Coleman Scott captured one of the two bronze medals awarded in the 60kg freestyle competition at the London Olympics with a dramatic victory over Kenichi Yumoto of Japan Saturday.
Scott became the first Olympic medal winner from Greene County and the first medalist from the Washington-Greene County area since Canonsburg's Bill Schmidt won the bronze medal in the javelin the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
Scott also won the 16th Olympics medal in Oklahoma State's wrestling history (11 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze).
Scott won three PIAA championships at Waynesburg High School, then went on to capture an NCAA title at Oklahoma State.
Scott rallied from a 1-0 deficit against Yumoto in the third bout of the best-of-3 format when he hit a double-leg takedown, then exposed Yumoto's back for the winning points. The moves came in the final 12 seconds of the bout.
Scott previously wrestled, and defeated, Yumoto in the World Cup Individual Championships in May.
In London, Scott won his first two bouts, then saw his hopes for a gold medal dashed when he was beaten by Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan. Asgarov won the European Olympic Qualifying Tournament for his Olympic berth.
In the wrestlebacks, Scott waited while Yumoto wrestled Germany's Tim Schleicher. Yumoto won 3-1.
In the first bout of the bronze medal round, the period ended scoreless. Under international rules, a draw is held and the winner gets the advantage of taking his opponent's leg. Yumoto won the draw and took Scott down for the win.
Scott rallied in the second bout with a takedown and exposure for a 2-0 lead. The call was challenged by Yumoto's coaching staff and it was denied, giving Scott another point on the way to a 3-0 win.
In the third, and deciding bout, Yumoto took a 1-0 lead with 36 seconds remaining with a takedown. Scott rallied again, this time hitting a double-leg takedown on a restart, then exposing Yumoto's back with five seconds to go.
When it ended Scott rolled backwards on the mat, slapped it with both hands then hugged United States coach John Smith.
Scott began the day Seungchui Lee of Korea. Lee was the 2010 Asian Bronze medalist and second in the Asian Olympic Qualifier.
Malkhaz Zarkua of Georgia was next and Scott would win in dramatic fashion, pinning the Georgian in the second bout after winning the first. It was the second win this year by Scott over Zarkua. Scott beat him in the World Cup Championships. Zarkua made it to the Olympic quarterfinals by defeating Vasyl Fedoryshyn of the Ukraine, a silver medalist in the World Championships.
Scott earned his spot on the U.S. Olympic team in a challenge match in June in Times Square. Despite winning his weight class at the U.S. Team Trials, Scott was forced to take on two challengers in the event, billed as "The Grapple In The Apple." He knocked off Reece Humphrey in the first of two matches, then secured his spot with a five-point throw of Shawn Bunch in the final bout.
