KIEV, Ukraine – Cliff Keen Wrestling Club’s Andrew Howe captured the 74kg/163-pound silver medal on the final day of the Outstanding Ukrainian Athletes and Coaches Memorial on Thursday (Feb. 16) at the Palace of Sport in Kiev.
Howe was defeated in the finals by Aleksandr Gostiyev of Azerbaijan, 0-1, 0-1.
Gostiev scored an ankle pick takedown in the first period, and escaped with the period when Howe could not break Gostiev’s tripod to secure a takedown. Gostiev also scored a spin behind takedown in the second period for the victory.
“I wrestled pretty well,” said Howe. “I had five matches. I got my offense going. I have a few technical things to correct, and if I had done them I would have won the finals. I’m right there. I had a tough guy in the semifinals. I am close to where I need to be. I made big gains this year. I plan to keep improving and work on the small things, and to become Olympic champion.”
He won four straight matches to qualify for the finals. Howe opened with victories over Dmytro Komisar of Ukraine, 2-0, 2-1 and Roman Dermnji of Moldova, 3-1, 2-0. In the quarterfinals, he stopped Oleg Belotserkovskyy of Ukraine, 1-3, 3-0, 1-0. His semifinal victory was against 2008 Olympic silver medalist Soslan Tigiev of Uzbekistan, 1-1, 3-0.
“He had a big bracket,” said CKWC coach Andy Hrovat. “On his side of the bracket, there were two Olympic medalists. He wrestled well and scored a lot of points and was stingy on defense. His offense was great. His shot finishes were unbelievable. They allowed him to score and not waste opportunities when he was in on the leg. In the finals, he had a good wrestler and it went back and forth. He didn’t do anything wrong, just gave up a takedown in each period. Andrew is right where he needs to be for the Olympic Trials.”
Howe was one of three CKWC members competing in the prestigious Ukrainian tournament. Jimmy Kennedy and Tyrel Todd were eliminated early in just their first ever overseas appearance. Kennedy posted a 1-1 record at 60kg/132 pounds, earning a first-round win over Moldova’s Pavel Negru, 1-0, 1-0, while Todd went 0-2 in the 84kg/185-pound division.
Jimmy Kennedy, 60kg/132 pounds
First Round – dec. Pavel Negru (Moldova), 1-0, 1-0
Second Round – pinned by Tital Dzhafaryan (Ukraine)
Eliminated with a 1-1 record
Andrew Howe, 74kg/163 pounds
First Round – dec. Dmytro Komisar (Ukraine), 2-0, 2-1
Second Round – dec. Roman Dermnji (Moldova), 3-1, 2-0
Quarterfinals – dec. Oleg Belotserkovskyy (Ukraine), 1-3, 3-0, 1-0
Semifinals – dec. Soslan Tigiev (Uzbekistan), 1-1, 3-0
Final – dec. by Aleksandr Gostiyev (Azerbaijan), 1-0, 1-0
Finished in second place with a 4-1 record
Tyrel Todd, 84kg/185 pounds
First round – dec. by Akhmed Magomedov (Russia), 1-3, 0-3
Repechage – dec. by David Bichinashvili (Germany), 1-3, 1-2
Eliminated with a 0-2 record