Freestyle/Greco News

Four Storm Athletes To Compete In Denmark

By Markos Tsegaye

Four of the Greco-Roman wrestlers from the Minnesota Storm are now in Denmark as they will be competing in the Thor Masters tournament from March 24-25.

Richard Carlson, Christian DuLaney, Fritz Schierl, and Lukas Poloncic will be those four representatives, an opportunity they are all looking to make the most of.

The Thor Masters tournament offers one of the better international tournaments and training camps in Greco-Roman wrestling. DuLaney said the Storm will be well prepared for what’s to come in Denmark.

“We’ve got world-class coaches,” DuLaney said. “They [Carlson, Schierl, and Poloncic] are around my weight and are great practice partners as well.” Continue reading at mtcstorm.com →

Thinking Globally – Skylar Little Soldier

By Brian Jerzak

Well before Hastings' junior Skylar Little Soldier knew there would be a state championship to be had at the Xcel Energy Center, Little Soldier had her sights set high. She wasn't thinking of dominating at the state level; she was thinking globally.

"Ever since I was a kid, I would tell my parents I was going to win an Olympic gold medal. That has always been the goal."

The seed was planted for her Olympic goal because of her little brother.

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Ukrainian wrestler welcomed in Minnesota after escaping war

An internationally known wrestler from Ukraine is now training in Minnesota after escaping his war-torn homeland.

Zhora Abovian and his wife Khrystyna arrived in the Twin Cities last month.

“I am lucky to be here,” Abovian said.

He showed 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS a video he took from his apartment in Ukraine as Russian missiles hit the city.

“As soon as he approaches the window to look what’s happening, he sees the explosion,” said Ivan Gkach, who translated for Zhora during our interview. View/continue reading at kstp.com →

GWC Athletes Prepare For World Cup

MINNEAPOLIS – Gopher Wrestling Club athletes Daniel DeShazer and Hayden Zillmer are set to travel to Coralville, Iowa, this weekend as they prepare to compete in the 2022 World Cup as members of Team USA.

Hayden Zillmer joins the lineup at 125 kilograms alongside Nick Gwiazdowski at 125 kilograms, fresh off his appearance at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships this past summer in Belgrade, Serbia. National team member Daniel DeShazer will represent the stars and stripes at 61 kilograms, joining fellow American Seth Gross at the weight.

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USA Wrestling announces its teams for Mens and Womens Freestyle World Cup

USA Wrestling has announced its lineups for both its men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle teams which will compete at the Men’s and Women’s Freestyle World Cup at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, Dec. 10-11.

The World Cup is the annual international dual meet championships, conducted by United World Wrestling. The top five teams in men’s freestyle and the top five teams in women’s freestyle from the 2022 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in September have confirmed their participation. There is also an All-World Team in each discipline, featuring the top available athlete from the World Championships in each weight class that were not from a nation which qualified for the World Cup.

The U.S. World Cup teams will feature two Olympic champions, four World champions and 10 past World medalists. It will also include a number of talented young stars who are making an impact internationally.

The men’s freestyle team will feature a pair of Olympic and World champions, Jordan Burroughs at 79 kg and Kyle Snyder at 97 kg. Burroughs is a 2012 Olympic champion, a six-time World champion and has won 10 career World and Olympic medals. Burroughs is the first U.S. wrestler to win seven World and Olympic titles. Snyder is a 2016 Olympic champion, 2020 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time World champion and has won eight career World and Olympic medals.

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Nagao places 5th at U23 World Championships as Competition Wraps

PONTEVEDRA, Spain – A week full of action that saw a pair of Gophers competing in the U23 World Championships came to a close on Sunday morning, as Gopher freshman Aaron Nagao closed out the weekend with a fifth-place finish.

Action began on Monday morning for Greco-Roman competition, as Michial Foy was slated to compete in the 87-kilogram weight division. He opened up his first World Championships against Croatia’s Filip Smetko, falling by a score of 4-0.

The turning point in the match was Smetko’s ability to convert in par terre position, as he used a gut wrench in the first period to turn Foy following a passivity point to give Foy a three-point deficit going into the break. Following the loss, Foy would need Smetko to reach the finals in order to be pulled back in to repechage, however Smetko would drop his next match and Foy would be eliminated after going 0-1.

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