Burroughs, Gilman bring home world championships for United States

American Jordan Burroughs won his fifth world championship Monday in Norway. (Photo courtesy USA Wrestling)

Courtesy USA Wrestling

OSLO, Norway, Oct. 4, 2021 – The United States claimed three more men’s freestyle medal at the Senior world championships on Monday night, including two more world champions, Thomas Gilman at 57 kg (125.6 pounds) and Jordan Burroughs at 79 kg (174.1 pounds). J’den Cox won his 92 kg (202 lbs.) medal match to secure a bronze medal.

History was made for Burroughs, who won his fifth-career world title, which ties him with women’s freestyle legend Adeline Gray for the most for the United States. Add in his 2012 Olympic gold medal and Burroughs has now won six world and Olympic titles, tying him with the great John Smith, who claimed two Olympic titles and four world titles in men’s freestyle.

Burroughs was in command for the entire finals match, a 5-1 decision over Mohammed Ashghar Nokhodilarimi of Iran.

Burroughs scored first when Nokhodilarimi was placed on the activity clock and did not score. He got a double leg takedown to lead 3-0. Another blast double takedown put Burroughs up 5-0. The only point for Nokhodilarimi came on a caution and one against Burroughs late in the bout.

This was Burroughs’ tenth appearance on a U.S. Senior world or Olympic team, and he has won nine medals, an amazing record of consistency and excellence. He has won six gold medals and three bronze medals during that decade of dominance.

2020 Olympic silver medalist Thomas Gilman was able to reach the top of the podium for the first time during his Senior career with an impressive effort in the finals, a 5-3 victory over 2019 U23 world bronze medalist. Alireza Sarlak of Iran.

Gilman got the first point when Sarlak was placed on the shot clock and could not score. He battled for a takedown with 30 seconds left in the first period to lead 3-0 at the break. Another Gilman takedown with 1:10 left in the match extended the lead to 5-0. Sarlak added a late takedown and a step out point, but Gilman was never in danger.

Gilman has now won his third world or Olympic medal for Team USA, with a 2021 world gold, 2020 Olympic bronze and 2017 world silver.

Gilman and Burroughs joins Kyle Dake (74 kg) as individual world champions for the United States this year. Kyle Snyder (97 kg) has reached the gold medal match on Tuesday night, giving him a chance to win a fourth gold for the U.S. men’s freestyle program this year.

Cox was also in command in his bronze-medal match, an 11-0 technical fall over Andrii Vlasov of Ukraine. Cox got the first point when Vlasov was put on the activity clock and didn’t score. He forced a step out as time ran out in the first period to lead 2-0 at the break. Cox broke it open in the second period with a four-point takedown to lead 7-0 with a minute to go. Add in a takedown and a turn and Cox finished off with a technical fall.

Cox was edged in the semifinals on Sunday by eventual champion Kamran Ghasempour of Iran, 3-3. His other four matches all ended as technical falls.

Cox has now won a medal all five times he has competed for the USA at the world or Olympic level, with a 2016 Olympic bronze, a 2017 world bronze, a 2018 world gold, a 2019 world gold and his 2021 world bronze.

The other athlete in Group Two in men’s freestyle, Yianni Diakomihalis at 65 kg, finished in 12th with a 1-1 record. Only the top 10 in each weight class scores points in the team standings.

After eight of the 10 men’s freestyle weight classes are completed, there is a three-team battle for first place. Iran is in first with 141 points, with the USA next at 140 points and the Russian Federation in third with 130 points. This does not include any points won at 97 kg and 70 kg, which will be completed on Tuesday.

SENIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Oslo, Norway, October 4 

Group Two Men’s freestyle final results 

57 kg
Gold – Thomas Gilman (USA)
Silver – Alireza Sarlak (Iran)
Bronze – Horst Lehr (Germany)
Bronze – Aryan Tsiutryn (Belarus)

Gold – Gilman dec. Sarlak, 5-3
Bronze – Lehr dec. Mutaliev, 6-4
Bronze – Tsiutryn dec. Atli, 3-1

65 kg
Gold – Zagir Shakhiev (Russian Wrestling Federation)
Silver – Amirmohammad Babak Yazdanicherati (Iran)
Bronze – Alibek Osmonov (Kyrgyzstan)
Bronze – Tulga Tumur Ochir (Mongolia)

Gold – Shakhiev tech. fall Yazdanicherati, 14-4, 1:25
Bronze – Osmonov dec. Bienkowski, 4-1
Bronze – Ochir fall Rohit, 5:47

79 kg
Gold – Jordan Burroughs (USA)
Silver – Mohammed Ashghar Nokhodilarimi (Iran)
Bronze – Radik Valiev (Russian Wrestling Federation)
Bronze – Nika Kentchadze (Georgia)

Gold – Burroughs dec. Nokhodilarimi, 5-1
Bronze – Valiev tech fall Yoshida, 11-0 2:26
Bronze – Kentchadze tech fall Avagyan, 10-0 2:08

92 kg
Gold – Kamran Ghasempour (Iran)
Silver – Magomed Kurbanov (Russian Wrestling Federation)
Bronze – J’den Cox (USA)
Bronze – Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan)

Gold – Ghasempour dev. Kurbanov, 8-4
Bronze – Cox tech. fall Vlasov, 11-0 5:17
Bronze – Nurmagomedov dec. Mahamedau, 2-0

Men’s freestyle Group Two final results
57 kg – No. 1 seed Thomas Gilman (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC), gold medal
WIN Abubakr Mutaliev (Russian Wrestling Federation), pin 1:16
WIN Vladimir Egorov (North Macedonia), tech. fall, 11-1
WIN Horst Lehr (Germany), tech. fall, 15-5
WIN Alireza Nosratolah Sarlak (Iran), 5-3

65 kg – Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester, N.Y./Spartan Combat WC/Titan Mercury WC), dnp/12th
WIN Colin Realbuto (Italy), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia), 5-1

79 kg – Jordan Burroughs (Philadelphia, Pa./Pennsylvania RTC/Sunkist Kids), gold medal
WIN Samuel Barmish (Canada), tech. fall, 10-0
WIN Bolat Sakayev (Kazakhstan), forfeit, 0:00
WIN Radik Valiev (Russian Wrestling Federation), 9-4
WIN Ryuki Yoshida (Japan), 10-1
WIN Mohammed Ashghar Nokhodilarimi (Iran), 5-1

92 kg – J’den Cox (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/New Jersey RTC/Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal
WIN Orgilokh Dagvadorj (Mongolia), tech. fall, 13-2
WIN Simone Iannattoni (Italy), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Jeremy Poirier (Canada), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Kamran Ghasempour (Iran), 3-3
WIN Andril Vlasov (Ukraine), tech. fall 11-0

Team standings after first eight weight classes
1. Iran 141, 2. United States 140, 3. Russian Federation 130, 4. Georgia 53, 5. Turkey 50, 6. Mongolia 46, 7. Belarus 35, 8. Japan 33, 9. Azerbaijan and Slovakia 30.