The USA Wrestling team has been performing really well at the 2023 Pan American Games. While the freestyle wrestling unit of the US has always delivered, the Greco-Roman unit remained in an uphill battle to find equal footing. However, two Greco-Roman wrestlers have made the nation proud by winning the top prize in their weight classes in Santiago.

The US Army harbors many athletes that make up the American national and world team for various sports. Greco-Roman wrestlers Kamal Bey and Ildar Hafizov hail from the US Army as well. A social media update recently unveiled the exploits of both wrestlers as they bolstered America’s position with two gold medals.

Double gold in Greco-Roman wrestling propels US boat further

The dynamic soldier duo of Kamal Bey and Ildar Hafizov brought glory to the stars and stripes as they claimed two gold medals in Greco-Roman wrestling. USA Wrestling tweeted about their victories and broke the news via its official X handle.

The tweet carried the caption, “@TeamUSA soldier athletes Kamal Bey and Ildar Hafizov kicked off the Greco-Roman tournament with a pair of gold medals, and Kayla Miracle battled to a bronze medal in women’s freestyle. #Santiago2023.” While Hafizov conquered the 60kg division, Bey emerged on top of the 77kg division.

While the American soldiers bagged the gold, women’s 62kg freestyle wrestling saw Kayla Miracle win the bronze medal. With these victories, the US campaign is now in a better position to grab the team gold. Interestingly, both wrestlers had completely different final-round matches. In fact, while Hafizov banked on his defense in the endgame, Bey unleashed his offensive prowess to take the win.

The juxtaposed final stands by Kamal Bey and Ildar Hafizov

Competing in the 60kg weight class, Ildar Hafizov registered an early offensive onslaught in the final round. After securing the advantage against Chilean wrestler Kevin de Armas, Hafizov maintained his lead till the end. On the mat bearing the 77kg wrestlers, however, Kamal Bey ended up spilling a lot of points initially. 

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Getting his groove back and recovering from the initial slip-up, Bey charged like a bull to overcome the deficit. The excellent offensive performance by Bey overpowered Brazil’s Joilson de Brito, who was forced to take the silver home. The gold medals fell in the USA’s lap on the third day of the wrestling competition in Santiago. With another day of wrestling remaining, this will highly motivate all wrestlers to rely on both their offense as well as their defense.

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