Cuban wrestlers pin down 7 golds
By Barry Wilner
Associated Press
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Rulon Gardner was just another obstacle the Cuban wrestling team shoved aside in sweeping the seven Greco-Roman gold medals at the Pan American Games.
Associated Press
The 2000 Olympic heavyweight champion, coming back from a snowmobiling accident in 2002 that resulted in the amputation of a toe, lost to Mijian Lopez, 5-0, yesterday. It was the third time Lopez beat Gardner this year, all by shutouts.
Fabiana Claudino of Brazil, left, smashes the ball against Nicole Branagh of the United States, while Elymara Silva looks. Brazil won, 30-28, 25-13, 25-18.
"I feel very good beating Gardner," the 20-year-old Lopez said. "I'm in optimal condition and I feel I am one of the best in the world."
Lopez's win was the most impressive of the Cuban sweep. Another American Olympian, Brandon Paulson, lost in the 121-pound class to Lazaro Rivas, who is 5-0 against Paulson.
"I have the world championships in a month and a half and I hope to meet him in the final, and I know I can beat him," Paulson said. "I hate winning silver. I've won too many of them."
The United States took four silver medals — Gardner, Paulson, Brad Vering and Justin Ruiz — and bronze by T.C. Dantzler and James Gruenwald.
The host nation got its first medal of these games when Angelo Mota took silver behind Cuban Juan Maren at 145 1/2 pounds.
Cuba's big haul in wrestling gives it the lead in gold medals, but the United States tops the overall chart. The Cubans have 11 gold and four bronze. The Americans have six golds, nine silvers and six bronze.
Lance Bade had to be perfect to win another Pan Ams gold medal in shooting.
So the two-time Olympian hit all 25 shots in the final round yesterday to edge Rodrigo Bastos of Brazil for the men's trap shooting title. He finished with 147 points, one more than Bastos.
The young U.S. men's basketball team couldn't do the job down the stretch and lost to Puerto Rico, 86-85. Andre Barrett of Seton Hall missed a shot at the buzzer.
Puerto Rico used a 13-4 run early in the fourth quarter to take a lead it would not relinquish.
The U.S. women's basketball squad beat Canada, 56-53.
