would not get pulled into repechage as Levai lost on criteria in the semis.

Randon Miranda looked great in his first match, teching Yamaguchi of Japan in just over a minute. Waiting in the quarterfinals was the junior Asian champ Bakhromov (UZB), who threw Miranda for five and teched him. Bakhromov was able to make the finals and pull Miranda back into repechage, but the Caifornia native lost 8-0 to Iran.

Miranda overwhelms Japan in his junior debut