Wednesday begins the 2024 Pan-American Championships for Greco-Roman wrestling in Acapulco, Mexico. FLOWrestling will carry the live broadcast for the United States audience starting at 10:00am local time (11:00am ET). An important tournament it is for all involved as the results from the six Olympic weight categories (60, 67, 77, 87, 97, & 130 kg) will influence the seeding one week later at the Pan-Am Olympic Games Qualifier in the same location.
In This Article:
2024 Pan-American Championships Schedule
*All times -1 hr ET
The Pan-Am Championships is observing the traditional one-day format and will include all ten Senior Greco-Roman weight categories.
DAY 1 — 55, 60, 63, 67, 77, 87, & 130 kg
DAY 2 — 72 & 97 kg
DAY 1 — Wednesday, February 21
10:00am — Qualification rounds
2:00pm — Semifinals
3:00pm — Repechage rounds
5:00pm — Finals
DAY 2 — Thursday, February 22
10:00am — Qualification rounds
2:00pm — Semifinals
3:00pm — Repechage rounds
5:00pm — Finals
Team USA Roster
*Pan-Am Olympic Qualifier (February 28) roster member
55 kg: Camden Russell (NYAC/MWC)
60 kg: Randon Miranda (NYAC)
63 kg: Hayden Tuma (NYAC)
*67 kg: Alex Sancho (Army/WCAP)
72 kg: Noah Wachsmuth (NYAC)
*77 kg: Kamal Bey (Army/WCAP)
82 kg: Mahmoud Sebie (NYAC)
*87 kg: Spencer Woods (Army/WCAP)
*97 kg: Alan Vera (NYAC)
*130 kg: Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist)
Previous Pan-Am C’Ships Experience
Miranda, Tuma, Sancho, Bey, Woods, and Vera all hold relevant prior experience with regards to both Pan-Am Championships events and continental competition in general. Wachsmuth, Sebie, and Schultz do not; however, Schultz did place second at the Pan-Am Games in November, an event that includes basically the same field of athletes.
For those who closely follow the US program, the exploits of ’20 Olympian Sancho and Bey in this environment are particularly well-known. Sancho, 29, has competed in four Pan-Am tournaments with his first appearance coming in ’15 (5th place). One year later, the now-multi-time World Team member placed second. In ’20, Sancho took third at the Pan-Am Championships, regrouped, and then made the finals the next week at the Olympic Qualifier, a performance which secured 67 kg for the US at the Tokyo Games, a spot that was eventually earned by Sancho at the postponed Olympic Team Trials.
26-year-old Bey made his Senior Pan-Am debut technically in ’17 — but he was injured at the time and simply weighed-in so as to ensure that the US would have a 75 kg rep at that year’s World Championships. His first legitimate showing came in ’18 (10th); the following season, Bey was runner-up to champ Yosvanys Pena Flores of Cuba in a match that was marred by incorrect officiating. The Illinois product was back in the Pan-Am Championships last May and defeated Pena for gold. In November, Bey won the Pan-Am Games by once again turning back Pena in what was an exciting finish to the tournament.
Vera has two starts at the Pan-Am Championships to his credit, with the first one on behalf of Cuba in ’16. He won the event. At the ’23 Pan-Ams, Vera, now a Team USA representative, came away with bronze. Dialing it back just a little further, four-time National champ Vera was also a Pan-Am Games bronze (’15) prior to defecting.
Miranda has appeared in two Pan-Am Championships and made the finals in both. His first start was in ’21 at 63 kg. In that tournament, Miranda wrestled well and engaged in a tough but thrilling affair with Andres Montano Arroyo (ECU) to end up with silver. The following year, Miranda competed in the 60 kg division — as he will on Wednesday — and finished first.
Three-time National Champion Tuma first went to the Pan-Am Championships in ’17 (66 kg) and again in ’22 (67 kg). Confounding in a sense were his results. Tuma, arguably the United States’ most explosive lightweight in addition to wielding an impressive overall skill-set, came in 7th in his first two tries at the annual continental championships. On Wednesday, he will be in familiar territory — the 63 kg bracket. Although Tuma has designs on competing at 60 kg this season (where he placed second at the December Nationals), 63 has been a strong division for him in domestic competition and it is thought that it is in this class why he could potentially have a successful showing in the ’24 edition of the tournament.
Listen to “5PM57: Kamal Bey and David Stepanyan” on Spreaker.
Listen to “5PM56: Rich Carlson and Spencer Woods” on Spreaker.
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