Early years and education edit
Gómez was born in Puerto Plata Province in the Dominican Republic . His father, Eugenio Gómez, was a fisherman and his mother, Margarita Matos, was a housewife. In 1991, Franklin's father died as a consequence of medical malpractice . As a result, his mother decided to move to Puerto Rico , along with Franklin and her other two sons: Emanuel and Abel.[1] [2] San Juan .
He came to the United States and lived in New Jersey his freshman year of high school where he stayed with a host family, Bill and Diane McGrath, in Hammonton, New Jersey and attended St. Augustine Preparatory School in Richland, New Jersey . He would then moved to Brandon, Florida , where he attended Brandon High School . Aside of wrestling, Gómez completed a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, with a major in psychology from Michigan State , as well as a Master's degree in Business Administration from Walden University .[2]
While studying at St. Augustine Prep in New Jersey , Gómez won district and regional titles at 103 and 112-pounds. He then wrestled at Brandon High School in Brandon, Florida and won a state title at 119-pounds his senior year. Gómez wrestled collegiately for Michigan State and won an NCAA Division I title at 133-pounds in 2009. After graduation, he was recruited to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club at Penn State University , where he trains freestyle wrestling .
During the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara , Mexico , Gómez won the first gold medal in the sport of wrestling for Puerto Rico. He would win his next three tournaments in Romania , Italy and Germany . In his last performance, he defeated the current world champion in the 60 kg, the Russian wrestler Besik Kudukhov , claiming the gold medal in the Grand Prix of Germany. After becoming the sub-champion and winning a silver medal in the 2011 World Championships , Gomez also won his country a spot at the 2012 London Olympics .
At the 2012 Olympics in London, Gómez faced Besik Kudukhov of Russia again but this time in the first round. Kudukhov defeated Gomez 3–1 and made the final but was defeated by Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan. With Kudukhov making the final, Gomez was made eligible to wrestle for a medal in the repechage rounds. Gómez fought against Yogeshwar Dutt in the repechage rounds, but lost again 0–3, and Dutt eventually claimed the bronze medal.[3]
At the 2014 World Wrestling Championships in the round of 16 he lost to Soslan Ramonov (by fall) of Russia and in the repechage round 2 he lost again to Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran of Mongolia (4–7)
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Gómez faced Ikhtiyor Navruzov of Uzbekistan. Gómez and Navruzov were tied 5–5 in the second round. As the match was about to end, Gómez made a move that took Navruzov outside of the ring, initially warranting two points for Gómez. However, one of the officers argued that the move favored Navruzov, forcing Gómez' corner to challenge the call. When the officers decided against him, the bout ended 8–5 against Gómez.[4]
The decision was controversial from the beginning, with various experts and sources calling the decision "insane", and saying that Gómez was "robbed" on Twitter . Some notable wrestlers and coaches that tweeted in support of Gómez were Eric Thompson, Jake Varner , Cael Sanderson , Mark Hemauer, and Ben Askren . Former Governor of Puerto Rico Aníbal Acevedo Vilá tweeted using the hashtag "#GomezGotRobbed". Meanwhile, current Governor Alejandro García Padilla vowed to protest what he called a "theft" to the sport.[5]
Shortly after the match, the three officers in charge of the match were suspended by United World Wrestling because of "suspicious officiating". They also claimed that an investigation would be done, but their decision couldn't be overturned.[6] [7]
Senior Freestyle Matches Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event Location 2017 Clubs World Cup for Team USA at 70 kgLoss 114–46 2–2 December 7–8, 2017 2017 Clubs World Cup Tehran, Iran
Win 114–45 5–3 Win 113–45 13–4 Loss 112–45 5–6 Win 112–44 FF 2017 World Championships 8th at 65 kg Loss 111–44 Alejandro Valdés 2–11 August 6, 2017 2017 World Championships Paris, France
Win 111–43 3–1 Win 110–43 8–0 2017 Pan American Championships at 65 kgWin 109–43 8–5 May 5–7, 2017 2017 Pan American Continental Championships Lauro de Freitas , Brazil Win 108–43 TF 13–2 2016 Summer Olympics 9th at 65 kg Loss 107–43 Ikhtiyor Navruzov 5–8 August 21, 2016 2016 Summer Olympics Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win 107–42 Borislav Novachkov 7–4 2016 Grand Prix of Spain at 65 kgLoss 106–42 Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran 1–5 July 9–10, 2016 2016 Grand Prix of Spain Madrid, Spain
Win 106–41 2–0 Win 105–41 TF 10–0 Win 104–41 8–6 2016 Granma y Cerro Pelado International at 65 kgWin 103–41 Yowlys Bonne June 10–14, 2016 2016 Granma y Cerro Pelado International Havana, Cuba
Win 102–41 Alejandro Valdés 2016 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament at 65 kg Loss 101–41 Alejandro Valdés 3–8 March 5, 2016 2016 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament Frisco, Texas Win 101–40 8–4 Win 100–40 Brent Metcalf 9–7 2016 Yasar Dogu 7th at 65 kg Loss 99–40 Haji Aliyev 2–3 February 5–7, 2016 2016 Yasar Dogu International Istanbul, Turkey
Win 99–39 TF 12–0 2016 Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov Tournament at 65 kgWin 98–39 Borislav Novachkov 4–0 January 29–31, 2016 2016 Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International Sofia, Bulgaria
Win 97–39 TF 10–0 Win 96–39 7–1 2015 World Championships 28th at 65 kg Loss 95–39 David Safaryan 4–6 September 10, 2015 [2015 World Championships Las Vegas, Nevada 2015 Pan American Games at 65 kg Win 95–38 TF 10–0 July 17, 2015 2015 Pan American Games Toronto, Canada Loss 94–38 Brent Metcalf 8–10 Win 94–37 TF 10–0 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games at 65 kgWin 93–37 Alejandro Valdés TF 14–3 October 20–24, 2014 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Veracruz, Mexico Win 92–37 TF 10–0 Win 91–37 TF 11–0 2014 World Championships 8th at 65 kg Loss 90–37 Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran 4–7 September 9, 2014 2014 World Championships Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Win 90–36 TF 13–0 Loss 89–36 Soslan Ramonov Fall Win 89–35 Sayatbek Okassov 5–1 2014 Olympia at 65 kgLoss 88–35 Akhmed Chakaev 7–10 July 19–20, 2014 2014 Olympia Tournament Olympia, Greece Win 88–34 Zurabi Iakobishvili 4–2 Win 87–34 TF 10–0 2014 Central American and Caribbean Championships at 65 kgWin 86–34 April 2–7, 2014 2014 Central American and Caribbean Championships San Juan, Puerto Rico Win 85–34 TF Win 84–34 Brandon Díaz 2014 Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov Tournament at 65 kgWin 83–34 Fall February 21–23, 2014 2014 Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International Sofia, Bulgaria
Win 82–34 Selahattin Kılıçsallayan TF 12–0 Win 81–34 TF 12–2 Win 80–34 Fall 2014 Dave Schultz Memorial International at 65 kgLoss 79–34 Frank Molinaro 1–1 January 30 – February 1, 2014 2014 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open Colorado Springs, Colorado
Win 79–33 Borislav Novachkov 8–2 Win 78–33 TF 14–3 Win 77–33 TF 14–4 2013 World Championships 7th at 60 kg Loss 76–33 4–6 September 17, 2013 2013 World Championships Budapest, Hungary
Win 76–32 5–1 Loss 75–32 Bekkhan Goygereyev 5–13 Win 75–31 8–6 Win 74–31 Bazar Bazarguruev Fall 2013 Poland Open at 60 kgWin 73–31 8–0 August 10, 2013 2013 Poland Open Spala, Poland 2013 Grand Prix of Spain at 60 kgWin 72–31 5–0 July 13, 2013 2013 Grand Prix of Spain Madrid, Spain
Win 71–31 Win 70–31 2013 FILA Golden Grand Prix at 60 kgLoss 69–31 Vladimer Khinchegashvili May 31, 2013 2013 FILA Golden Grand Prix Sassari, Italy 2013 Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix 19th at 60 kg Loss 69–30 2–4, 1–0, 1–2 January 24, 2013 2013 Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix Krasnoyarsk, Russia 2012 Summer Olympics 15th at 60 kg Loss 69–29 Yogeshwar Dutt 0–1, 0–1 August 11, 2012 2012 Summer Olympics London, England Loss 69–28 Besik Kudukhov 2 –2, 0–1, 0–12012 Germany Grand Prix at 60 kgWin 69–27 Besik Kudukhov June 30, 2012 2012 Grand Prix of Germany Dortmund, Germany
2012 Torneo Citta a Sassari at 60 kgWin 69–27 June 2, 2012 2012 Torneo Citta a Sassari Sassari, Italy
2012 Ion Corneanu Memorial at 60 kgWin 68–27 May 25, 2012 2012 Ion Corneanu Memorial Targoviste , Romania
2011 Pan American Games at 60 kg Win 67–27 Guillermo Torres 3–0, 6–0 October 20–24, 2011 2011 Pan American Games Guadalajara , Mexico Win 66–27 Yowlys Bonne 2–0, 3–0 Win 65–27 4–0, 4–0 2011 World Championships 60 kg Loss 64–27 Besik Kudukhov 0–5, 0–1 September 17, 2011 2011 World Championships Istanbul, Turkey
Win 63–26 Dauren Zhumagaziyev 1 –1, 0–1, 3–0Win 62–26 Zelimkhan Huseynov 0–1, 1–0, 2–1 Win 61–26 Lee Seung-chul 2–0, 3–0 Win 60–26 Ri Jong-myong 1–0, 3–0 Win 59–26 Malkhaz Zarkua 4–0, 2–0 2011 Spain Grand Prix at 60 kgWin 58–26 Tim Schleicher July 7, 2011 2011 Grand Prix of Spain Madrid, Spain
2011 Pan American Championships at 60 kgWin 57–26 May 6, 2011 2011 Pan American Continental Championships Rionegro , Colombia
Win 56–26 2–0, 5–0 March 17, 2011 2011 NCAA vs. USAW National Team All-Star Dual Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2011 Dave Schultz Memorial International at 60 kgWin 55–26 Nick Simmons 2–1, 1–0 February 2–5, 2011 2011 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open Colorado Springs, Colorado
Win 54–26 Reece Humphrey 7–0, 0–1, 3–0 Win 53–26 1–0, 1 –1 Win 52–26 3–0, 1–0 Loss 51–26 6–0, 0–1, 1–4 Win 51–25 TF 6–0, 6–0 2010 NYAC International Open at 60 kg Loss 50–25 Reece Humphrey 0–1, 0–1 November 20–21, 2010 2010 Sunkist Kids International Open New York, New York
Loss 50–24 3–5, 0–2 Win 50–23 1 –1, 4–0Win 49–23 James Mancini Fall 2010 Sunkist Kids International Open 5th at 60 kg Win 48–23 1–0, 2–3, 1–0 October 22–24, 2010 2010 Sunkist Kids International Open Tempe, Arizona
Loss 47–23 Fall Win 47–22 7–0, 4–0 Win 46–22 4–0, 7–0 Loss 45–22 0–1, 0–1 2010 World Championships 20th at 60 kg Loss 45–21 2–2 , 0–2 September 11, 2010 2010 World Championships Moscow, Russia
2009 US Northeast Regionals at 60 kgWin 45–20 Fall May 15–16, 2009 2009 US Northeast Regional Championships Waterloo, Iowa
Win 44–20 3–0, 7–0 Loss 43–20 Daniel Dennis 0–1, 2–0, 0–1 Win 43–19 8–1, 1–0 2009 US University Nationals at 60 kgWin 42–19 7–0, 3–0 April 24–26, 2009 2009 US University National Championships Akron, Ohio
Win 41–19 1 –1, 6–0Win 40–19 4–2, 4–2 Win 39–19 2–0, 3–0 Win 38–19 5–1, 1–3, 2–1 Win 37–19 TF 6–0, 7–0 Loss 36–19 Coleman Scott 0–4, 1–2 Win 36–18 TF 7–1, 7–1 Win 35–18 TF 6–0, 6–0 2009 US Nationals at 60 kg Loss 34–18 0–1, 4–3, 0–4 April 9–11, 2009 2009 US National Championships Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 34–17 Teague Moore 4–0, 0–1, 0–7 Loss 33–17 0–3, 1–0, 0–1 2008 US University World Team Trials at 60 kgLoss 33–16 Reece Humphrey 0–1, 0–1 May 24, 2008 2008 US University World Team Trials Colorado
Win 33–15 3–0, 3–7, 2–0 2008 US Northeast Regionals at 60 kgLoss 32–15 Angel Cejudo 1–1 , 1–1 May 10, 2008 2008 US Northeast Regional Championships Iowa
Win 32–14 1 –1, 0–4, 2–1Win 31–14 6–0, 3–0 2008 US Nationals 8th at 60 kg Loss 30–14 2–3, 0–6 April 26, 2008 2008 US National Championships Nevada
Loss 30–13 4–0, 0–1, 0–7 Win 30–12 1–1 , 2–0, 1–0 Loss 29–12 0–3, 1–3 Win 29–11 6–0, 4–2 2008 US National Championships (qualifiers) Loss 28–11 2–3, 0–2 Win 28–10 1–1 , 2–0, 4–1 Win 27–10 2–1, 1–0 2008 US University Nationals at 60 kgLoss 26–10 Daniel Dennis 0–3, 0–3 April 13, 2008 2008 US University National Championships Ohio
Win 26–9 4–1, 0–1, 3–1 Win 25–9 7–0, 1–0 Win 24–9 TF 6–0, 6–0 Win 23–9 1–0, 6–0 Win 22–9 7–0, 1 –1 2007 US World Team Trials at 60 kg Loss 21–9 2–0, 2–3, 0–3 July 10, 2007 2007 US World Team Trials Nevada
Loss 21–8 Shawn Bunch 0–1, 3–4 Win 21–7 4–0, 3–0 2007 US University Nationals 7th at 60 kg Win 20–7 7–3, 7–3 April 22, 2007 2007 US University National Championships Ohio
Loss 19–7 0–1, 2–3 Win 19–6 4–1, 1–1 , 1–0 Loss 18–6 0–5, 1–2 Win 18–5 5–0, 4–0 Win 17–5 2–0, 7–0 Win 16–5 TF 7–0, 7–0 2007 US Nationals at 60 kg Loss 15–5 1–3, 5–3, 2–5 April 7, 2007 2007 US National Championships Nevada
Loss 15–4 Mike Zadick TF 0–7, 0–7 Win 15–3 1 –1, 5–12007 US National Championships (qualifiers) Win 14–3 3–0, 6–0 Win 13–3 6–0, 1–4, 4–3 Win 12–3 TF 8–0, 6–0 Loss 11–3 0–1, 0–1 2007 US Northeast Regionals at 60 kgWin 11–2 1–0, 1–0 March 25, 2007 2007 US Northeast Regional Championships New York
Win 10–2 TF 7–0, 6–0 Win 9–2 TF 8–0, 7–0 Win 8–2 4–2, 7–0 2006 US World Team Trials at 55 kg Loss 7–2 1–8, 0–2 May 28, 2006 2006 US World Team Trials Iowa
Win 7–1 Fall Win 6–1 1–0, 3–5, 2 –2 Loss 5–1 Henry Cejudo 1–0, 1–2, 1–3 Win 5–0 4–2, 7–0 2006 US University Nationals at 55 kgWin 4–0 3–0, 3–0 April 30, 2006 2006 US University National Championships Illinois
Win 3–0 3–0, 5–0 Win 2–0 3–0, 6–0 Win 1–0 TF 6–0, 7–0
^ Del Valle, Sara (August 10, 2012). "El Angel de Franklin Gómez" . Primera Hora ^ a b Rosa, Carlos (September 4, 2016). "Franklin Gómez: "El cariño de la gente me ha sorprendido" . El Nuevo Día ^ Rosa, Carlos (August 12, 2012). "Sufrido y sin presea Franklin Gómez" . El Nuevo Día ^ Piñeiro, Noel (August 21, 2016). "Franklin Gómez se despide de Rio 2016" . Primera Hora . Retrieved September 4, 2016 . ^ "García Padilla vows protest over "theft" to Franklin Gómez" . Caribbean Business . Retrieved September 4, 2016 .^ Evans, Bill (August 22, 2016). "Rio 2016: Officials suspended after 'suspicious' call involving ex-N.J. wrestler" . NJ.com . Retrieved September 4, 2016 . ^ Pillot, Víctor (September 3, 2016). "Expulsados los tres oficiales del combate de Franklin en Río" . El Nuevo Día 
Puerto Rico
