Roundup : Kenny Monday Wins Battle of Olympic Gold Medalists

Thunderstorms played havoc with outdoor events Sunday at the U.S. Olympic Festival, turning the spotlight indoors, where Olympic champion wrestlers Kenny Monday and Dave Schultz battled just to get into the festival.

Monday, the 1988 Olympic gold medalist from Stillwater, Okla., earned a 6-3 victory over Schultz, 1984 Olympic gold medalist, which led to Schultz’s elimination from the 163.5-pound freestyle wrestling mini-tournament. Monday won two more matches in the evening to advance.

“I thought it would be a little closer,” said Monday, who wrestled at Oklahoma State. “I thought I was in control, but I never thought I had the match won. In freestyle, you can’t afford to give up, especially with a guy like Dave Schultz. You never know what he’s going to pull.”

Schultz, who coached the national team before deciding to return to competition, couldn’t pull out anything.

“I wrestled real poor, real poor,” he said. “I’ve got nothing good to say about the way I wrestled.”

The mini-tournament at 163.5 was loaded with former champions, including the two Olympic gold medalists and five National Collegiate Athletic Assn. champions.

Monday defeated David Lee, the NCAA champion this year from Wisconsin, and Eddie Urbano, a former NCAA title winner from Arizona State, exchanging words with Urbano after the 6-1 victory.

At 125.5 pounds, identical twins Tony and Nick Purler of Wentzville, Mo., refused to wrestle each other, keeping a pact they made in the eighth grade. Because Tony won on injury default--although no injury exists--Nick also could continue to compete in the mini-tournament.

“I petitioned in at 125 and he petitioned in at 114 but was unable to make weight,” Tony said. “We drew each other. That’s never happened before in a blind draw. It’s only right that he should default.

“It stinks that that had to happen, but he didn’t make weight.”

In the boxing semifinals, three of four U.S. amateur titlists advanced. But super heavyweight Larry Donald of Cincinnati won a unanimous decision over national champion Eddie Donerlson Jr.

Donald, a shoe salesman who began boxing only two years ago, predicted a gold medal was in his future.

“You’re going to see some big things come Tuesday night (against Kelvin Richardson),” he said.

The amateur champions who won were four-time national titlist Brian Lonon at 112 pounds; Frank Pena at 125 pounds; and Chris Byrd at 156 pounds.

In afternoon basketball, the East women remained unbeaten with a 66-61 victory over the West as Valeria Whiting of Stanford had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The teams combined for 48 turnovers.

“There are times when you say it’s a shame that anyone had to lose a ballgame. Today was one that it’s a shame anyone had to win,” East Coach Chris Gobrecht said.

The East men beat the West,94-87,in overtime. Todd Day of Arkansas scored 16 points, including five in overtime.