Takedown Report

GWIAZDOWSKI GOLDEN, MAYOKED TAKES SILVER, PLUS THREE BRONZES AT POLAND OPEN AND ZIOLKOWSKI MEMORIAL

WARSAW, Poland – The U.S. picked up five medals on Saturday across the women’s freestyle Poland Open and men’s freestyle Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial, highlighted by a gold medal performance from heavyweight staple Nick Gwiazdowski.

The two-time World bronze medalist from Raleigh, N.C., went an impressive 3-0 on the day to claim the 125 kg gold medal. He pulled away in the final minute to defeat current European bronze medalist Giorgi Meshvildishvili of Azerbaijan in the finals, 9-2.

Gwiazdowski scored the only points in the opening frame against Meshvildishvili, leading 2-0 at the break. The Azerbaijani took the lead on criteria, 2-2, halfway through the second period after picking up a takedown of his own. The pivotal sequence of the match came with 58-seconds remaining as Gwiazdowski countered a shot from Meshvildishvili, popping a chest wrap through out-of-bounds to reclaim the lead, 4-2. It was all Gwiazdowski in the final minute as he countered multiple attacks to take the seven-point decision.

His other wins came 6-1 against longtime grappler Robert Baran, who is a two-time medalist on the World Military stage and five-time Senior World Team representative for Poland, and by fall over Bulgaria’s Islam Adizov. …

The U.S. picked up bronze medals from three men’s freestyle competitors.

Pan-American champion and current No. 2 on the U.S. National Team Michael Macchiavello posted three technical fall wins on his way to the 92 kg bronze medal. He looked sharp in an 11-0 bronze medal match win over Nazar Dod of Ukraine. Macchiavello picked up a trio of takedowns, a neutral exposure, a gutwrench, and a step out point in the decisive win. … rest of story at … Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/July/29/Gwiazdowki-gold-Makoyed-silver-three-bronze-in-Poland

August 4, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized