Lenny Merkin Wins Gold At 2018 Junior Pan-Am Championships

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Lenny Merkin Wins Gold At 2018 Junior Pan-Am Championships

August 17, 2018 | Wrestling

Rising junior Leonard Merkin won gold Friday at the 2018 Junior Pan-Am Championships after going 4-0 in his 72 kg weight class. Merkin was dominant during his one-day session in Fortaleza, Brazil; he won his final three matches by 8-0 technical falls, and he earned a hard-fought 5-3 win over his first opponent to put himself in a golden position.

Merkin clinched the gold against Mauro Agusti Gonzalez Cardoz of Argentina, as he scored an 8-0 win in the final round to win his first international gold. The Poly Prep graduate, who has 29 career wins through his first two years at Princeton, opened the day with a two-point win over Mexico's Evaristo Jav Hernandez Reyna.

Merkin is no stranger to international competition; he won two bronze medals at the 2017 Junior Pan-Am Championships.