Anthony Luis Echemendía Orduña (born September 10, 1999) is a Cuban

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms. In his native Cuba, Echemendia was a two-time Senior National medalist, a U23 National champion and a five-time age-group National champion (two titles as a junior and three as a cadet).

Early life and career in Cuba

Echemendía was born in Cabaigúan in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. He started training

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

when he was 4 years old but ended up leaving the sport at the age of 8, following his father and brother's steps to start

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

instead. He attended and won his first Cadet National Tournament at the age of 12 in 2012 and won two more titles ('13 and '14) before bumping up to the junior division. Despite a runner–up finish at the '15 Junior Nationals, Echemendia racked up the '16 title and in 2017 he placed at the Senior Nationals, won a U23 National title and also claimed his last age–group National championship. In 2018, he reached the finals of the Senior National Tournament and then, while preparing for the Junior Nationals and Pan-American Championships with the Cuban Junior Pan American team in

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

, Echemendía

defected In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

from

, sneaking away from his coaches and teammates to cross Guatemala,

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and finally get to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

late in the year.

Folkstyle career

High school

When Echemendía arrived to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

in late 2018, he was able to attend Sunnyside High School as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

for one semester with the help of one of his

n coaches' friend Fernando Villaescusa. He started competing in

folkstyle Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...

shortly after the arrival and dominated on his way to a Division II

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

title at 152 pounds compiling an unbeaten record of 26 wins and no losses. He graduated as a 2018–19 student.

College

After winning the US Freestyle Junior Nationals in 2019, Echemendía received multiple

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

offers. In September, he announced that he had committed to the

Iowa State Cyclones The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 1 ...

. However, it was later reported that he hadn't signed an NLI and a whirlwind recruitment started after that. He then visited the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, the

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

and finally the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. He ended up officially committing to the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...

2020-21

Echemendía was defeated by his teammate and four–time

OHSAA The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

state champion Dylan D'Emilio at the OSU wrestle-offs on January 9. However, the starting spot went back–and–forth through the regular season. Echemendía held a 4–1 record, with his lone loss coming in hands of the top–ranked

Jaydin Eierman Jaydin Selsor Eierman ('' née'' Clayton: born on May 2, 1996 in Columbia, Missouri) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes internationally at 65 kilograms and collegiately at 141 pounds. In freestyle, Eierman is the re ...

from

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. In February, Tom Ryan expressed he was leaning towards starting D'Emilio due to an injury Echemendía had suffered in the Eierman match. In March, it was announced that D'Emilio had been chosen as the starter for the post-season.

2021–2022

Echemendía returned to

collegiate wrestling Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...

and competed for the starter spot at the OSU's wrestle-offs on October 28, losing to eventual winner of the spot Jordan Decatur. He has gone 2–0 in competition since.

Freestyle career

Age–group level

2019

In April, Echemendia competed at the junior level US Open at 65 kilograms. He defeated two opponents on points before injury defaulting out of the tournament. While it is not confirmed why he did so, he affirms that he was kicked out due to legal issues with his ID and that it had nothing to do with his health. A few weeks later, Echemendía participated and won the AZ freestyle tournament, which qualified him for the

USA Wrestling USA Wrestling (formerly known as the United States Wrestling Federation and as the United States Wrestling Association) is the organization that currently governs freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States. USA Wrestling is ...

Nationals (Fargo Nationals). In July, he completely dominated Fargo in both international styles at 145 pounds. In

, he won by

technical fall In amateur wrestling, a technical fall, or technical superiority, is a victory condition satisfied by outscoring one's opponent by a specified number of points. It is wrestling's version of the mercy rule. It is informally abbreviated to "tech" as b ...

in his first five matches and won by points in the semis and finals, claiming the championship. In

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...

, he

teched Microsoft Ignite is an annual conference for developers and IT professionals hosted by Microsoft. It has taken place in several locations around the world. The first conference, then known as TechEd, happened in 1993 in Orlando, Florida, United S ...

everyone on his way to the quarterfinals, where he won by points and same in the semifinals. In the finals, he once again

his opponent to crown himself as a National double-champion. This accomplishment made him a sensation across the

. In October, he competed at 65 kilograms and faced three-time

MSHSAA The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) is the governing body for high school activities throughout the state of Missouri. Approximately 580 high schools are members of MSHSAA. The MSHSAA conducts championship-level activi ...

champion Josh Saunders at Who's Number One. He stopped Saunders with a 10-0

Senior level

2020

After more than a year without stepping into the mats, Echemendia wrestled veteran Evan Henderson on November 14, as the co-main event of FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Valencia. This marked Echemendia's debut as a senior in the United States. He lost the match on points. Echemendia represented the

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

RTC at 65 kilograms in the FloWrestling: RTC Cup during December 4–5, alongside his teammate Sammy Sasso. In the opening dual against the NJRTC, he faced '17 World Championship runner-up James Green. After riding criteria at 4-4 in a near- upset, he was taken down and

exposed Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * ''The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...

multiple times with a lace in the last seconds of the match, the scoring ending up at 4–14. After initial refusal to roll with the laces, Echemendia suffered an injury due to the tightness of the technique and was unable to compete in the next matches.

Controversies

Altercation with his wife

On November 10, 2021, it was announced that Echemendía had been arrested due to an altercation with his wife, Lily Echemendía, in which he reportedly grabbed her by the neck with both hands until rendering her unconscious, leading to him being charged with

felonious assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

Personal life

Echemendía's story from

has been featured in multiple documentaries, such as the

FloSports FloSports is an over-the-top subscription sports broadcaster and streaming service. The company is based in Austin, Texas, United States, and was founded in 2006. FloSports streams live sporting events to audiences around the world. History La ...

' "The Crossing: The Anthony Echemendia Story" and the

Big Ten Network Big Ten Network (BTN) is an American sports network based in Chicago, Illinois. The channel is dedicated to coverage of collegiate sports sanctioned by the Big Ten Conference, including live and recorded event telecasts, news, analysis programs, ...

's "From Cuba to Columbus: Anthony Echemendia's Journey to the Buckeyes". Since defecting from Cuba in 2018, Echemendía, who is close to his family, has not been able to see them since he cannot return to his home country, and during the release of the FloFilm, he expressed;

Freestyle record

! colspan="7", Freestyle matches (doesn't include matches he had while in Cuba) , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 0–2 , align=left, James Green , style="font-size:88%", TF 4–14 , style="font-size:88%" , December 4, 2020 , style="font-size:88%" , FloWrestling RTC Cup , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, - , Loss , 0–1 , align=left, Evan Henderson , style="font-size:88%", 3–8 , style="font-size:88%", November 14, 2020 , style="font-size:88%", FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Valencia , -

NCAA record

! colspan="8", NCAA Division I Record , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event , - ! style=background:lighgrey colspan=6 , Start of 2021-2022 Season (sophomore year) , - ! style=background:lighgrey colspan=6 , End of 2020-2021 Season (freshman year) , - , Loss , 4–1 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%", February 7, 2021 , style="font-size:88%", Iowa - Ohio State Dual , - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Danny Bertoni , style="font-size:88%", 8–6 , style="font-size:88%", January 31, 2021 , style="font-size:88%", Ohio State - Maryland Dual , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Jake Spiess , style="font-size:88%", 6–3 , style="font-size:88%", January 29, 2021 , style="font-size:88%", Michigan State - Ohio State Dual , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Dominic Dentino , style="font-size:88%", 11–5 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, January 17, 2021 , style="font-size:88%", Ohio State Wisconsin Extra , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Trey Escobar , style="font-size:88%", 11–7 , style="font-size:88%", Ohio State - Wisconsin Dual , - ! style=background:lighgrey colspan=6 , Start of 2020-2021 Season (freshman year)

Stats

! Season ! Year ! School ! Rank ! Weigh Class ! Record ! Win ! Bonus , - , 2021 , Freshman , ,

, NR (DNQ) , 141 , 4–1 , 80.00% , .00% , - , colspan=5 bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", Career , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 4–1 , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 80.00% , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", .00%

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Echemendía, Anthony Cuban male sport wrestlers 1999 births Living people Ohio State Buckeyes wrestlers People from Sancti Spíritus Province