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Takedown at MSG Four top countries faceoff in Goodwill wrestling
Posted: Sunday July 19, 1998 11:04 AM
NEW YORK (CNN/SI) -- International wrestling powers Iran, Russia, Turkey and USA will battle in head-to-head competition during the Goodwill Games at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Iran will visit the U.S. for only the fifth time in the last 20 years ahead of the United States' visit to Tehran, Iran for the 1998 World Wrestling Championships in September. A pair of world champions will headline the young team of U.S. freestyle wrestlers. They will be led by 1997 world champion Les Gutches at 187.25 pounds and 1993 world champion Melvin Douglas at 213.75 pounds. Gutches was seventh at the 1996 Olympic Games. He has won the U.S. Nationals three straight years, and was third in the 1998 World Cup. Douglas has won four career world medals and was seventh in the 1996 Olympic Games. He is the only member of the U.S. team who has previous Goodwill Games experience, winning a silver medal at 198 pounds in the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. Another top U.S. athlete will be 1997 World silver medalist Cary Kolat in the 138.75 pound class. Kolat won the 1998 World Team Trials after missing the U.S. natonals with an injury. He won a gold medal at the 1998 World Cup. Leading the Russian team will be a pair of 1996 Olympic champions, Bouvaisa Saitiev at 167.5 pounds and Khazhimurad Magomedov at 187.25 pounds. Saitiev is considered by many the greatest freestyle wrestler in the world. In addition to his Olympic title, Saitiev won the 1995 and 1997 world championships, as well as three straight European championships. In addition to his gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Magomedov was a 1997 European champion and placed fourth in the 1997 world championships. The top wrestler from Turkey will be Harun Dogan at 127.75 pounds, who placed third in the 1995 world championships and fourth in the 1996 Olympic Games. Dogan was second in 1996 European championships. A talented young star on the Turkish team is 1998 European champion Aydin Polatci in the 286 pound class. Polatci was the 1997 junior world champion and was third in the 1997 World Military Championships.
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Melvin Douglas (left) faced Russia's Makharbek Khadartsev in the gold medal match of the 1994 Goodwill Games. 