By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling

PARIS, France - The three U.S. wrestlers who competed at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on Wednesday morning were defeated in their first match.

2022 World champion Dom Parrish (WFS 53 kg) and Peyton Jacobson (GR 87 kg) lost in the preliminaries of their weight classes in Group 3, while Joe Rau (GR 97 kg) was beaten in a repechage match in Group 2.

Parrish, who was unseeded and drawn into the bracket, faced No. 3 seed Akari Fujinami of Japan, a two-time World champion. Fujinami scored a takedown and followed it with an exposure for a 4-0 lead. She was able to stack Parrish to her back and secured a fall in 2:05.

Fujinami won her quarterfinal match, meaning Parrish remains eligible for repechage on Thursday. Fujinami must beat her semifinal opponent tonight, No. 7 seed Quiyanu Pang of China, for Parrish to be pulled back into the tournament. Pang was a 2020 Olympic silver medalist and also won World bronze medals.

Jacobson was beaten in his first match by No. 7 seed Aleksander Komarov of Serbia, the 2024 European champion. Komarov opened the match with a four-point double under throw. After Jacobson was hit for passivity making the score 5-0, he hit a gut wrench for a 7-0 lead. Komarov corner challenged the call, seeking additional exposure points, and the jury accepted the challenge, making the final score 10-0.

Komarov was defeated in the quarterfinals in a 2-2 criteria decision by David Losonczi of Hungary, which eliminates Jacobson from repechage. Only those who lose to a finalist can enter the repechage on Thursday.

The USA did not have an entry in 67 kg, which was the other Group 3 Greco-Roman weight class contested on Wednesday morning.

In Group 2, Rau was defeated in his repechage match at 97 kg by Uzur Dzhuzupbekov of Kyrgyzstan, 9-4. Dzhuzupbekov jumped to a 5-0 lead, with a passivity point, then a four-point lift and throw from the mat. Rau got a point on passivity, and attempted a head pinch turn, in which Dzhuzupbekov committed a foul for a caution and two, to make the score 5-3. A forced step out gave Rau another points, tightening it to 5-4. A last second throw attempt by Rau was blocked for four points.

This evening, the semifinals for Group 3 will be held at 6:15 p.m. local time. This will determine if Parrish gets pulled back into repechage. Starting at 7:30 p.m. will be the Group 2 finals, which will feature the 50 kg women’s freestyle gold medal match between Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) and Yuneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba). Hildebrandt was scheduled to wrestle Vinesh of India in the finals, but Vinesh did not make weight. Guzman, who lost to Vinesh in the semifinals, was moved up by United World Wrestling into the finals match.

All of the action is live on Peacock.

OLYMPIC GAMES PARIS 2024

At Paris, France

Group 3 women’s freestyle semifinal pairings

53 kg

Lucia Yepez (Ecuador) vs. Annika Wendle (Germany)

Akari Fujinami (Japan) vs. Qianyu Pang (China)

Group 3 women’s freestyle quarterfinal results

53 kg

Lucia Yepez (Ecuador) pin Andreea Ana (Romania), 4:41

Annika Wendle (Germany) pin Zeynep Yetgil (Turkey), 4:22

Akari Fujinami (Japan) pin Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia), 4:40

Qianyu Pang (China) dec. Emma Malmgren (Sweden), 10-2

Group 3 U.S. women’s freestyle results

53 kg – Dom Parrish, Corvallis, Ore. (Sunkist Kids/Beaver Dam RTC)

LOSS Akari Fujinami (Japan), pin 2:05

Group 3 Greco-Roman semifinal pairings

67 kg

Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) vs. Parviz Nasibov (Ukraine)

Slavik Galstyan (Armenia) vs. Saeid Esmaeili (Iran)

87 kg

Alireza Mohmadipiani (Iran) vs. Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine)

Semen Novikov (Bulgaria) vs. David Losonczi (Hungary)

Group 3 Greco-Roman quarterfinal results

67 kg

Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) dec. Valentin Petic (Moldova), 3-1

Parviz Nasibov (Ukraine) dec. Amantur Ismailov (Kyrgyzstan), 7-6

Slavik Galstyan (Armenia) dec. Mamadassa Sylla (France), 3-2

Saeid Esmaeili (Iran) tech fall Luis Orta (Cuba), 9-0

87 kg

Alireza Mohmadipiani (Iran) tech fall Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland), 10-1

Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) dec. Nursultan Tursynov (Kazakhstan), 7-3

Semen Novikov (Bulgaria) dec. Lasha Gobadze (Georgia), 8-3

David Losonczi (Hungary) dec. Aleksandr Komarov (Serbia), 2-2

Group 3 U.S. Greco-Roman results

87 kg – Payton Jacobson, Elkhorn, Wis. (Sunkist Kids)

LOSS Aleksandr Komarov (Serbia), tech fall, 10-0

Group 2 medal match pairings

Greco Roman 77 kg

Gold - Nao Kusaka (Japan) vs. Demeu Zhadrayev (Kazakhstan)

Bronze - Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia) vs. Aram Vardanyan (Uzbekistan)

Bronze - Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) vs. Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan)

Greco Roman 97 kg

Gold - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) vs. Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran)

Bronze - Gabriel Rosillo (Cuba) vs. Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan)

Bronze - Mohamed Gabr (Egypt) vs. Uzur Dzhuzupbekov (Kyrgyzstan)

Women's Freestyle 50 kg -

Gold - Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) vs. Yusneylis Guzman (Cuba)

Bronze - Yui Susaki (Japan) vs. Oksana Livach (Spain)

Bronze - Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia) vs. Ziqi Feng (China)

U.S. Group 2 women’s freestyle results

50 kg – Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), in finals

WIN Ibtissem Doudou (Algeria), tech. fall 10-0. 1:34

WIN Ziqi Feng (China), 7-4

WIN Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia), 5-0

Gold Medal bout – Vs. Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba)

U.S. Group 2 Greco-Roman results

77 kg– Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP), eliminated

LOSS Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan), 4-1

97 kg– Joe Rau (Chicago, Ill./Titan Mercury WC), eliminated

LOSS Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran), tech. fall 10-1

LOSS Uzur Dzhuzupbekov (Kyrgyzstan), 9-4