Veterans World Freestyle Championships begin today in Riga, Latvia

Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
08/04/2006

A group of 10 U.S. wrestlers will compete at the 2006 Veterans World Freestyle Wrestling Championships, set for Riga, Latvia, August 4-6.

The Veterans World Championships features wrestlers who are 35 years old and above. There are five age divisions in Veterans wrestling.

Competitors in Div. B and Div. E compete on Friday. Wrestlers in Div. C and Div. D compete on Saturday. Athletes in Div. A compete on Sunday.

The Team Leader for the U.S. delegation is Jim Lucas of Santa Cruz, Calif., who will also be competing in Div. D at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.

Among the team members is former Veterans World Champion Shirzad Ahmadi of Coventry, Conn., who competes at the 63 kg/138.75 lbs. in Div. E. In addition, past Veterans World Greco-Roman champion Ronald Hughes of Hollister, Calif. will compete in freestyle this year in Div. B at the 69 kg/152 lbs. weight class.

Hughes, Lucas and Ahmadi were USA Wrestling Veterans National freestyle champions in 2006. Hughes, Steve Hart was a USA Wrestling Veterans National Greco-Roman champion this year

The website on the Veterans World Freestyle Championships in Latvia is:
http://www.latwrest.lv/index.php?pid=2272

2006 U.S. Veterans World Freestyle Team roster

Div. A
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Timothy Boda, Baldwinsville, N.Y.

Div. B
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Melton East, Bakerfield, Calif.
69 kg/152 lbs. – Ronald Hughes, Hollister, Calif.

Div. D
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Gerald Silva, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Jim Lucas, Santa Cruz, Calif.
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Steve Hart, Arvada, Colo.
69 kg/152 lbs. – Craig Johnson, Broomfield, Colo.
76 kg/167.5 lbs. – David East, Bakersfield, Calif.

Div. E
85 kg/187.5 lbs. – Kenneth Peters, Elmhurst, Ill.
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Shirzad Ahmadi, Coventry, Conn.