U.S. wrestler Kyle Hoffer struggles to escape from Russia's Grigory Kozhevnikov after being taken down in the first period Friday at Chinese Culture University Athletic Center for the quarterfinals of the 74kg weight class. Kozhevnikov defeated Hoffer, 5-0. (Photo by Jason Chiou)
Wrestler reaps bronze in freestyleby Chris Kaftan on September 11, 2009 In wrestling, one little mistake can cost you dearly. That's what two American grapplers learned today in the final day of freestyle competition. One American walked home with a bronze medal. The other narrowly missed a chance to get his own bronze. The last chance for the U.S. to grab a medal in a sport in which it usually excels was down to two men — Kyle Hoffer, of Anchorage, Alaska, and Mark Cross, of New Market, Md. In the morning rounds, Hoffer and Cross lost their matches to more formidable opponents. Hoffer faced Russian Grigory Kozhevnikov. The match ended quicker than expected as Kozhevnikov pinned Hoffer in the first round of their 66-74kg match. Cross, one of the two youngest wrestlers in the entire Deaflympics, didn't fare well, either, losing to Turkey's Ilhan Citak by points in two periods. Both Hoffer and Cross, however, were still eligible for a bronze medal. In Olympic wrestling, two bronze medals are awarded, one to the third-place wrestler and the other to the grappler who wins the fourth- through sixth-place match. In the afternoon finals, Hoffer faced Uzbekistan's Shakhabbos Ernazarov and used quick flips and tackles to amass the amount of points he needed to advance. Hoffer won the first round, and in the second round earned seven points, the minimum needed to win a match. The brief dry spell for U.S. wrestling in the 2009 Deaflympics ended with Hoffer's bronze medal. Cross' match, in the 84-96kg class, came next as he faced Kazhakistan's Khairatkhaan Shonku. Cross jumped out to an early 1-0 lead but allowed Shonku to do a reverse curl for a 2-1 Kazhak lead. Cross earned two more points with a curl to regain the lead, 3-2, but allowed Shonku to reverse and body curl for a 5-3 lead. Cross again reverse-curled to tie the game at 5-5 and appeared to have the slight edge on getting Shonku on his back to earn more points. But Cross made an error he later regretted. He pulled Shonku too far, which enabled Shonku to press down on Cross's shoulder blades, and the referee signaled a takedown. Cross immediately put his head down on the mat — he had lost his chance to join teammate Hoffer on the podium. "It was a stupid mistake that I made," Cross said. "I knew immediately." Coach Thad Ferguson said Cross should have hung onto his 1-0 lead. "Even a 1-0 lead is good in wrestling. He could have defended" himself from an offensive attack, Ferguson said. Cross has learned. He's already hungry for 2013. "The Russians want me back," he smiled. |
 U.S. wrestler Kyle Hoffer struggles to escape from Russia's Grigory Kozhevnikov after being taken down in the first period Friday at Chinese Culture University Athletic Center for the quarterfinals of the 74kg weight class. Kozhevnikov defeated Hoffer, 5-0. (Photo by Jason Chiou)
 U.S. wrestler Mark Cross is tied up by Turkey's Ilhan Citak while being taken down in the first period Friday at Chinese Culture University Athletic Center for the quarterfinals of the 96kg weight class. (Photo by Jason Chiou)
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