SportsLine.com wire reports
Aug. 14, 2000

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Matt Lindland defeated Keith Sieracki 8-0 in a rematch Monday for a slot in the 167½-pound Greco-Roman division for next month's games in Sydney.

The rematch was ordered by an arbitrator after two other appeals were denied. Sieracki said he planned to challenge the latest outcome.

A four-time U.S. Nationals champion, Lindland, of Lincoln, Neb., had appealed his loss to Sieracki, of Colorado Springs, in the final match of the 167½-pound trials at Dallas in June.

The protest committee upheld Sieracki's 2-1 overtime victory awarded on a referee's decision. Lindland appealed again, this time to USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman Sport Committee, which denied his claim.

Lindland then sought arbitration and the third bout was ordered to be re-wrestled.

"I wrestled fine," Lindland said. "In the beginning, I felt sluggish. Once I was called for passivity, I decided to wrestle better. I felt he shut down after I scored the first two points. He came out ready, but after I scored, he died off.

"I feel this should be over now. Eight-to-nothing is convincing. I sure hope it's over."

Sieracki had competed in Russia last week and said he could not concentrate on the bout. "It's like I didn't have anything out there," he said. "I couldn't get it going."

Sieracki said he was not through battling for the Olympic berth.

"We're going to the lawyers with this," he said. "There's a good percentage I'm going to the Olympics. After all of this is over, I may never wrestle again. Somebody took my dream and ruined it."