On Tuesday, February 5th, World Sport Chicago, in conjunction with USA Wrestling, will host the Second Annual Chicago Cup at Northwestern University's Welsh-Ryan Arena in McGaw Hall. Tickets are available now.
The 2008 Chicago Cup will feature the first-ever U.S. Greco-Roman Men’s World Champion team taking on a very strong team from Bulgaria. The U.S. women's national team will also return to face off against the Polish women's team in the Olympic freestyle weights.
“It is an honor for us to play host to some of the world’s top wrestlers,” said Michael Conley, president and CEO of World Sport Chicago. “This international competition will give many members of Chicago’s vibrant ethnic communities the unique opportunity to cheer on teams from Bulgaria and Poland as they compete against Team USA.”
The impressive lineup of Chicago Cup wrestlers includes hopefuls for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, such as Chicago area wrestlers Lindsay Durlacher and T. C. Dantzler. Durlacher is currently one of the top contenders at 55 kg. His 2007 accolades include a silver medal at the Pan American Games, second place at the U.S. Nationals and first at the U.S. World Team Trials. Danzler, the number one–ranked Greco-Roman wrestler in the world at 74 kg, earned a bronze at the Pan American Games and second at the Pan American Championships and was a U.S. national champion in 2007.
“This team is as strong as ever, and we intend to show our fans at the Chicago Cup just why we are 2007 World Champions,” said Steve Fraser, head coach of the Greco-Roman squad. “We are excited for the opportunity to compete against Bulgarian athletes, who are sure to be formidable opponents.”
Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann and two-time World Championships bronze medalist Katie Downing lead a strong women’s freestyle contingent. Several members of the team will be coming to Chicago from Taiyuan, China, soon after competing in the World Cup there. The women are shooting for their first World Cup title since 2003.
“This is an important year for the Team USA women as we prepare to qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games,” said Terry Steiner, head coach of the women’s team. “The Chicago Cup is a great way to challenge ourselves, and we value the opportunity to compete against Team Poland.”
Armen Nazarian, the most decorated of all active Greco-Roman style wrestlers and a two-time Olympic gold medalist (Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000), leads Bulgaria’s team.
Yavor Yanakiev is another standout for the Bulgarian team. The 22-year-old Yanakiev, from Stara Zagora, became the 54th Bulgarian world champion in wrestling history. Yavor defeated Mark Madsen of Denmark 2-0 in the 74 kg lb weight class to claim his title.
Another wrestler to watch will be Nikolay Gergov at 66 kg. His accolades include a gold medal at the 2005 World Championships in Budapest and a bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships in Baku.
Poland’s women’s team boasts a number of standouts, including Monika Rogien and Agnieszka Wieszczek, each of whom earned a bronze medal during the 2007 World Wrestling Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan. Rogien defeated Julia Ostapchuk of Ukraine, 3-1 in the Women's Freestyle 63kg, while Wieszczek beat Tereza Mendez of Spain, 4-0 in the Women’s Freestyle 67kg.
The competition begins at 7:00 PM CST, with demonstration clinics and youth events beginning at 5:45 PM CST. Tickets are available on Tickets.com and are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. One ticket serves as admission to both events.
Paid parking will be available at the venue.
Location:
Welsh-Ryan Arena
Northwestern University
2705 Ashland Ave.
Evanston, IL 60208
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About World Sport Chicago
World Sport Chicago (WSC) is an Illinois not-for-profit working to enhance the image, awareness and participation in Olympic sports across Chicago and to extend Chicago’s international outreach through and for sport and youth. Focused on promoting the development of recreational and competitive sport to the area’s youth, WSC works closely with Chicago 2016 and Chicago’s 2016’s Athlete Advisory Counsel (AAC) to provide sport expertise and athlete insight to the execution of these sporting events. WSC intends to aid Chicago in developing a sustainable, international sporting legacy, as a real agent of social change for the City. Michael Conley, Sr., an Olympic medalist in the triple jump, serves as president and CEO. William Scherr, an Olympic medalist in wrestling, is chairman of the board.
About USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling is the national governing body for wrestling in the United States and is a member organization of the United States Olympic Committee and the international wrestling federation FILA. USA Wrestling conducts events and programs for wrestlers at all levels. Its membership includes athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and fans all across the nation. For more information about USA Wrestling, please see: www.TheMat.com.
Contact:
Mica Matsoff
+1.312.861.4891
mmatsoff@chicago2016.org