Coleman Scott (in blue) scores the winning move in the third and deciding match against Shawn Bunch to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team at 60 kg/132 lbs. in freestyle.
John Sachs photo
GREAT SCOTT!
Coleman Scott delivers to land spot on U.S. Olympic Team By Gary Abbott
NEW YORK - Coleman Scott won two of three matches against Shawn Bunch to earn the 60 kg/132 lbs. position in men’s freestyle on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. The best-of-3 Championship Series was held on a raised mat in the middle of Times Square in New York City, a beautiful and dramatic setting for such an important competition. Scott ended the series in dramatic fashion, hitting a five-point throw to end the second period and punch his ticket to London. “To reach my goal of being an Olympic champion, I had to do this,” Scott said. “Now I need to go win a gold in London.” In bout one, Scott converted in the clinch for a takedown to win the first period, 1-0. Bunch scored the only point in the sec- ond period with a stepout. In the deciding third period, Scott hit a takedown early for a 1-0 lead. On a scramble on the edge, Scott scored two points and got an extra point when a Bunch protest was denied. The period ended when Bunch exposed himself for three points trying a flying desperation move late in the period to make it a 7-0 technical fall.
The first period of match two went to Scott, who was trailing 1-0 then scored a takedown with just seconds left in the period to tie it at 1-1 and win on the last point. Bunch got the second period with a takedown from the clinch. The third period went to Bunch on a pushout.
The third match was closed out by Scott in two periods. He won the ball draw and finished a takedown from the clinch to win the first period. In the second, in a wide-open exchange near the edge, Scott took Bunch towards his back as they went out of bounds. When officials went to the video tape to review the call after a protest by Bunch, they decided that Scott had scored a five-point throw, which automatically ends the period. Scott’s coaches rushed the mat to hug Scott to the roar of the large crowd.
18 USA Wrestler
Coleman Scott celebrates after landing a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team in freestyle wrestling. Larry Slater photo.
This is the final spot on the U.S. Olympic Team to be filled. The USA had not qualified the weight class for the Olympics until late April, after the Olympic Trials were finished. Bunch won a bronze medal at an Olympic Games Qualifier in China. Scott earned his position in the Championship Series by win- ning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa, April 21- 22. He defeated Reece Humphrey in a preliminary match earlier that day, 1-0, 0-1, 1-0 to reach the finals against Bunch.
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