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REPORT FROM SYDNEY > > After a grueling day of wrestling in Sydney, Dave Wegner was victorious, > taking the silver medal in the 84 kg Freestyle Masters. Wegner wrestled four bouts and remained undefeated throughout the day. The final match was a real crowd-pleaser as both Wegner and his opponent, Gilbert Khoury (NYC) were undefeated. The final match gave Wegner the Silver and Khoury the gold, in a 3-1 decision. Wegner?s first match ended in a pin of Basil Petras (Sydney). His second match also ended in a pin, with Tony Tapia (San Francisco) taking the fall. Wegner entered the final bout undefeated after pinning Anthony Dlugosz (San Francisco). He finished the day witha score of 17 points, tying for third highest overall. LoFurno wrestled three matches. He scored quickly in his first match, against Erich Richter of San Francisco, but lost the match. Pins by opponents Allan Ross (Tampa) and Matt Coury (Los Angeles) secured his fate as fourth-place finisher. The Spartans tied for eigth place among the seventeen competing clubs from around the world. LoFurno and Wegner spent the summer gearing up for the Games with ample assistance from other Spartans. Mickey Baccioli and Michael Thompson provided matside assistance. The Sydney venue was by no means top-notch, but the enthusiasm and camaraderie of the grapplers and volunteers made up for it. Freestyle rules were followed, for the most part. Special thanks to the local wrestling club for pulling this off. New South Wales is not Iowa, and wrestling is, to say the least, a novelty there. The spectator spaces for wrestling were sold out, although many felt that more tickets should have been made available.
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