Franklin Gómez

Franklin Gómez
Personal information
Full nameFranklin Gómez Matos
Nationality Puerto Rico
Born (1986-08-05) August 5, 1986 (age 38)
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight74 kg (163 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle and Folkstyle
College teamMichigan State
ClubNittany Lion Wrestling Club
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Puerto Rico
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2011 Istanbul 60 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2011 Guadalajara 60 kg
Silver medal – second place 2019 Lima 74 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Toronto 65 kg
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Rionegro 60 kg
Silver medal – second place 2017 Lauro de Freitas 65 kg
Silver medal – second place 2020 Ottawa 74 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Buenos Aires 74 kg
Central American and Caribbean Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 Veracruz 65 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Mayagüez 60 kg
Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov Grand Prix
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sofia 65 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Michigan State Spartans
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal – first place 2009 St. Louis 133 lb
Bronze medal – third place 2008 St. Louis 133 lb
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Omaha 133 lb
Big Ten Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 Minneapolis 133 lb
Gold medal – first place 2009 University Park 133 lb
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Ann Arbor 133 lb

Franklin Gómez Matos (born August 5, 1986) is a Dominican-born Puerto Rican freestyle wrestler.

Early years and education

Gómez was born in Puerto Plata Province in the Dominican Republic. His father, Eugenio Gómez, was a fisherman and his mother, Margarita Matos, was a housewife. In 1991, Franklin's father died as a consequence of medical malpractice. As a result, his mother decided to move to Puerto Rico, along with Franklin and her other two sons: Emanuel and Abel.[1][2] During childhood, Gómez played basketball and baseball. He began wrestling when he was 12 years old, training at Club Sparta in San Juan.

He came to the United States and lived in New Jersey his freshman year of high school where he stayed with a host family, Bill and Diane McGrath, in Hammonton, New Jersey and attended St. Augustine Preparatory School in Richland, New Jersey.

Gómez would then move to Brandon, Florida, where he attended Brandon High School. Aside of wrestling, Gómez completed a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, with a major in psychology from Michigan State, as well as a Master's degree in Business Administration from Walden University.[2]

Wrestling career

While studying at St. Augustine Prep in New Jersey, Gómez won district and regional titles at 103 and 112-pounds. He then wrestled at Brandon High School in Brandon, Florida and won a state title at 119-pounds his senior year. Gómez wrestled collegiately for Michigan State and won an NCAA Division I title at 133-pounds in 2009. After graduation, he was recruited to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club at Penn State University, where he trains freestyle wrestling.

During the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Gómez won the first gold medal in the sport of wrestling for Puerto Rico. He would win his next three tournaments in Romania, Italy and Germany. In his last performance, he defeated the current world champion in the 60 kg, the Russian wrestler Besik Kudukhov, claiming the gold medal in the Grand Prix of Germany. After becoming the sub-champion and winning a silver medal in the 2011 World Championships, Gomez also won his country a spot at the 2012 London Olympics.

At the 2012 Olympics in London, Gómez faced Besik Kudukhov of Russia again but this time in the first round. Kudukhov defeated Gomez 3–1 and made the final but was defeated by Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan. With Kudukhov making the final, Gomez was made eligible to wrestle for a medal in the repechage rounds. Gómez fought against Yogeshwar Dutt in the repechage rounds, but lost again 0–3, and Dutt eventually claimed the bronze medal.[3]

At the 2014 World Wrestling Championships in the round of 16 he lost to Soslan Ramonov (by fall) of Russia and in the repechage round 2 he lost again to Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran of Mongolia (4–7)

At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Gómez faced Ikhtiyor Navruzov of Uzbekistan. Gómez and Navruzov were tied 5–5 in the second round. As the match was about to end, Gómez made a move that took Navruzov outside of the ring, initially warranting two points for Gómez. However, one of the officers argued that the move favored Navruzov, forcing Gómez' corner to challenge the call. When the officers decided against him, the bout ended 8–5 against Gómez.[4]

The decision was controversial from the beginning, with various experts and sources calling the decision "insane", and saying that Gómez was "robbed" on Twitter. Some notable wrestlers and coaches that tweeted in support of Gómez were Eric Thompson, Jake Varner, Cael Sanderson, Mark Hemauer, and Ben Askren. Former Governor of Puerto Rico Aníbal Acevedo Vilá tweeted using the hashtag "#GomezGotRobbed". Meanwhile, current Governor Alejandro García Padilla vowed to protest what he called a "theft" to the sport.[5]

Shortly after the match, the three officers in charge of the match were suspended by United World Wrestling because of "suspicious officiating". They also claimed that an investigation would be done, but their decision couldn't be overturned.[6] On September 3, 2016, it was announced that the three officers were officially expelled from the UWW, without offering the reasons for the expulsion.[7]

Achievements

Freestyle record

Senior Freestyle Matches
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event Location
2017 Clubs World Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s) for Team USA at 70 kg
Loss 114–46 Iran Mohammad naderi 2–2 December 7–8, 2017 2017 Clubs World Cup

Iran Tehran, Iran

Win 114–45 Mongolia Lutbayar Batbayar 5–3
Win 113–45 Bulgaria Miroslav Hristov 13–4
Loss 112–45 India Vinod Kumar 5–6
Win 112–44 Canada FF FF
2017 World Championships 8th at 65 kg
Loss 111–44 Cuba Alejandro Valdés 2–11 August 6, 2017 2017 World Championships

France Paris, France

Win 111–43 Ukraine Gor Ogannesyan 3–1
Win 110–43 Peru Sixto Auccapiña 8–0
2017 Pan American Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win 109–43 Colombia Andres Castañeda 8–5 May 5–7, 2017 2017 Pan American Continental Championships Brazil Lauro de Freitas, Brazil
Win 108–43 Venezuela Wilfredo Rodríguez TF 13–2
2016 Summer Olympics 9th at 65 kg
Loss 107–43 Uzbekistan Ikhtiyor Navruzov 5–8 August 21, 2016 2016 Summer Olympics Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 107–42 Bulgaria Borislav Novachkov 7–4
2016 Grand Prix of Spain 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 65 kg
Loss 106–42 Mongolia Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran 1–5 July 9–10, 2016 2016 Grand Prix of Spain

Spain Madrid, Spain

Win 106–41 Russia Ivan Filippov 2–0
Win 105–41 Kazakhstan Ilyas Zhumay TF 10–0
Win 104–41 Germany Kevin Henkel 8–6
2016 Granma y Cerro Pelado International 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win 103–41 Cuba Yowlys Bonne June 10–14, 2016 2016 Granma y Cerro Pelado International

Cuba Havana, Cuba

Win 102–41 Cuba Alejandro Valdés
2016 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 65 kg
Loss 101–41 Cuba Alejandro Valdés 3–8 March 5, 2016 2016 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament United States Frisco, Texas
Win 101–40 Colombia Hernán Guzmán 8–4
Win 100–40 United States Brent Metcalf 9–7
2016 Yasar Dogu 7th at 65 kg
Loss 99–40 Azerbaijan Haji Aliyev 2–3 February 5–7, 2016 2016 Yasar Dogu International

Turkey Istanbul, Turkey

Win 99–39 Turkey Omer Uzan TF 12–0
2016 Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov Tournament 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win 98–39 Bulgaria Borislav Novachkov 4–0 January 29–31, 2016 2016 Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International

Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria

Win 97–39 Iran Mahdi Niazijengheshlaghi'nin TF 10–0
Win 96–39 Bulgaria Filip Novachkov 7–1
2015 World Championships 28th at 65 kg
Loss 95–39 Armenia David Safaryan 4–6 September 10, 2015 [2015 World Championships United States Las Vegas, Nevada
2015 Pan American Games 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win 95–38 Guatemala Marbin Miranda TF 10–0 July 17, 2015 2015 Pan American Games Canada Toronto, Canada
Loss 94–38 United States Brent Metcalf 8–10
Win 94–37 Venezuela Wilfredo Henriquez TF 10–0
2014 Central American and Caribbean Games 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win 93–37 Cuba Alejandro Valdés TF 14–3 October 20–24, 2014 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Mexico Veracruz, Mexico
Win 92–37 El Salvador Luis Portillo TF 10–0
Win 91–37 Venezuela Elvis Fuentes TF 11–0
2014 World Championships 8th at 65 kg
Loss 90–37 Mongolia Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran 4–7 September 9, 2014 2014 World Championships

Uzbekistan Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Win 90–36 France Christophe Clavier TF 13–0
Loss 89–36 Russia Soslan Ramonov Fall
Win 89–35 Kyrgyzstan Sayatbek Okassov 5–1
2014 Olympia 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 65 kg
Loss 88–35 Russia Akhmed Chakaev 7–10 July 19–20, 2014 2014 Olympia Tournament Greece Olympia, Greece
Win 88–34 Georgia (country) Zurabi Iakobishvili 4–2
Win 87–34 Cyprus Stelios Mama TF 10–0
2014 Central American and Caribbean Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win 86–34 Colombia Hernán Darío Guzmán Ipuz April 2–7, 2014 2014 Central American and Caribbean Championships Puerto Rico San Juan, Puerto Rico
Win 85–34 Cuba Dayron Lazaro TF
Win 84–34 Mexico Brandon Díaz
2014 Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov Tournament 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win 83–34 China Yiriken Ailixiati Fall February 21–23, 2014 2014 Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International

Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria

Win 82–34 Turkey Selahattin Kılıçsallayan TF 12–0
Win 81–34 Romania George Bucur TF 12–2
Win 80–34 Poland Rafal Statkiewicz Fall
2014 Dave Schultz Memorial International 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 65 kg
Loss 79–34 United States Frank Molinaro 1–1 January 30 – February 1, 2014 2014 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open

United States Colorado Springs, Colorado

Win 79–33 Bulgaria Borislav Novachkov 8–2
Win 78–33 United States Drew Headlee TF 14–3
Win 77–33 United States Brett Robbins TF 14–4
2013 World Championships 7th at 60 kg
Loss 76–33 Armenia Artur Arakelyan 4–6 September 17, 2013 2013 World Championships

Hungary Budapest, Hungary

Win 76–32 Moldova Andrei Prepeliţă 5–1
Loss 75–32 Russia Bekkhan Goygereyev 5–13
Win 75–31 North Korea Hwang Ryon-ghak 8–6
Win 74–31 Kyrgyzstan Bazar Bazarguruev Fall
2013 Poland Open 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 73–31 Poland Krzysztof Bienkowski 8–0 August 10, 2013 2013 Poland Open Poland Spala, Poland
2013 Grand Prix of Spain 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 72–31 Slovakia Nikolai Bolotnyuk 5–0 July 13, 2013 2013 Grand Prix of Spain

Spain Madrid, Spain

Win 71–31
Win 70–31
2013 FILA Golden Grand Prix 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 60 kg
Loss 69–31 Georgia (country) Vladimer Khinchegashvili May 31, 2013 2013 FILA Golden Grand Prix Italy Sassari, Italy
2013 Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix 19th at 60 kg
Loss 69–30 Yakutia Vladimir Flegontov 2–4, 1–0, 1–2 January 24, 2013 2013 Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix Russia Krasnoyarsk, Russia
2012 Summer Olympics 15th at 60 kg
Loss 69–29 India Yogeshwar Dutt 0–1, 0–1 August 11, 2012 2012 Summer Olympics United Kingdom London, England
Loss 69–28 Russia Besik Kudukhov 2–2, 0–1, 0–1
2012 Germany Grand Prix 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 69–27 Russia Besik Kudukhov June 30, 2012 2012 Grand Prix of Germany

Germany Dortmund, Germany

2012 Torneo Citta a Sassari 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 69–27 Italy Salvatore Mannino June 2, 2012 2012 Torneo Citta a Sassari

Italy Sassari, Italy

2012 Ion Corneanu Memorial 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 68–27 Romania Andrei Dukov May 25, 2012 2012 Ion Corneanu Memorial

Romania Targoviste, Romania

2011 Pan American Games 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 67–27 Mexico Guillermo Torres 3–0, 6–0 October 20–24, 2011 2011 Pan American Games Mexico Guadalajara, Mexico
Win 66–27 Cuba Yowlys Bonne 2–0, 3–0
Win 65–27 Dominican Republic Gabriel García 4–0, 4–0
2011 World Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 60 kg
Loss 64–27 Russia Besik Kudukhov 0–5, 0–1 September 17, 2011 2011 World Championships

Turkey Istanbul, Turkey

Win 63–26 Kazakhstan Dauren Zhumagaziyev 1–1, 0–1, 3–0
Win 62–26 Azerbaijan Zelimkhan Huseynov 0–1, 1–0, 2–1
Win 61–26 South Korea Lee Seung-chul 2–0, 3–0
Win 60–26 North Korea Ri Jong-myong 1–0, 3–0
Win 59–26 Georgia (country) Malkhaz Zarkua 4–0, 2–0
2011 Spain Grand Prix 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 58–26 Germany Tim Schleicher July 7, 2011 2011 Grand Prix of Spain

Spain Madrid, Spain

2011 Pan American Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 57–26 Canada Ryley Walker May 6, 2011 2011 Pan American Continental Championships

Colombia Rionegro, Colombia

Win 56–26 United States Derek Moore 2–0, 5–0 March 17, 2011 2011 NCAA vs. USAW National Team All-Star Dual

United States Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2011 Dave Schultz Memorial International 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 55–26 United States Nick Simmons 2–1, 1–0 February 2–5, 2011 2011 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open

United States Colorado Springs, Colorado

Win 54–26 United States Reece Humphrey 7–0, 0–1, 3–0
Win 53–26 United States Coleman Scott 1–0, 1–1
Win 52–26 United States Nick Fanthorpe 3–0, 1–0
Loss 51–26 Japan Shogo Maeda 6–0, 0–1, 1–4
Win 51–25 Mexico Alan Olvera TF 6–0, 6–0
2010 NYAC International Open at 60 kg
Loss 50–25 United States Reece Humphrey 0–1, 0–1 November 20–21, 2010 2010 Sunkist Kids International Open

United States New York, New York

Loss 50–24 Russia Rasul Murtazaliev 3–5, 0–2
Win 50–23 United States Derek Moore 1–1, 4–0
Win 49–23 Canada James Mancini Fall
2010 Sunkist Kids International Open 5th at 60 kg
Win 48–23 United States Steve Mytych 1–0, 2–3, 1–0 October 22–24, 2010 2010 Sunkist Kids International Open

United States Tempe, Arizona

Loss 47–23 Japan Seshito Shimizu Fall
Win 47–22 United States Craig Barker 7–0, 4–0
Win 46–22 United States Marcus Pettis 4–0, 7–0
Loss 45–22 United States Drew Headlee 0–1, 0–1
2010 World Championships 20th at 60 kg
Loss 45–21 Georgia (country) Malkhaz Kurdiani 2–2, 0–2 September 11, 2010 2010 World Championships

Russia Moscow, Russia

2009 US Northeast Regionals 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 45–20 United States Daryl Thomas Fall May 15–16, 2009 2009 US Northeast Regional Championships

United States Waterloo, Iowa

Win 44–20 United States Nick Trizzino 3–0, 7–0
Loss 43–20 United States Daniel Dennis 0–1, 2–0, 0–1
Win 43–19 United States Daryl Thomas 8–1, 1–0
2009 US University Nationals 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 42–19 United States Dylan Long 7–0, 3–0 April 24–26, 2009 2009 US University National Championships

United States Akron, Ohio

Win 41–19 United States Daniel Mitcheff 1–1, 6–0
Win 40–19 United States Conor Beebe 4–2, 4–2
Win 39–19 United States Jimmy Conror 2–0, 3–0
Win 38–19 United States Jayson Ness 5–1, 1–3, 2–1
Win 37–19 United States Quinton Leith TF 6–0, 7–0
Loss 36–19 United States Coleman Scott 0–4, 1–2
Win 36–18 United States Nikkien Fauntleroy TF 7–1, 7–1
Win 35–18 United States Brian Marcoux TF 6–0, 6–0
2009 US Nationals at 60 kg
Loss 34–18 United States Drew Headlee 0–1, 4–3, 0–4 April 9–11, 2009 2009 US National Championships

United States Las Vegas, Nevada

Win 34–17 United States Teague Moore 4–0, 0–1, 0–7
Loss 33–17 United States Tyler Graff 0–3, 1–0, 0–1
2008 US University World Team Trials 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 60 kg
Loss 33–16 United States Reece Humphrey 0–1, 0–1 May 24, 2008 2008 US University World Team Trials

United States Colorado

Win 33–15 United States Drew Headlee 3–0, 3–7, 2–0
2008 US Northeast Regionals 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 60 kg
Loss 32–15 United States Angel Cejudo 1–1, 1–1 May 10, 2008 2008 US Northeast Regional Championships

United States Iowa

Win 32–14 United States Jayson Ness 1–1, 0–4, 2–1
Win 31–14 United States Ben Hanisch 6–0, 3–0
2008 US Nationals 8th at 60 kg
Loss 30–14 United States Drew Headlee 2–3, 0–6 April 26, 2008 2008 US National Championships

United States Nevada

Loss 30–13 United States Dylan Long 4–0, 0–1, 0–7
Win 30–12 United States Alex Tsirtsis 1–1, 2–0, 1–0
Loss 29–12 United States Michael Lightner 0–3, 1–3
Win 29–11 United States Tyler Graff 6–0, 4–2 2008 US National Championships (qualifiers)
Loss 28–11 United States Dylan Long 2–3, 0–2
Win 28–10 United States Melvin Lofton 1–1, 2–0, 4–1
Win 27–10 United States Drew Headlee 2–1, 1–0
2008 US University Nationals 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 60 kg
Loss 26–10 United States Daniel Dennis 0–3, 0–3 April 13, 2008 2008 US University National Championships

United States Ohio

Win 26–9 United States Alex Tsirtsis 4–1, 0–1, 3–1
Win 25–9 United States Chris Jenkins 7–0, 1–0
Win 24–9 United States Ben Hanisch TF 6–0, 6–0
Win 23–9 United States Dalton Bullard 1–0, 6–0
Win 22–9 United States Matthew Fisk 7–0, 1–1
2007 US World Team Trials at 60 kg
Loss 21–9 United States Josh Keefe 2–0, 2–3, 0–3 July 10, 2007 2007 US World Team Trials

United States Nevada

Loss 21–8 United States Shawn Bunch 0–1, 3–4
Win 21–7 United States Eric Metzler 4–0, 3–0
2007 US University Nationals 7th at 60 kg
Win 20–7 United States Mike Grey 7–3, 7–3 April 22, 2007 2007 US University National Championships

United States Ohio

Loss 19–7 United States Javier Maldonado 0–1, 2–3
Win 19–6 United States Terry Williams 4–1, 1–1, 1–0
Loss 18–6 United States Josh Keefe 0–5, 1–2
Win 18–5 United States Brent Clausing 5–0, 4–0
Win 17–5 United States Francisco Manriquez 2–0, 7–0
Win 16–5 United States Evan Forde TF 7–0, 7–0
2007 US Nationals at 60 kg
Loss 15–5 United States Joey Rivera 1–3, 5–3, 2–5 April 7, 2007 2007 US National Championships

United States Nevada

Loss 15–4 United States Mike Zadick TF 0–7, 0–7
Win 15–3 United States Travis Drake 1–1, 5–1 2007 US National Championships (qualifiers)
Win 14–3 United States Bryan Osuna 3–0, 6–0
Win 13–3 United States Josh Keefe 6–0, 1–4, 4–3
Win 12–3 United States Angel Alegre TF 8–0, 6–0
Loss 11–3 United States Danny Felix 0–1, 0–1
2007 US Northeast Regionals 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 60 kg
Win 11–2 United States Danny Felix 1–0, 1–0 March 25, 2007 2007 US Northeast Regional Championships

United States New York

Win 10–2 United States Jason Guffey TF 7–0, 6–0
Win 9–2 United States Michael Watts TF 8–0, 7–0
Win 8–2 United States Rob Labrake 4–2, 7–0
2006 US World Team Trials at 55 kg
Loss 7–2 United States Matt Azevedo 1–8, 0–2 May 28, 2006 2006 US World Team Trials

United States Iowa

Win 7–1 United States Adam Smith Fall
Win 6–1 United States Michael Martinez 1–0, 3–5, 2–2
Loss 5–1 United States Henry Cejudo 1–0, 1–2, 1–3
Win 5–0 United States Luke Smith 4–2, 7–0
2006 US University Nationals 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 55 kg
Win 4–0 United States Luke Smith 3–0, 3–0 April 30, 2006 2006 US University National Championships

United States Illinois

Win 3–0 United States Brad Pataky 3–0, 5–0
Win 2–0 United States Tim Kephart 3–0, 6–0
Win 1–0 United States Chris Heilman TF 6–0, 7–0

References

  1. ^ Del Valle, Sara (August 10, 2012). "El Angel de Franklin Gómez". Primera Hora.
  2. ^ a b Rosa, Carlos (September 4, 2016). "Franklin Gómez: "El cariño de la gente me ha sorprendido"". El Nuevo Día.
  3. ^ Rosa, Carlos (August 12, 2012). "Sufrido y sin presea Franklin Gómez". El Nuevo Día.
  4. ^ Piñeiro, Noel (August 21, 2016). "Franklin Gómez se despide de Rio 2016". Primera Hora. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  5. ^ "García Padilla vows protest over "theft" to Franklin Gómez". Caribbean Business. August 23, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  6. ^ Evans, Bill (August 22, 2016). "Rio 2016: Officials suspended after 'suspicious' call involving ex-N.J. wrestler". NJ.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  7. ^ Pillot, Víctor (September 3, 2016). "Expulsados los tres oficiales del combate de Franklin en Río". El Nuevo Día.