Author: Guillotine1

Minnesota Storm wrestler Pat Smith (77 kg/169.5 lbs) lost his first match of the tournament to Germany’s Roland Schwarz, 5-3. Smith scored on a passivity point and a step-out to lead 2-0 after the first period. In the second period, Schwarz scored a passivity point to cut the deficit to 2-1. The German then scored with a four-point throw to go up 5-2. Smith would add a step-out point, but it wasn’t enough.

Minnesota Storm wrestler Pat Smith (77 kg/169.5 lbs) begins his second World Championships against 2019 European silver medalist Roland Schwarz of Germany. Schwarz was 7th in the 2018 World Championships and 5th in the 2018 Military World Championships. Smith’s previous World Championships appearance was in 2015.

If he had a bigger ego, Pat Smith might have been insulted. Instead, the former Gophers wrestler from Chaska was simply amused by Kamal Bey’s boast.

Before their bout at last spring’s Final X tournament, Bey compared himself to a Ferrari — and said Smith reminded him of a Honda Civic. It didn’t bother Smith at all, partly because a Civic would have been a major upgrade for him. At the time, he was driving a decrepit 2001 PT Cruiser, one that was headed for the junkyard before he bought it from a co-worker with the $80 he had in his wallet.

“It’s not quite a Honda Civic,” Smith said, chuckling. “But I think it fits me well.”

Smith got the last laugh, beating Bey in a best-of-three series at Final X to win a place on the U.S. Greco-Roman team for wrestling’s world championships. He begins competition Monday in the 77-kilogram weight class (169.8 pounds) in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The nine-day tournament, which starts Saturday, is the first chance for countries to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Continue reading at startribune.com