Photo by: United World Wrestling
Darian Cruz '18 Finishes Fifth At Paris Olympics
8/9/2024 2:48:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
PARIS – Making his Olympic debut, former Lehigh standout Darian Cruz '18 finished fifth at 57 kg at the Paris games, with his competition concluding on Friday.
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Representing Puerto Rico, Cruz won his opening round bout by fall on Thursday before dropping his quarterfinal match to eventual gold medalist Rei Higuchi of Japan. Higuchi's semifinal victory pulled Cruz into the repechage, where he came up short in his bid for a bronze medal.
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Cruz opened his tournament against Gamal Mohamed of Egypt. Mohamed opened the scoring when Cruz failed to score while on the shot clock, but Cruz responded by securing a go-ahead takedown and locking up a cradle to secure the fall with 30 seconds remaining in the first period.
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In the quarterfinals, Cruz gave up a pair of early four-point moved and ultimately fell 12-2 to Higuchi, the No. 1 seed, who went on to win the gold medal.
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In Friday's bronze medal match, Cruz faced India's Aman Sehrawat. Cruz scored first on a pushout point, but Aman answered with a 3-1 advantage in takedowns in the first period to lead 6-3 at the break. Cruz picked up another takedown in the second period but Sehrawat continued to find ways to score and extend his lead, ultimately prevailing by a 13-5 decision.
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The 2017 NCAA Champion and three-time NCAA All-American, Cruz is the second Lehigh wrestler to compete in the Olympics, joining Bobby Weaver '83, who won gold in Los Angeles in 1984.
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Darian Cruz (PUR) – 57 kg
WBF Gamal Mohamed (EGY) 2:30
L by VSU Rei Higuchi (JPN) 12-2
L by VPO1 Aman Sehrawat (IND) 13-5
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Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on X/Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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Representing Puerto Rico, Cruz won his opening round bout by fall on Thursday before dropping his quarterfinal match to eventual gold medalist Rei Higuchi of Japan. Higuchi's semifinal victory pulled Cruz into the repechage, where he came up short in his bid for a bronze medal.
Â
Cruz opened his tournament against Gamal Mohamed of Egypt. Mohamed opened the scoring when Cruz failed to score while on the shot clock, but Cruz responded by securing a go-ahead takedown and locking up a cradle to secure the fall with 30 seconds remaining in the first period.
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In the quarterfinals, Cruz gave up a pair of early four-point moved and ultimately fell 12-2 to Higuchi, the No. 1 seed, who went on to win the gold medal.
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In Friday's bronze medal match, Cruz faced India's Aman Sehrawat. Cruz scored first on a pushout point, but Aman answered with a 3-1 advantage in takedowns in the first period to lead 6-3 at the break. Cruz picked up another takedown in the second period but Sehrawat continued to find ways to score and extend his lead, ultimately prevailing by a 13-5 decision.
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The 2017 NCAA Champion and three-time NCAA All-American, Cruz is the second Lehigh wrestler to compete in the Olympics, joining Bobby Weaver '83, who won gold in Los Angeles in 1984.
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Darian Cruz (PUR) – 57 kg
WBF Gamal Mohamed (EGY) 2:30
L by VSU Rei Higuchi (JPN) 12-2
L by VPO1 Aman Sehrawat (IND) 13-5
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Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on X/Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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