Ruiz, Provisor, Lester earn wins at Curby Cup
By Jason Bryant LA GRANGE, Ill. - The last few months of Justin Ruiz’s life were full of disap- pointment.
Unable to qualify the United States for the London Olympics at 96 kg/211.5 pounds, there were few chances for Ruiz to go out his own way. At the Curby Cup at Lyons Township on May 19 in LaGrange, Ill., he seized the opportunity to wrestle his last Greco- Roman match and finish with a resound- ing slap of the mat.
Ruiz unlaced his shoes and left them in the center of the mat moments after pin- ning Georgia’s Sosa Jabidze at 1:19 in the third period in Team USA’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Georgians at the third annual event.
“My career – there’s been a lot of ups and downs,” said Ruiz. “I’ve had a lot of support from a lot of amazing people and I’ve been doing it for so long, it’s been my life.
“It’s been a little different now that it’s come to an end, but I’m glad I could wrestle here in the Curby Cup. I was pret- ty disappointed going to the qualifiers and not doing as well as I’d liked, so it was nice to go out on a positive note, espe- cially in the memory of Jacob Curby, who was a teammate.” Team USA found itself in an 0-2 hole
after the first two matches as Lasha Gogitadze stopped Spenser Mango at 55 kg/121 pounds 2-0, 1-0 in a battle of 2008 Olympians and Revaz Lashki topped Dmitry Ryabchinskiy 1-0, 4-0 at 60 kg/132 pounds.
Ryabchinskiy was a late replacement for Chicago-area native Ellis Coleman, who was scratched shortly before the event due to injury.
Justin Lester gave the U.S. its first indi- vidual victory of the day, avenging last year’s World semifinal loss to Manuchar Tskhadaia 1-0, 3-1 at 66 kg/145.5 pounds.
Lester won the first period by defending from the par terre position.
In the second period, Lester scored two pushouts and a takedown against Tskhadaia.
“It makes me kind of want to laugh
World bronze medalist Justin Ruiz celebrates after winning the final match of his career. Larry Slater photo.
sometimes when I’m wrestling him,” said Lester. “But you try to stay focused. He gets in his rhythm to try to take you out of your game, but it’s kind of hard to do that with me.”
Lester was optimistic about how the victory can set him up for the London Games.
“It gives me the momentum going in, just in case I have to wrestle him again, and I kind of felt him out a little bit. Now I have a game plan against him and I know what’s going to work.”
Ben Provisor followed Lester’s win with his biggest victory to date, defeating 2008 Olympic Champion and 2003 World Champion Manuchar Kvirkelia 1-0, 1-0 at 74 kg/163 pounds. Provisor scored points from the neutral position in both periods with a first-period pushout and a second-period takedown to defeat the Georgian, who like Ruiz, was wrestling in his final match. “That’s the plan going into the Olympics, I’m going to push my pace on my feet the entire time until I get the point
“It was nice to go out on a positive note, especially in the memory of Jacob Curby, who was a teammate.”
- Justin Ruiz
and then I’m going to hopefully win the match. If I score on my feet, I can do well.”
The win tied the dual up at two bouts apiece heading into the final three bouts, two of which featuring U.S. world medal- ists.
Vladimer Gegeshidze scored two
points on a first-period gut-wrench and then defended in the second to top Chas Betts 2-0, 1-0 at 84 kg/185 pounds to give the Georgian’s a 3-2 lead. The lead would be erased with Ruiz’s fall at 96 kg.
With the dual tied at three wins apiece, the U.S. rally would not come to fruition as Guram Pherselidze upended Dremiel Byers 1-0, 3-1 at 120 kg/264.5 pounds to clinch the Georgian victory.
Pherselidze used a first-period pushout and a big three-point throw in the second to defeat Byers. GEORGIA 4, UNITED STATES 3 55 kg/121 pounds - Lasha Gogitadze (GEO) dec. Spenser Mango (USA) 2-0, 1- 0.
60 kg/132 pounds - Revaz Lashkhi (GEO) dec. Dmitry Ryabchinskiy (USA) 1- 0, 4-0.
66 kg/145.5 pounds - Justin Lester (USA) dec. Manuchar Tskhadaia (GEO) 1-0, 3-1.
74 kg/163 pounds - Ben Provisor (USA) dec. Manuchar Kvirkelia (GEO) 1-0, 1-0. 84 kg/185 pounds - Vladimer Gegshidze (GEO) dec. Chas Betts (USA) 2-0, 1-0. 96 kg/211 pounds - Justin Ruiz (USA) pin Soso Jabidze (GEO) 1-0, 0-2, 1:19. 120 kg/264.5 pounds - Guram Pherselidze (GEO) dec. Dremiel Byers (USA) 1-0, 3-1. Exhibition: 96 kg/211 pounds - Mohammed Abdel Fatah (Egypt) dec. R.C. Johnson (USA) 0-1, 1-0, 3-2.
USA Wrestler 9
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