LA GRANGE, Illinois (May 21) – World silver medalist Ryutaro Matsumoto posted a win for the world select team, but the United States won the last three bouts of this special international dual meet to win the Curby Cup.
Matsumoto edged U.S. national champion Joe Betterman 2-1 at 60kg to give the world select team a 2-0 lead after 2010 Asia champion Choi Gyu-Jin (KOR) led off with a win at 55kg over U.S. Olympian Spenser Mango.
With the world team leading 3-1, however, newly crowned U.S. Open winner Jordan Holm sparked a U.S. comeback with a 2-1 win over reigning world champion Hristov Marinov (BUL) at 84kg.
The Curby Cup event was named for Jacob Curby, a promising young greco-roman wrestler from Illinois who died unexpectedly in January 2010 at the age of 25.
United States 4, World Select 3
55kg – Choi Gyu-Jin (KOR) df. Spenser Mango (USA), 2-0 (1-0, 2-0)
60kg – Ryutaro Matsumoto (JPN) df. Joe Betterman (USA), 2-1 (1-0, 0-2, 1-0)
66kg – Justin Lester (USA) df. Alexandar Maksimovic (SRB), 2-1 (3-0, 0-1, 2-1)
74kg – Peter Bacsi (HUN) df. Ben Provisor (USA), 2-1 (1-2, 4-1, 1-0)
84kg – Jordan Holm (USA) df. Hristo Marinov (BUL), 2-1 (0-3, 3-0, 2-0)
96kg – Justin Ruiz (USA) df. Jimmy Lidberg (SWE), 2-1 (1-0, 0-2, 1-0)
120kg – Dremiel Byers (USA) df. Mindaugas Mizgaitis (LTU), 2-0 (1-0, 2-0)