U.S. sweeps nine gold medals at Grappling World Championships in Antalya, Turkey, Sept. 9



ANTALYA, TURKEY - The United States had a dominant performance at the historic first World Grappling Championships, sweeping all nine gold medals in the final event of the World Wrestling Games in Antalya, Turkey, September 9.



Capturing gold medals in the women’s division were Lisa Ward (Lacey, Wash./United Fight Team) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Felicia Oh (Tarzana, Calif./JJ Machado/BJMUTA) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Tara LaRosa (Woodstown, N.J./unattached) at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Valerie Worthington (Whittier, Calif./New Breed/Hollywood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.



Capturing gold medals in the men’s division were Darren Uyenoyama (South San Francisco, Calif./Fogtown Jiu Jitsu) at 62 kg/136.5 lbs., Ricky Lundell (Orem, Utah/Pedro Sauer Team) at 70 kg/154 lbs., Don Ortega (Albuquerque, N.M./No Limits) at 80 kg/176 lbs., Malcolm Havens (Parker, Colo./Grapplers Edge) at 92 kg/202.5 lbs. and Jeff Monson (Coconut Creek, Fla./Victory Athletics) at 125 kg/275 lbs.



All nine World champions captured gold medals at the USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials in Las Vegas, Nev. in June.



The USA won 21 medals out of a possible 35 medals in the event. Included was a sweep of all four medals at the men’s 92 kg/202.5 lbs. division. In convincing terms, the USA has set the bar for the rest of the world in international Grappling competition.



“I really think have a training camp and bringing many of our people together helped. People perish without a vision. Our coaches developed a vision with this team. We didn’t want to just win the championship. We wanted everybody to be the most outstanding we could be, no matter the outcome,” said U.S. World Team Coach Bob Anderson.



It was a great day for the U.S. team, which entered 27 athletes in the field. In the men’s division, four of the five gold-medal finals featured all-USA matchups.



“The team performed at the highest level against great competition,” said U.S. World Team Coach Jason Townsend. “All the athletes had tough matches and pulled through with flying colors. This is the beginning of a new era for Grappling. It was a pioneering effort for USA Wrestling. We were excited to be a part of this historic event, and we will work hard to remain a dominant force for years to come.”



Claiming silver medals for the United States were:

* Matthew Sanchez (Sacramento, Calif./Ultimate Fitness) at 62 kg/136.5 lbs.
* Bill Cooper (Santa Barbara, Calif./Paragon BJJ Academy) at 80 kg/176 lbs.
* Matt Horwich (Eagle Creek, Ore./Team Quest) at 92 kg/202.5 lbs.
* Ramon Diaz (Testin, Calif./No Limits), silver medal at 125 kg/275 lbs.
* Bahar Shahidi (Denver, Colo./Grapplers Edge) at 55 kg/121 lbs.

Winning bronze medals for the United States were:

* Jake Bohn (Kentwood, Mich./unattached) at 70 kg/154 lbs.
* Michael Kelly (Hebron, Ill./Gilbert Grappling) at 80 kg/176 lbs.
* Ryan Gillespie (San Diego, Calif./The Boxing Club) at 92 kg/202.5 lbs.
* Douglas Fournet (Denham Springs, La./Gladiators Academy) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.
* Rawle Shewprashad (New York, N.Y./Blast Double NY) at 125 kg/275 lbs.
* Cristina Rodriguez (Tampa, Fla./Gracie Tampa) at 55 kg/121 lbs.
* Bethany Harris (Valley Center, Calif./No Limits) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.



For Diaz and Harris, it was the second medal of the week. Diaz was a bronze medalist in the Sombo tournament on Friday, and Harris was a bronze medalist in the Beach World Championships on Saturday.



This was the first time FILA has ever hosted a World Championships in Grappling, a style of wrestling which was recognized as an international wrestling style this spring.



No Limits Mixed Martial Arts is the Official Sponsor for the U.S. World Teams for Grappling and Sombo.



A training camp for the World Team Trials champions is being hosted at the USA Wrestling National Training Center for Grappling and Sombo, which is located at the No Limits Mixed Martial Arts facility in Irvine, Calif.



GRAPPLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS



Medal Standings



62 kg/136.5 lbs.

Gold – Darren Uyenoyama (United States)

Silver – Matt Sanchez (United States)

Bronze