BAKU, Azerbaijan -- The first day of the Grappling World Championships featured competition in the youth and Veterans divisions. The USA entered eight Veterans competitors, and came home with seven medals.

Winning an individual gold medal at 66 kg in the Veterans 40-44 year old division was Aaron Johnson of Greenwood, Ind., who won both of his matches for the day.

Johnson won his semifinal bout against Mikayil Musayev of Azerbaijan, 9-3. In the gold finals, Johnson scored a forfeit over Shohrat Allayev of Russia to secure the title.

Johnson is scheduled to compete in the Veterans Gi division on Thursday, and is also the U.S. representative in both styles in the Senior divisions on Friday and Saturday. Last year, he was also a member of the U.S. Senior Grappling World Team.

Two U.S. wrestlers won gold medals uncontested in their weights, Gabe Beauperthuy of Colorado Springs, Colo at unlimited in the Veterans 40-44 year old division, as well as Jeff Anderson of Zeeland Mich. at 92 kg in the Veterans 50-54 year old division. 

Beauperthuy won his third Veterans Grappling World title, after winning both the No-Gi and Gi gold medals in last year's Veterans Worlds in Minsk, Belarus. Beauperthuy is expected to compete in the Veterans Gi division on Thursday, and is on the Senior Grappling Gi team which competes on Sunday.

Last week, Beauperthuy was fifth at the unlimited division at the Beach World Championships in Dalyan, Turkey. Also last week, Anderson competed in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the Veterans World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.


​Photo: Rich Tado

Winning silver medals for Team USA were Jason Cumiford of Anchorage, Alaska at 77 kg in Veterans 35-39 years division, and Carlos Soto of W. Lafayette, Ind. in the 92 kg division in Veterans 35-39 years division. 

After a semifinal forfeit win, Cumiford reached the finals where he was defeated by Vasileos Korozidis of Greece, 6-2. Cumiford now has three Veterans World Grappling medals, after winning Veterans bronze medals in No-Gi and Gi at the Grappling Worlds in Belarus. He is scheduled to compete in the Veterans Gi division on Thursday.

Soto opened the tournament with a dominant 9-1 decision over Renat Valiakhmetov of Kazakhstan in the semifinals. He was defeated in the finals by Roman Torekhanov of Kazakhstan, by submission. Soto is expected to enter four tournaments this weekend just like Johnson, including the Veterans Gi division on Thursday, and both styles in the Senior division on Friday and Saturday. Soto was also on the 2016 U.S. Senior Grappling World Team in No-Gi and Gi.

Winning bronze medals for the USA were two more athletes in the Veterans 35-39 years old division, 77 kg -- Gregor Strakl of West Valley City, Utah at 77 kg and Dan Brecht of Sunset Beach, Calif. at 84 kg.

Brecht opened with a 3-3 overtime decision in the quarterfinals over Aleksios Bagiazipis of Greece before falling to Akhbar Hadiyev of Azerbaijan, 2-1 in the semifinals. Athletes who were beaten in the semifinals received bronze medals. Brecht was fifth in the 2015 Senior Grappling World Championships in No-Gi and Gi. He is expected to compete in Veterans Gi competition tomorrow. Strakl fell in his semifinals match to Vasileios Korozidis of Greece, 8-1.

The USA will enter a team of six wrestlers in the Gi competition of the Veterans Worlds on Thursday, followed by the Senior No-Gi competition on Friday and the Senior Gi competition on Saturday.

The USA Grappling Team is coached by Eddy Ellis of Olympia, Wash/ Serving as referee with the U.S. delegation is Rich Tado of Lake in the Hills, Ill., who is a member of the USA Wrestling Ad-Hoc Associated Styles Committee.

Click here to see Veterans Worlds online results website

2017 GRAPPLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Baku, Azerbaijan

​Veterans No-Gi Medalists 

Men 35-39 years old division 
62 kg
Gold - Umar Albumbaev (Russia)

66 kg
Gold - Murat Azbergenov (Kazakhstan)
Silver - Tukhan Nikaev (Russia)

71 kg
Gold - Tleubek Sagimbayev (Kazakhstan)

77 kg
Gold - Vasileios Korozidis (Greece)
Silver - Jason Cumiford (USA)
Bronze - Akhmed Akhmedov (Russia)
Bronze - Gregor Strakl (USA)

84 kg 
Gold - Renat Stinazarov (Kazakhstan)
Silver - Akbar Hadiyev (Azerbaijan)
Bronze - Dan Brecht (USA)
Bronze - Akhmedov Akhmed (Russia)

92 kg 
Gold - Roman Torekhanov (Kazakhstan)
Silver - Carlos Soto (USA)
Bronze - Arbi Umarov (Kazakhstan)
Bronze - Renat Valiakhmetov (Kazakhstan)

100 kg
Gold - Maksim Veshniakov (Russia)
Silver - Roman Kochin (Russia)
Bronze - Roman Myronov (Ukraine)
Bronze - Ariz Aliyev (Azerbaijan)

+100kg/Unlimited
Gold - Mukhkhamed Kerimov (Russia)
Silver - Tynys Bissaliev (Kazakhstan)
Bronze - Parvin Aljhasov (Azerbaijan)

Men Veterans 40-44 years old division

62 kg
Gold - Aaron Johnson (USA)
Silver - Shohrat Allayev (Turkmanstan)
Bronze - Mikayil Musayev (Azerbaijan)

66 kg
Gold - Almaz Ilksanov (Kazakhstan)

71 kg 
Gold - Georgii Bozrov (Russia)

77 kg
Gold - Dilshod Mirzakhodjaev (Uzbekistan)
Silver - Evgenii Korotkikh (Russia)
Bronze - Andrei Stoliarov (Russia)

84 kg
Gold - Murad Nurudinov (Russia)
Silver - Leonardo Gonzalez (Panama)
Bronze - Jozsef Sandor (Hungary)
Bronze - Zaur Mehtiyev (Azerbaijan)

92 kg
Gold - Hasanov Hazi Hasanov (Azerbaijan)
Silver - Mutsaiv Adam Mutsaiv (Russia)
Bronze - Orudzhov Ruslan Orudzhov (Russia)
Bronze - Guluev Elbrus Guluev (Azerbaijan)

100 kg
Gold - Aslanbek Gaudukhanov (Russia)

+100/Unlimited 
Gold - Gabe Beauperthuy (USA)

Men Veterans 45-49 years old division

62 kg
Gold - Begmatov Mirzaxakim Begmatov (Uzbekistan)

71 kg
Gold - Omer Ephrat (Israel)
Silver - Murat Marzhokhov (Russia)

84 kg
Gold - Shay Brand (Israel)
Silver - Sayat Shalabayev (Kazakhstan)
Bronze - Tibor Dohuluczki (Hungary)

92 kg
Gold - Ruslan Dukuzov (Russia)

100 kg
Gold - Leonid Khapchik (Russia)

+100/Unlimited
Gold - Kuanush Murza (Kazakhstan)

Men Veterans 50-54 years old division

62 kg
Gold - Istvan Kleber (Hungary)

66 kg 
Gold - Evgenii Iliukov (Russia)

77 kg
Gold - Bogdan Ferens (Romanian)

92 kg
Gold - Jeff Anderson (USA)

+100/Unlimited 
Gold - Uxumbaev Anuar (Kazakhstan)

Women 35 years and over division

64 kg
Gold - Rita Tana (Italy)
Silver - Bench Oksana Bench (Russia)

+71 kg/Unlimited
Gold - Arkhipova Valentina Arkhipova (Russia)

​​​​U.S. Veterans No-Gi performance

Veterans 35-39 years old

77 kg -- Gregor Strakl, West Valley City, Utah, bronze medal
LOSS Vasileios Korozidis (Greece), 8-1

77 kg -- Jason Cumiford, Anchorage, Alaska, silver medal
WIN Akhmed Akhmedov (Russia), forfeit
LOSS Vasileos Korozidis (Greece), 6-2

84 kg -- Dan Brecht, Sunset Beach, Calif., bronze medal
WIN Aleksios Bagiazipis (Greece), 3-3, ot
LOSS Akhbar Hadiyev (Azerbaijan), 2-1

92 kg -- Carlos Soto, W. Lafayette, Ind., silver medal
WIN Renat Valiakhmetov (Kazakhstan), 9-1
LOSS Roman Torekhanov (Kazakhstan), submission

Over 100 kg -- Gabe Beauperthuy, Colorado Springs, Colo., gold medal
Uncontested

Veterans 40-44 years old

66 kg -- Aaron Johnson, Greenwood, Ind., gold medal
WIN Mikayil Musayev (Azerbaijan), 9-3
WIN Shohrat Allayev (Russia)

92 kg -- Scott Lanham, Pasadena, Texas, did not medal
LOSS Adam Mutsaiv (Russia), submission

Veterans 50-54 years old

92 kg- Jeff Anderson, Zeeland Mich., gold medal
Uncontested