New U.S. wrestling heroes emerge from Sombo mats and on the Beach

While most of the U.S. wrestling community is racing into the college and high school seasons, a new set of American wrestling heroes were making their names at a World Championships event in far-away Turkey.

FILA, the international wrestling federation, hosted its first World Beach and Sombo Championships at the resort town of Antalya, Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea. These two forms of wrestling have been added to the sport in recent years, and a team of USA Wrestling athletes went to test themselves against the world for the first time.

Until this weekend, wrestling fans may not have heard very much about Jeff Zastrow, Ray Downey, Leigh Jaynes and Angelo Borzio. However, with the new opportunities that the sports of Sombo and Beach Wrestling provides, our nation has some new heroes to celebrate.

In case you didn’t know, Sombo is a style of jacket wrestling with submission holds. Beach Wrestling is a new style of wrestling, where athletes score take downs on their opponents in the sand.

Jeff Zastrow is America’s newest World Champion wrestler. He captured the 96 kg/211.5 lbs. division at the World Sombo Championships. The story behind Zastrow’s triumph is compelling feature material. USA Wrestling now has an exciting new personality.

Zastrow is an assistant wrestling coach at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Whitewater, a Div. III school where he was previously a varsity wrestler. Zastrow was not a big-time college star, but he chose to continue his career as an athlete in the international styles.

He was heading to Antalya, Turkey as a member of the U.S. Beach World Team. He was a late replacement on the roster when Frank Workman of the U.S. Marines (who was on both the Beach and Sombo Teams) could not attend because he had a military assignment which will ultimately send him to Iraq. Zastrow had been fourth at the U.S. World Team Trials in Beach Wrestling, and when Workman’s spot became open, he went for it.

FILA, the international federation, told all the nations at the World Championships that they encouraged additional athletes to enter both events. Zastrow had also taken second place at the U.S. Sombo Nationals, so when asked if he wanted to wrestle Sombo in Antalya, he jumped at the chance.

Zastrow had a difficult travel day coming to Antalya. He arrived at 3:00 a.m. after his flights were delayed, and there was no transportation available for him. He spent that night at the airport, and was picked up the next day when another set of American wrestlers arrived. Immediately upon arrival, he agreed to enter the Sombo event, which was set to begin the next day.

Right off the bat, Zastrow had a rematch with the other American, Moises Hernandez, who had defeated him in the U.S. Sombo Nationals finals. Zastrow scored an impressive 6-1 win and was on a roll.

In the semifinals, Zastrow fell behind Jose Rodenas of Spain, 4-0, then scored a stunning submission hold to win the match. In the finals, he quickly secured his opponent’s leg, and scored a submission victory over Ivan Nemeth of Hungary. It was an inspiring performance, and when it ended, the national anthem of the United States was played while Zastrow received his gold medal.

Zastrow is the perfect example that “Wrestling is Wrestling.” He competed in American folkstyle in college and now coaches the style on the college level. He entered both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 2006 U.S. Nationals, placing eighth in Greco-Roman tournament. At the U.S. Beach and Sombo Nationals, Zastrow competed and won a medal in both styles. At the World Championships in Turkey, he represented our nation in both styles. And on the final day of the World Championships week, Zastrow participated in some of the traditional Turkish wrestling, putting on the special wrestling gear and competing against a talented Turkish opponent outside in the grass. Jeff Zastrow is a wrestler, and will compete in any and all styles.

The U.S. won seven medals in Sombo with the men’s team and placed second in the standings. The athletes on the U.S. team were a variety of individuals with different backgrounds and experiences. Under Coach Floyd Winter, things came together for the team. Some of the medalists had strong Greco-Roman backgrounds (Ramie Mohlman, Faruk Sahin, Moises Hernandez), freestyle training (Angelo Borzio), college wrestling experience (Matt Morkel) and a bit of martial arts competition (Ray White). A women’s freestyle wrestler, Leigh Jaynes, added another Sombo bronze medal the following day.

The World Beach Wrestling Championships came a day later, and the U.S. entered six athletes, five in the men’s division and one in the women’s division. There were only two weight classes (Above 187 pounds and Below 187 pounds for men, and Above 154 pounds and below 154 pounds for women). More nations and athletes entered the Beach tournament than in Sombo, and there were only 16 medals available to the field. The United States had a very strong effort, winning three of those medals, all bronzes.

Perhaps the most inspiring effort on the beach came from Ray Downey, who captured a bronze medal at the Under 187 pound division. Like Zastrow, Downey got his spot on the U.S. World Team as an alternate. He was fourth at the U.S. Beach World Team Trials, with the top three making the team. When one of the athletes declined the spot on the squad, Downey took on the challenge.

Many in the wrestling community may know about Ray as the son of New York City Fire Chief Raymond Downey, who was in charge of the rescue mission at the World Trade Center on September 11 and lost his life in the line of duty. Fire Chief Downey has received considerable recognition for his heroism, including induction in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with its Medal of Courage. Chief Downey was the father of a number of talented wrestlers, including Ray, who was a New York state high school champion and competed at Hofstra Univ.

Ray Downey is a high school wrestling coach on Long Island, and returned to competition when Beach wrestling was introduced. At 39 years old, he was one of the older athletes on the beach circuit, but he has trained hard and kept in tremendous shape. In an interview with TheMat.com earlier this year, Downey said that one of his inspirations to compete came from the memory of his father. When he decided to go to Antalya, he stopped his training to run a marathon and changed his workouts to focus specifically on beach wrestling.

Downey wrestled with passion and purpose, and won his first two matches in dominant fashion, scoring 2-0 shutouts over opponents from Turkey and France. In the semifinals, he was edged by a talented athlete who was almost half his age, Adbullah Aykac of Turkey, by a 2-1 margin. Winning the medal meant a tremendous amount to Downey, and his effort was one of the most impressive of the all athletes in the competition.

Two U.S. athletes won medals in both styles, Angelo Borzio in the men’s division and Leigh Jaynes in the women’s division. Both have strong freestyle backgrounds, and both came to Turkey just to compete in the Beach World tournament. Given the opportunity to enter in Sombo, both took advantage by winning bronze medals. In the Beach tournament, both had a strong effort and came home with another bronze medal for their nation.

The other members of the U.S. Beach team, Zastrow, J.T. Taylor and Carlos Dolmo, did not win medals, but all represented our nation with pride and skill.

Beach wrestling is in its infancy in the United States and around the world. Sombo is going through the process of returning as a sport within wrestling. The first FILA World Beach and Sombo Championships was a beginning, and the potential for growth is vast. Many years from now, the pioneers that traveled to Turkey last week to compete in these new wrestling styles will have set the stage for opportunities for many others. History was made this week on the mats and in the sand in Antalya, Turkey, and the U.S. played a prominent role.

Gary Abbott is the Director of Communications and Special Projects for USA Wrestling and is a founder of the National Wrestling Media Association and is a 2005 recipient of the NWCA Meritorious Service Award.

Gary Abbott