By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling
MAKUHARI, Chiba, Japan – Gable Steveson’s stunning gold medal performance at 125 kg was not the only men’s freestyle highlight for Team USA on Friday in Japan.

Two-time World champion Kyle Dake (Ithaca, New York/Spartan Combat WC/Titan Mercury WC) won a bronze medal at 74 kg. He shut out two-time World champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Frank Chamizo of Italy, 5-0.

Dake secured two step outs for a 2-0 lead. When Chamizo was put on the shot clock, Dake was able to hit a counter throw for two points and a 5-0 lead. Chamizo could not get any serious shots, and Dake scored another step out with 10 seconds left for the

In their most recent meeting, Dake edged Chamizo, 4-3, in the featured match on a FloWrestling card in July of 2020 during the pandemic.

On Thursday, Dake had a 4-0 opening win over 2016 World bronze medalist Mostafa Hosseinkhani of Iran. In the quarterfinals, 2020 European champion Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau of Belarus scored an 11-0 technical fall over Dake. When Kadzimahamedau defeated Chamizo in the semifinals,

Dake was pulled back into repechage. In his Friday morning repechage bout, Dake scored a 10-0 technical fall over four-time World medalist Jeandry Garzon Caballero of Cuba.

Dake won 2018 and 2019 World titles at 79 kg, and beat 2012 Olympic champion and four-time World champion Jordan Burroughs to make the U.S. Olympic team for Tokyo. Originally from Lansing, N.Y., Dake competed collegiately at Cornell, where he became the first athlete in NCAA history to win four national titles at four different weight classes.

The other Olympic bronze medalists at 74 kg was Bekzod Abdurakhmonov of Uzbekistan, who wrestled in college in the United States for Clarion University.

2016 Olympic champion Kyle Snyder (State College, Pennsylvania/Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) will get a chance to repeat as Olympic champion after earning a spot in the gold-medal finals.

In the semifinals, Snyder was in control throughout on the way to a 5-0 decision over 2020 European champion Suleyman Karadeniz of Turkey. Snyder scored four points on push outs, and received his other point when Karadeniz was placed on the shot clock and could not score.

Snyder will face his archrival, another 2016 Olympic champion and four-time World champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev of ROC. At the 2016 Olympics, Snyder was the 97 kg champion, while Sadulaev won at 86 kg.

Sadulaev moved up to 97 kg in 2017 and reached the world finals, where Snyder defeated him. In the finals of the 2018 World Championships, Sadulaev scored a first-period pin over Snyder.

Snyder won two Friday morning matches to qualify for the semifinals. He opened with a 12-2 technical fall win over Jordan Steen of Canada. In the quarterfinals, Snyder shut out Italy’s Abraham Conyedo Ruano, 6-0.

Snyder is the reigning Olympic champion at 97 kg and a 2015 and 2017 World champion. He added a World silver medal in 2018 and a World bronze medal in 2019. He is also a past Junior World champion. Originally from Woodbine, Md., Snyder was a three-time NCAA champion at Ohio State. He currently trains at Penn State.

At this point, the U.S. has won seven Olympic medals in Tokyo in wrestling, with another clinched by Snyder making the finals tomorrow. Included are three Olympic champions, Steveson, David Taylor (men;s freestyle at 86 kg) and Tamyra Mensah Stock (women’s freestyle at 68 kg). All five of the men’s freestyle wrestlers from the USA competing in Tokyo have won a medal.

OLYMPIC GAMES
At Makuhari, Chiba, Japan, August 6

Group Two U.S. men’s freestyle results

74 kg - Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./Spartan Combat WC/Titan Mercury WC), Bronze medal
WIN Mostafa Hosseinkhani (Iran), 4-0
LOSS Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (Belarus), 11-0
WIN Jeandry Garzon Caballero (Cuba), 10-0
WIN Frank Chamizo (Italy), 5-0

125 kg - Gable Steveson (Minneapolis, Minn./Gopher WC RTC), Gold medal
WIN Aiaal Lazarev (Kyrgyzstan), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Taha Akgul (Turkey), 8-0
WIN Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (Mongolia), 5-0
WIN Geno Petriashvili (Georgia), 10-8

Group Two men’s freestyle finals results

74 kg
Gold - Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia)
Silver - Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (Belarus)
Bronze - Kyle Dake (USA)
Bronze - Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan)
5th - Frank Chamizo (Italy)
5th - Daniyar Kaisanov (Kazakhstan)
7th - Amr Reda Ramadan Hussen (Egypt)
8th - Turan Bayramov (Azerbaijan)
9th - Jeandry Garzon Caballero (Cuba)
10th - Vasyl Mykhailov (Ukraine)
Gold – Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia) dec. Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (Belarus), 7-0
Bronze – Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan) tech. fall Daniyar Kaisanov (Kazakhstan), 13-2
Bronze – Kyle Dake (USA) dec. Frank Chamizo (Italy), 5-0

125 kg
Gold - Gable Steveson (USA)
Silver - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia)
Bronze - Taha Akgul (Turkey)
Bronze - Amir Hossein Zare (Iran)
5th - Zhiwei Deng (China)
5th - Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (Mongolia)
7th - Egzon Shala (Kosovo)
8th - Gennadij Cudinovic (Germany)
9th - Dzianis Khramiankou (Belarus)
10th - Diaaeldin Kamal Gouda Abdelmottaleb (Egypt)
Gold – Gable Steveson (USA) dec. Geno Petriashvili (Georgia), 10-8
Bronze – Taha Akgul (Turkey) dec. Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (Mongolia), 5-0
Bronze - Amir Hossein Zare (Iran) dec, Zhiwei Deng (China), 5-0

Group Three U.S. men’s freestyle results

97 kg - Kyle Snyder (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Jordan Steen (Canada), tech. fall 12-2
WIN Abraham Conyedo Ruano (Italy), 6-0
WIN Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey), 5-0
Gold Medal Match – Vs. Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC)

Group Three U.S. men’s freestyle finalists
65 kg - Takuto Otaguro (Japan) vs. Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
97 kg - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC) vs. Kyle Snyder (USA)

Group Three men’s freestyle semifinal results

65 kg
Takuto Otaguro (Japan) dec. Gadzhimurad Rashidov (ROC), 3-2
Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) dec. Bajrang Punia (India), 12-5

97 kg
Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC) dec. Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba), 4-0
Kyle Snyder (USA) dec. Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey), 5-0