The U.S. Greco-Roman team in Turkey is led by three of its top athletes – Dalton Roberts, Ellis Coleman, and Kamal Bey – all of whom are U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions and members of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program. Roberts will face Viktor Petryk of Ukraine in the opening round, with the possibility of a rematch against No. 1 seed Gevorg Gharibyan of Armenia in the quarterfinals if he advances. Coleman will take on Aliaksandr Liavonchyk of Belarus in his first match, with potential matchups against No. 4 seed Abu Amaev of Bulgaria and No. 1 seed Krisztian Vancza of Hungary in the later rounds if he advances. Bey will face Sergei Kutuzov of Russia in the opening round, with tough competition from Tsimur Berdyeu of Belarus, Viktor Nemes of Serbia, and Iuri Lomadze of Georgia on his side of the bracket.
The Greco-Roman team is gearing up for some tough competition at the tournament in Turkey, with each athlete facing strong opponents throughout their respective weight classes. Each athlete is determined to bring their best efforts to the competition and showcase their skills on an international stage.
In particular, Roberts is looking forward to facing off against Petryk again in the opening round after losing to him at last year’s World Cup Final in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I know I can beat him,” said Roberts after winning his spot on the U.S. World Team Trials last month.”I just have to be smart about it.”
Coleman said he was excited for his first match against Liavonchyk because “he’s a really good wrestler and I think it’ll be a good test for me.”
Bey was also confident heading into his first round matchup against Kutuzov.
“He’s a really tough guy,” said Bey after winning his spot on the U.S Army World Class Athlete Program earlier this year.”But I think I have what it takes to beat him.”
Overall, all three athletes are ready for whatever comes their way at this tournament and are determined to leave no stone unturned as they strive for success on both an individual and team level.
