BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS: DAY 3 : DAILY REPORT : WRESTLING : Koslowski Advances to Final in Greco-Roman at 220 Pounds

Dennis Koslowski of St. Louis Park, Minn., won his fourth consecutive match and clinched a berth in the final of the 220-pound class by defeating Helger Hallik of Estonia, 1-0. The victory assured Koslowski, 32, of at least a silver medal and a place in U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling history. No American has two Olympic medals in Greco-Roman competition. Koslowski gained a bronze in the 1988 Games. Only two Americans have won Olympic gold medals in Greco-Roman, both in Los Angeles in 1984--Steve Fraser (198 pounds) and Jeff Blatnick (286).

Shawn Sheldon of Albany, N.Y., failed to make his weight by about three-tenths of a pound in the 114.5-pound class and was eliminated from the tournament, costing the United States a chance for a bronze medal. Sheldon beat Bratan Tzenov of Bulgaria, 5-2, but the victory was nullified by the weight discrepancy. Rodney Smith (2-1), of Ft. Benning, Ga., lost to Hungary’s Attila Repka, 1-0, in the 149.5 class but won an earlier match against Matwai Baranov of Israel.