The 2026 Senior Pan-Am Championships are currently underway. The first round of Greco-Roman action featuring Team USA’s Landon Drudy and Ecuador’s Jeremy Renzo Peralta Gonzalez was marked by a controversial moment.
Drudy, who led the bout 7-3, pushed Gonzalez outside the mat, prompting the latter to strike back with a slow-handed slap. The reaction quickly drew the officials onto the mat, and the match was briefly halted.
Fans quickly reacted to the incident on social media, with most lambasting the slap.
One wrote:
“Umm so you got wrestled in a wrestling match, so resort to assault? Why?”
Another commented:
“Just like that you lose your position in the sport.”
One person wrote:
“Damn that’s brutal.”
Someone wrote:
“Like bro just wrestle lol just sit there come on show some respect and wrestle.”
Another wrote:
“It’s always funny how someone’s too tired to wrestle but has energy to fight 😂”
The match resumed after a moment, and Drudy took home the win with a final score of 9-3.
Landon Drudy Talks About Winning the 63 kg gold medal in the Pan‑Am Championships
Despite the brief, controversial moment, Landon Drudy let his wrestling do the talking, going undefeated and winning the gold medal at 63 kg after sweeping the rest of the lineup. During the post-bout interview, Drudy spoke about what it means to have the gold wrapped around his neck.
“I went in pretty confident and I felt pretty good after the last three matches, so just wanna go out, get it done and wanna go home. It’s always nice to have quick matches,” he said (0:59).
Drury also spoke about getting back to finishing his semester and working with his coach on the basics to come back stronger.
Read more:
Who Do Nebraska Volleyball Face in 2026? Opponents, New Format & 9 Home Matches Revealed
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