Past Stanford standout Matt Gentry punches ticket to Beijing

tler and current volunteer assistant coach Matt Gentry has earned a spot at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The 74 kg freestyle wrestler, who qualified for the Canadian Olympic Team in December, earned himself a spot in the Olympics yesterday, taking third at the Pan Am Championships in Colorado Springs.

Gentry, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, won a 7-0, 5-0 decision over Felipe Arangure of Mexico in his opening match and pinned Panama’s Leonardo Gonzalez 27 seconds into his second match. Gentry then lost a close decision to the wrestler from Cuba, but bested Columbia’s Wilson Medina (5-0, 10-3) in the bronze medal match. In the wrestle-off for true third to go to the Olympics, he pinned Puerto Rican Jaime Espinal in 1:45. As the highest finisher not already qualified, Gentry earned himself a spot in this summer’s Olympic Games.

Gentry has been competing internationally since graduating from Stanford in 2005. He won his first major international medal, a bronze, at the Pan Am Games last July. Gentry is Stanford’s only NCAA Champion, having won the 157-pound title in 2004. He qualified for the Olympics on the same day his career win record was broken by current

tler and current volunteer assistant coach Matt Gentry has earned a spot at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The 74 kg freestyle wrestler, who qualified for the Canadian Olympic Team in December, earned himself a spot in the Olympics yesterday, taking third at the Pan Am Championships in Colorado Springs.

Gentry, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, won a 7-0, 5-0 decision over Felipe Arangure of Mexico in his opening match and pinned Panama’s Leonardo Gonzalez 27 seconds into his second match. Gentry then lost a close decision to the wrestler from Cuba, but bested Columbia’s Wilson Medina (5-0, 10-3) in the bronze medal match. In the wrestle-off for true third to go to the Olympics, he pinned Puerto Rican Jaime Espinal in 1:45. As the highest finisher not already qualified, Gentry earned himself a spot in this summer’s Olympic Games.

Gentry has been competing internationally since graduating from Stanford in 2005. He won his first major international medal, a bronze, at the Pan Am Games last July. Gentry is Stanford’s only NCAA Champion, having won the 157-pound title in 2004. He qualified for the Olympics on the same day his career win record was broken by current