(20 July 1996; Day 1)
When you wrestle somebody for the eighth time in four years, it gets difficult to find new ways to score.
So Cuban Wilber SANCHEZ AMITA went back to the old way in his match against 1992 Olympic gold medalist Oleg KOUTCHERENKO of Germany.
Each wrestler scored just one point on both occasions on turns on the mat, the "par terre" position - through eight minutes of their second-round Greco-Roman match Saturday evening at the Georgia World Congress Center. The wrestlers were tied 1-1 at the end of the five-minute regulation period, and neither scored during the three-minute overtime session though SANCHEZ AMITA came close.
SANCHEZ AMITA thought he had three points on a lift, but the move wasn't scored by the three-official crew.
"I did that hold for three points, but (the officials) called a foul," SANCHEZ AMITA said. "I was not happy with the decision by the officials."
He gladly accepted the decision, however, to award him the victory.
Especially considering that, over the years, KOUTCHERENKO has had the better of the success in head-to-head matches. In 1992 at Barcelona, while still competing for his native Russia, KOUTCHERENKO defeated SANCHEZ AMITA in the semifinals en route to his gold medal, while SANCHEZ AMITA settled for the bronze medal.
Overall, KOUTCHERENKO had won five of the seven times the two had wrestled prior to Saturday.
"It's very difficult wrestling the same opponent that many times," SANCHEZ AMITA said.
"He knows too much about the way I wrestle, and I know a lot about him. When it got to about the fourth minute of the match and things were getting tough, I knew it would be difficult to score again."
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Robert Sherrill.
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| The Mother Nature was kind to Olympic athletes and spectators. The average high temperature during the Games was 89 degrees with an average low of 72 degrees. Highest temperature registered (20 July) - 99 degrees. Lowest high temperature registered is 79 degrees (28 July). |