Frank Stäbler has missed his fourth gold in series at the wrestler's World Cup in Kazakhstan by an early defeat. The co-favorite had in the round of 16 against the Cuban Ismael Borrero Molina in the Greek-Roman class to 67 kg no chance and lost only 1:38 minutes with 0:11 due to technical inferiority.
Because his opponent but then reached the final, may Stäbler ran on Monday in the hopeful round again. There he is fighting for the chance to win the small final and a starting place at the Olympic Games 2020 in Tokyo. The bronze medal goes to third-placed Denis Kudla (87 kg), who failed in the semifinals and thus already secured the ticket for Tokyo.
Kadir Caliskan / dpa
Frank Stäbler fighting Ismael Borrero Molina
The unequal showdown between Stäbler and Molina was probably due to the different physical circumstances. The Cuban had won 2016 in Rio in the weight class to 59 kilograms of Olympic gold, for the World Cup, he was allowed to gain muscle again. The 30-year-old Stäbler, on the other hand, had to lose weight to fulfill his dream of an Olympic medal, as his former weight class was abolished in the 2020 games. In his World Cup fight Stäbler seemed significantly weaker than his rival.
Before the World Cup, Stäbler talked to the SPIEGEL about the challenges of project 67. Read the interview here: "It's a way through hell"
If Stäbler, who had already crowned himself world champion in his career in three different categories (66, 71, 72 kilos), missed the Bronze Match on Monday, he would have two chances to win another Olympics in two qualifying tournaments in the spring.
