U.S. Olympic wrestling hero succumbs to Cuban

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Rulon Gardner was just another obstacle the Cuban wrestling team shoved aside in sweeping the seven Greco-Roman gold medals at the Pan American Games.

The 2000 Olympic heavyweight champion, coming back from a snowmobiling accident in 2002 that resulted in the amputation of a toe, lost to Mijian Lopez 5-0 Sunday. It was the third time Lopez beat Gardner this year, all by shutouts.

"I feel very good beating Gardner," the 20-year-old Lopez said. "I'm in optimal condition and I feel I am one of the best in the world."

Lopez's win was the most impressive of the Cuban sweep. Another American Olympian, Brandon Paulson, lost in the 121-pound class to Lazaro Rivas, who is 5-0 against Paulson.

"I have the world championships in a month and a half and I hope to meet him in the final, and I know I can beat him," Paulson said. "I hate winning silver. I've won too many of them."

The United States took four silver medals -- Gardner, Paulson, Brad Vering and Justin Ruiz -- and bronze by T.C. Dantzler and James Gruenwald.

The host nation got its first medal of these games when Angelo Mota took silver behind Cuban Juan Maren at 145 1/2 pounds.

Cuba's big haul in wrestling gives it the lead in gold medals, but the United States tops the overall chart. The Cubans have 11 gold and four bronze. The Americans have six golds, nine silvers and six bronze.

Lance Bade had to be perfect to win another Pan Ams gold medal in shooting.

So the two-time Olympian hit all 25 shots in the final round Sunday to edge Rodrigo Bastos of Brazil for the men's trap shooting title. He finished with 147 points, one more than Bastos.

"I was just reading the targets right," Bade said. "I had a feeling about where it would be coming and I read it dead on."

So dead on that it seemed to unnerve the Brazilian, who missed four late shots.

It was the second shooting gold medal in two days for the men's squad.