THE LAST WORD
Exciting World Cup was amazing event
L
OS ANGELES – The wrestlers were called to the mat for the match at 74 kilograms. And the arena was rocking with electricity and excite- ment.
In one corner, you had Olympic gold medalist and two-time
World champion Jordan Burroughs. In the other corner, you had 2013 World silver medalist Ezzatollah Akbari Zarinkolaei of Iran. American fans roared and raised red, white and blue United
States flags as Burroughs bounced onto the mat. Iranian fans were even louder as they blared horns, raised red, white and green Iranian flags and enthusiastically chanted “eee-rahn, eee- rahn” as their wrestler stepped onto the mat. Burroughs stormed out quickly, scoring a quick takedown and pushout in the 163-pound bout. The Iranian fought gamely before Burroughs earned a hard-fought, but decisive 7-1 win. Even the Iranian fans, who are as knowledgeable as they are
passionate, cheered when Burroughs waved to the crowd as his hand was raised in victory. Fans were treated to a tremendous display of wrestling when
the World Cup was held on March 15-16 in Los Angeles. The World Cup was staged in the U.S. for the first time in 11
years. I’ve witnessed hundreds of wrestling events in this coun- try, and this was without question the highest caliber of wrestling I’ve ever seen on American soil. The action was fantastic. Rule changes made during the 2013 Olympic fight have made the sport more high scoring and enter- taining. The USA-Iran dual meet was an epic battle with huge momentum swings. It was one of the best dual meets I’ve ever seen at any level of wrestling. Iran emerged with a 5-3 win. You had World bronze medalist Masoud Esmailpoor Jouybari
of Iran storming back from an 8-1 deficit to outlast Reece Humphrey 10-8 at 134 pounds.
Two-time World Team member
Brent Metcalf fell behind 5-0 before firing in on two takedowns late in the match to rally past Iran’s Meisam Nasiri 11-8 at 143 pounds. Clayton Foster shot in for a takedown in the final 10 seconds
Craig Sesker
to knock off Iran’s Ehsan Lashgari 7-5 at 189 pounds. Lashgari won a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics and 2013 Worlds. The best match of the entire event may have been the show-
down between two-time World champion Viktor Lebedev of Russia and World champion Hassan Rahimi of Iran. The 125- pounders were flying all over the mat in an amazing display of speed, grit and technique. Lebedev finished for a takedown in the final 10 seconds for a dramatic 4-3 win. Russia’s momentum was short-lived as Iran rebounded to capture its third straight World Cup title. The U.S. took third. The World Cup once again showed how wrestling transcends
politics and brings the world together like no other sport can. You had Russia and Ukraine shaking hands, exchanging gifts, showing great sportsmanship and even laughing with each other despite the tense political situation between their nations. You also saw the U.S. and Iran, despite their own political dif- ferences, competing hard, shaking hands and even hugging. The U.S. has asked FILA, wrestling’s international governing
body, to bring the event back to Los Angeles again next year. If that happens, fans will not want to miss one of the best showcases in wrestling. It’s a phenomenal event with an enter- taining format. The fans that were there, and the ones watching the live webcast, offered rave reviews for the event. Trust me, the World Cup is an event you want to see in per- son. I can’t wait for the next one.
42 USA Wrestler
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