Byers, Betterman win gold medals at Haparanda Cup in Sweden
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
11/30/2008
HAPARANDA, Sweden – Two U.S. wrestlers captured gold medals in the Haparanda Cup of Greco-Roman wrestling, Nov. 29-30.
Individual champions were 2008 Olympian Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. and 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion Joe Betterman (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 60 kg/132 lbs.
Byers won three matches during the event, including two against opponents from Russia. In the gold-medal finals, Byers defeated 2007 World Military Games champion Aleksandr Anuchin of Russia.
Byers was a 2002 World champion, and a 2007 World bronze medalist. He placed seventh at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Betterman also won three matches during the competition, including a victory in the gold-medal finals over Maxim Mordovin of Russia, a 2005 European Junior champion.
Betterman won the 60 kg/132 lbs. division at the Olympic Trials, but the U.S. did not qualify to compete at the Olympics at that weight class. He was also a member of the 2007 U.S. World Team.
2008 U.S. Olympian Jake Deitchler (Colorado Springs, Colo./Minnesota Storm) won a bronze medal at 163 pounds, one of three U.S. bronze medalists in the event. Also capturing bronze medals were Chad Vandiver (Colorado Springs, Colo./unattached) at 60 kg/132 lbs. and Chas Betts (St. Michael, Minn./Minnesota Storm) at 84 kg/185 lbs.
Deitchler had a 3-1 record in the tournament, losing only in the semifinals to Robert Rosengren of Sweden. In the bronze-medal match, Deitchler defeated American Talan Knox (Salt Lake City, Utah/USOEC).
Deitchler is competing up one weight class from where he wrestled at the Olympic Games. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team at the age of 18, and is now a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete.
Vandiver had a 2-1 record in the tournament, defeating American Jeremiah Davis (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) in the bronze-medal match. Betts finished with a 2-1 record in the tournament, including a win over 2008 U.S. Nationals champion Brad Ahearn (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) in the bronze-medal match.
Four U.S. wrestlers placed fifth after losing bronze-medal matches: Knox, Ahearn, Glen Garrison (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., and Kerry Regner (Darlington, Pa./USOEC) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.
HAPARANDA CUP
At Haparanda, Sweden, Nov. 29-30
55 kg/121 lbs.
1. Camid Shavev (St. Petersburg/Russia)
2. Denys Zadachyn (Ukraine)
3. Emil Sundberg (Sweden)
3. Eduarnis Telles Zamora (IK Sparta)
5. Niko Ohukainen (Finland)
5. Marcus Puolakanaho (Väsby BK)
60 kg/132 lbs.
1. Joe Betterman (USA)
2. Maxim Mordovin (Russia)
3. Artem Kudyk (Ukraine)
3. Chad Vandiver (USA)
5. Paredes Salazar (Colombia)
5. Jeremiah Davis (USA Army)
7. Donovan Depatto (USA Marines)
8. Anar Zeinalov (Estonia)
9. Vincenzo Marci (Sweden)
10. Ville Kyllönen (KooVee Tampere)
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
1. Vahab Daneshvar (Sweden)
2. Youri Denisov (St. Petersburg/Russia)
3. Mattias Günter (IK Sparta Shoes)
3. Vasily Lukov (Russia)
5. Kerry Regner (USA)
5. Glenn Garrison (USA Army)
7. Mykola Oljynky (Ukraine)
8. CC. Fisher (USA)
9. Lepik Jangus (Estonia)
10. Victor Volfgang (Sweden)
74 kg/163 lbs.
1. Eldar Botashev (St. Petersburg/Russia)
2. Robert Rosengren (Sweden)
3. V-K Suominen (Finland)
3. Jacob Deitcher (USA)
5. Anton Nordström (Luleå BK)
5. Talan Knox (USA)
7. Oskar Rolfs (Karl Gustav Brottning)
8. Henri Välimäki (Finland)
9. Sergiy Proskyra (Ukraine)
10. Juuso Ukkola (Haukiputaan Heitto)
84 kg/185 lbs.
1. Evgeny Bogomolov (Russia)
2. Artyom Stebnev (St. Petersburg/Russia)
3. Fredrik Schön (Sweden)
3. Chas Betts (USA)
5. Igor Luzgin (Russia)
5. Brad Ahearn (USA Army)
7. Jonne Ukkola (Haukiputaan Heitto)
8. Christoffer Ljungbäck (Sweden)
9. Oleksandr Kovalchuck (Ukraine)
10. Aaron Sieracki (USA Army)
96 kg/211.5 lbs.
1. Jimmy Lidberg (Sweden)
2. Rustam Totrov (Russia)
3. Sergiy Rutenko (Ukraine)
4. Jakob Cedergren (Sweden)
5. Heiki Nabi (Estonia)
120 kg/264.5 lbs.
1. Dremiel Byers (USA Army)
2. Aleksandr Anuchin (Russia)
3. Sebastian Lönnborn (Sweden)
3. Alexander Ekimov (Russia)
5. Yevgen Kozlyatin (Ukraine)
6. David Arendt (USA Marines)
7. Madis Sihimets (Estonia)
U.S. performances
60 kg/132 lbs. – Joe Betterman, Chicago, Ill. (New York AC), 1st
WIN Salazar Peredes (Colombia), tech. fall
WIN Artem Kudyk (Ukraine)
WIN Maxim Mordovin (Russia)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Chad Vandiver, Colorado Springs, Colo. (unattached), 3rd
WIN Anar Zeinalov (Estonia)
LOSS Maxim Mordovin (Russia)
WIN Jeremiah Davis (USA)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Jeremiah Davis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 5th
WIN Vincenzo Marci (Sweden)
LOSS Maxim Mordovin (Russia)
WIN Donovan DePatto (USA)
LOSS Chad Vandiver (USA)
60 kg/132 lbs. – Donovan DePatto, Jacksonville, N.C. (U.S. Marines), 7th
LOSS Maxim Mordovin (Russia)
LOSS Jeremiah Davis (USA)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Glen Garrison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 5th
LOSS Vahab Saneshvar (Sweden)
WIN Mykola Oljynky (Ukraine)
LOSS Vasily Lukov (Russia)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Kerry Regner, Darlington, Pa. (USOEC), 5th
WIN Jangus Lepik (Estonia)
LOSS Youri Denisov (St. Petersburg/Russia)
LOSS Gunter Mattias (Sweden)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - C.C. Fisher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (unattached), 8th
WIN Victor Volfgang (Sweden)
LOSS Vasily Lukov (Russia)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Jake Deitchler, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Minnesota Storm), 3rd
WIN Sergiy Proskura (Ukraine)
WIN Henri Valimaki (Finland)
LOSS Robert Rosengren (Sweden)
WIN Talan Knox (USA)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Talan Knox, Salt Lake City, Utah (USOEC), 5th
LOSS Robert Rosengren (Sweden)
WIN Oskar Rolfs (Karl Gustav)
LOSS Jake Deitchler (USA)
84 kg/185 lbs. – Chas Betts, St. Michael, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 3rd
LOSS Evgeny Bogomolov (Russia)
WIN Jonne Ukkola (Haukiputaan Heitto)
WIN Brad Ahearn (USA)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Brad Ahearn, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 5th
WIN Marko Kivimaki (Finland)
WIN Christoffer Ljungback (Sweden)
LOSS Evgeny Bogomolov (Russia)
LOSS Chas Betts (USA)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Aaron Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 10th
LOSS Igor Luzkin (Russia)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 1st
WIN Alexander Ekimov (Russia)
WIN Yevgen Kozlyatin (Ukraine)
WIN Aleksandr Anuchin (Russia)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - David Arendt, Quantico, Va. (U.S. Marines), 6th
LOSS Yevgen Kozlyatin (Ukraine)