THE EMPHASIS IS ON ACTION
Friday, August 6th
By James O’Brien
After yesterday’s excitement – one gold medal, one silver medal, one fourth place – today seemed almost quiet. In reality, it wasn’t; but, perception, so I am told, is what counts. The reality of today was that the NYAC had two medal contenders in wrestling going through their paces – Bekzod Abdurakhmonov and Sarah Hildebrandt – plus, the US men’s water polo team competing in the classification rounds for fifth through eighth places (they were facing Italy today), plus Samantha Achterberg (aka Schultz) contesting the individual modern pentathlon.
Were I to hazard a guess, I would say that most readers are not so familiar with the latter event. I will, therefore, take this opportunity to impart what little I know. The modern pentathlon – as distinct from the pentathlon – first appeared in the Olympic Games in 1912 in Stockholm. (The pentathlon was also in those Games, won by Jim Thorpe, who also won the decathlon. I hear another movie is in the works). Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the Modern Games, claimed to have invented this new event, though some sources dispute that. Nonetheless, the Baron was, it would appear, demonstrably innovative. Ironically, the modern pentathlon is purported to represent a traditional warrior who, upon encountering an enemy, would engage them in a swordfight, mount a horse and ride away, swim across a stream, begin to run on the other side and then start shooting. All of which, to my mind, begs an obvious question: if de Coubertin – or the fabled warrior, for that matter – had put the shooting first, you wouldn’t have to bother with the rest of them. I digress. If you are inclined to look up the results of that inaugural modern pentathlon in Stockholm you will note that, in fifth place was George S. Patton, who went on to become pretty good at shooting and military matters in general. (General? Get it? Yes? Anybody?)
OK. Well, in recent times the modern pentathlon has been made more modern to the point that, oftentimes, they don’t even call it modern, anymore. A bit of stretch, anyway, given that it’s well over 100 years old. Most significantly, while the swimming (200m FS), fencing (epée, round robin) and riding (show-jumping) elements remain generally as they were, the running and shooting disciplines have been combined into a laser run event. The move was not universally welcomed and some have suggested that the whole event should now be the modern tetrathlon, given that it’s really just four events. That’s a debate for another day and another forum; for right here and right now, we had Samantha Achterberg and she was deep in the fray.
Samantha was a silver medalist at the Pan Am Games in 2019. In Tokyo, however, the competition was of an entirely different caliber. Samantha battled her way through the five – or four, your choice – disciplines, ultimately placing 21st with a score of 1278 points in an event won by Great Britain’s Kate French with a score of 1385. The men’s event, featuring the NYAC’s Amro Elgeziry, takes place tomorrow (Saturday August 7th) all day long. I can attest that, though rarely covered and distinctly under-appreciated, the modern pentathlon is a fascinating competition. I encourage you to tune in.
It was the NYAC’s wrestlers, Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (competing for Uzbekistan) and Sarah Hildebrandt who were, in truth, front and center today. Hildebrandt, the World Championships silver medalist in 2018, opened her competition in the 50kg division with a dominant 11-0 technical fall victory over 2017 World Championships bronze medalist, Evin Demirhan of Turkey. Hildebrandt led 3-0 at the break with a takedown, plus a point from Demirhan not scoring on the shot clock. In the second period, Hildebrandt scored another takedown, then locked up the ankle lace and turned her opponent three times to finish off the technical fall. That’s called dominance.
In the next round, the quarter-finals, Hildebrandt dismissed 2020 European champion and three-time age group World Championships medalist, Miglena Selishka of Bulgaria, by a score of 12-2. Selishka scored the first takedown, but Hildebrandt came back with one of her own, locked up an ankle lace and turned it five times to secure another technical fall victory. Signs were seriously good. Next up was the semis. In that bout, Hildebrandt faced 2013 world champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, Sun Yanan of China. Hopes were high and things looked good; but, Hildebrandt lost a disappointing decision. Having led 7-0 in the first period, the NYAC woman began to lose steam, though she was still ahead, 7-6, as time wound down. It was then that Hildebrandt suffered a heart-breaking four-point throw, exactly as the horn sounded, losing the bout 10-7. That was a tough way to lose; but, the game isn’t over, yet. Hildebrandt will fight for the bronze medal versus the winner of the bout between Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez and Oksana Livach from Ukraine. That clash takes place tomorrow morning (Friday evening EST). Hildebrandt’s bronze medal match is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, at 8:55pm JST (7:55am EST).
The other NYAC grappler on the mats today was Uzbekistan’s Bekzod Abdurakhmonov. In 2016 in Rio, Bekzod had defeated the heavily favored Jordan Burroughs to battle his way into the bronze medal round, before losing that match and being forced to accept fifth position. This time around, contesting the 76kg FS division, he fought his way to the same round, but made no such misstep, claiming the bronze medal with a powerful victory over Daniyar Kaisanov of Kazakstan. In his opening bout, Bekzod defeated Franklin Gomez of Puerto Rico. Then came Zaurbek Sidakov of the Russian Olympic Committee, a bout that our man lost. The Russian kept advancing, however, ultimately claiming the gold medal, which put Bekzod into the repechage where he prevailed over Augusto Midana of Guinea-Bissau before moving on to defeat Kaisanov and take the bronze medal. It seemed fitting; Abdurakhmonov has been a journeyman wrestler for many years. Prior to this, he could boast two World Championships bronzes. That is proof enough of stature. But an Olympic medal is something else again. Al Oerter did not say, “These are the world championships, and you die for them.”
In other housekeeping matters, the US men’s water polo team exacted revenge on Italy today for an earlier defeat in group play. In this classification round, the US forged a hard-fought 7-6 win that advanced them in the placement bracket. Ahead 5-3 at half-time, Team USA fell back into a 5-5 tie by the end of the third quarter. But the NYAC’s Alex Bowen restored the lead with a goal with 7:25 remaining, a lead that Italy erased two minutes later and with just 5:22 remaining. The game-decider came from Johnny Hooper, who found the net with 1:35 remaining. It was close, but the win is what counts. The USA will now face Croatia to determine the fifth-place team in the tournament. That match will take place at 11am JST on Sunday, August 8th (10pm, Saturday EST).
Which is the end of that day’s action, and almost the end of Games’ action. Almost. In addition to Amro Elgeziry in tomorrow’s modern pentathlon and the water polo men seeking to determine their position, the US women’s water polo team is in the gold medal match versus Spain. There are nine NYAC women on that team. And let’s not forget Sarah Hildebrandt, who is fighting for bronze. So, tomorrow may be the last day of NYAC action in Tokyo, but the emphasis remains distinctly on “action.”