Olympic Wrestling 2016: Medal Winners, Scores and Results from Sunday
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling got underway at the 2016 Summer Olympics with the 59- and 75-kilogram weight classes handing out medals Sunday in Rio de Janeiro.
Cuba's Ismael Borrero Molina won gold in the 59-kilogram class, while 2012 gold medalist Roman Vlasov brought a first-place finish to Russia in the 75-kilogram class.
| Gold | Ismael Borrero Molina | Cuba |
| Silver | Shinobu Ota | Japan |
| Bronze | Stig-Andre Berge | Norway |
| Bronze | Elmurat Tasmuradov | Uzbekistan |
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| Gold | Roman Vlasov | Russia |
| Silver | Mark Overgaard Madsen | Denmark |
| Bronze | Saeid Morad Abdevali | Iran |
| Bronze | Kim Hyeon-woo | South Korea |
Borreroย Molina took control early against Shinobu Ota of Japan and nearly secured a pinfall in the first period. He lifted Ota off the mat and then slammed him down. Ota kept his shoulders up to avoid getting pinned, but Borrero Molina'sย move was impressive.
The Associated Press' Luke Meredith approved of the takedown:
While Ota stayed in the match, he failed to record a point over the two periods, getting shut out 8-0.
The bronze-medal match before Borrero's win couldn't have provided a more stark contrast in terms of competitiveness. Stig-Andre Berge and Rovshan Bayramov finished tied at 1-1, but the 33-year-old Norwegian prevailed on a tiebreaker.
Berge won despite sporting a visible shiner above his left eye that likely impeded his vision. Kare R. Aas, Norway's ambassador to the United States, thought a black eye was a small price to pay for Olympic glory:
Former silver medalist Brandon Paulson got nostalgic while watching Berge:
Like Borrero Molina'sย victory at 59 kilograms, Vlasov's gold-medal triumph was drama-free. Four of his five points against Mark Overgaard Madsen came on a takedown early in the first period.
After getting a point back in the second period, Madsen did everything he could to get the Russian down on the mat and level the match. But Vlasov's technique was too good, and he defended each of the Dane's takedown attempts superbly.
Despite the defeat, all was not lost for Madsen, who earned the first medal for a Danish wrestler since Henrik Hansen took home bronze in 1948, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Wrestling will feature on each of the remaining seven days of the 2016 Olympics. Greco-Roman wrestling will continue Monday with the 85- and 130-kilogram classes, and the discipline wraps up Tuesday with the 66- and 98-kilogram classes.
