InterMat Staff

G'Angelo Hancock at the 2020 Olympic Games (Photo courtesy of Larry Slater; LBSPhoto.smugmug.com) There really isn't anything wrong with Greco-Roman wrestling. However, whenever the World Championships or Olympics roll around, fans flock to Twitter with ideas on how to “fix” the sport. Due to the style, matches with a lot of points scored on the feet are rare. When some of the best competitors in the world face-off, it can be hard to put up any sort of points. UWW has been open to changing the rules before, so InterMat decided to make a few suggestions. The following are some wacky and not-so-wacky potential rule changes for Greco-Roman wrestling. Smaller Circle The current UWW wrestling mat is a 12 meter by 12 meter square with a circular wrestling area measuring 8 meters in diameter. The introduction of the step-out point has added scoring to both freestyle and Greco, and many fans are desperate to see it added to folkstyle as well. While the best Greco wrestlers are incredibly hard to move around the mat at all, step-out points are a viable way to put up points. By making the circle smaller, UWW could make that path to points all the more accessible. The argument against the smaller circle is that Greco could become similar to sumo and end up being a shoving contest. However, wrestlers already fight to hold position in the center of the mat in hopes of a passivity call. Also, sumo is pretty damn exciting. Who would not want to watch Hakuho versus Mijain Lopez? Par Terre Innings Many matches simply turn into stalemates in the neutral position, and both wrestlers wait for their opportunity to get on top in par terre. Since this is already happening with regularity, why not make it part of the rules. Hypothetical a match could take place as follows. The match starts with a three-minute period, much like under the current system. After the end of the period, the wrestler with the lead, or the winner of a coin flip in the case of a tie, gets an entire 30-second period to score as many points as possible from the top position in par terre. If the bottom wrestler escapes or reverses, the match is restarted with the original wrestler on top. After the 30-second period, the other wrestler gets their opportunity to score from the top. This continues for another two rounds. Thus the match is still scheduled for six minutes and consists of one three-minute period and six 30-second periods. Obviously, with an entire 30 seconds allowed on top, the superiority rules would need to be adjusted as well. This match format would maximize scoring opportunities in par terre, which is where most of the scoring in Greco happens without eliminating neutral wrestling entirely. Eliminate Tie-Breaking Criteria While the previous suggestion might be a bit too extreme for purists, the innings idea could easily be adapted to use as a tie-breaker instead of criteria. There is a lot of split among fans about criteria or overtime being superior. However, you would be hard-pressed to find someone satisfied with a 1-1 victory. China's Walihan Sailike won a bronze medal at 60 kg and three of his four matches ended with a 1-1 score. Perhaps criteria can stick around but only apply to matches with a two-point score? It would be an improvement for sure. Ippon Throws In judo, the competitors can win the match at any time with a throw that has “considerable force and speed” and lands “largely on his/her back.” Regardless of the score, a feet-to-back throw can end the bout. At times in Greco, a four or five-point lead can seem almost insurmountable. By instituting the ability for a wrestler to win the match with four or five-point throws could give the bout a bit of excitement and encourage more dynamic offense. On the other hand, anyone who took the opportunity to watch some judo during these Games knows that the sport has its own fair share of plodding defensive contests. Free Activity Clock In freestyle, a wrestler called for passivity is put on a 30-second activity clock. If the competitor fails to score during that 30 seconds, the other wrestler is awarded a point. What if this worked the opposite way in Greco? After a wrestler is called for passivity, the other wrestler is given a 30-second clock where only he/she can score. This would allow that competitor to go for a variety of wild attacks without fear of counters or repercussions. It would still be hard to score against some of the top wrestlers, but it would certainly make for exciting matches. Different Par Terre Starting Positions Currently, the top position wrestler in par terre must have both hands on the opponent's shoulders, but they can be standing or have their knees on the ground. To increase scoring, UWW could allow wrestlers to choose a variety of different starting positions. For example, if a competitor was able to start with a reverse lock, there would almost certainly increase scoring. On the other hand, this might open scoring too much and make it nearly impossible for the defending wrestler. Submissions While many of these rule changes would not cause dramatic changes to the sport, the same can't really be said about this suggestion. Allowing joint locks or choke would drastically change Greco-Roman wrestling. In theory, it would open up a lot of opportunities to finish and scoring. However, it is extremely unlikely to happen since it would pretty much eliminate the essence of the style. For the combat sports nerds, It would certainly be interesting to see the impact of submission in a sort of test event.

Alex Facundo (Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Tuesday announced that Alex Facundo of Davison, Michigan, is the 2021 national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA). "I am honored to have been chosen as the 2021 national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award," said Facundo. "I have the deepest respect and admiration for Dave Schultz, who achieved so much, both on and off the mat. To have my name spoken in the same breath as Dave Schultz is truly amazing. "To have my name on the same list as past winners like 2021 Olympic champ David Taylor is incredible," he added. "I will continue to have the same passion and commitment to 'the world's greatest sport' known to mankind - Wrestling. I hope I can inspire youth and give them hope that they too can achieve great things if they put their soul into whatever they choose to do in LIFE. I will continue to chase excellence. Again I am humbled and truly grateful for the recognition." The national winner of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award (TSHSEA) will be announced on Wednesday. The TSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service. The DSHSEA was established in 1996 to honor Olympic and World champion Dave Schultz, whose career was cut short when he was murdered in January 1996. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997 and as a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016. The DSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior male wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service. "We are excited to honor Alex Facundo as the national winner of the 2021 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award," said Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. "This award and honor represents the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's pride in a young man who has demonstrated a commitment to balancing his pursuit of excellence in the fields of academics, athletics and community service." The son of Pablo and Julie Facundo, he is a four-time Michigan state champion who helped Davison High School capture the state team title in 2021, its first team title since 2006. The top-ranked wrestler in the country the last three years, Facundo will continue his wrestling career at Penn State University. Facundo won the United World Wrestling Freestyle Championship in 2018 and 2019 and earned bronze medals at the Cadet World Championships in 2018 and 2019. He was the Freestyle Nationals champion in 2017 and won the Super 32 in 2018. His invitation to train with the USA Wrestling Elite Accelerator Program for a full year before the Olympics was cancelled because of the pandemic. An academic all-league and all-state selection, he was a member of the honor roll and selected as the Greater Flint Kiwanis Student Athlete of the Month. Facundo volunteers at Lighthouse Rehabilitation Center, an organization that is very important to him as his mother suffered a traumatic brain injury. He becomes the second national winner from Michigan, joining Taylor Massa from St. John's High School in St. John's, Michigan, who was the 2012 winner. Ohio has had the most national winners with five followed by Pennsylvania with three and California, Michigan, Minnesota and Oklahoma with two winners each. Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin have each had one winner. Regional winners are selected from state winners, and the national winner is chosen from the regional winners. The state winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community. The Hall of Fame accepts nominations for its high school excellence awards from state chapters and coaches. The nominations are reviewed by a committee, which selects state and regional winners. The committee then determines the national winners from the regional winners. National winners of the DSHSEA award have combined to win 20 NCAA Division I individual titles led by four-time champion Logan Stieber (2010), three-time winner Zain Retherford (2013) and two-time winners Steven Mocco (2001), David Taylor (2009) and Teyon Ware (2002). The 2018 winner David Carr won a title in 2021 while 2016 winner Mark Hall II won an NCAA title as a freshman in 2017 and 2015 winner Zahid Valencia won back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019. All-Time National Winners of Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award 2020 - Braxton Amos, Parkersburg South High School, Mineral Wells, West Virginia 2019 - Cohlton Schultz, Ponderosa High School, Parker, Colorado (Greco-Roman Cadet World Champion) 2018 - David Carr, Perry High School, Massillon, Ohio (NCAA Champion and Junior World Champion) 2017 - Daton Fix, Charles Page High School, Sand Springs, Oklahoma (Junior World Champion) 2016 - Mark Hall II, Apple Valley High School, Apple Valley, Minnesota (NCAA Champion and 2X Junior World Champion) 2015 - Zahid Valencia, St. John Bosco High School, Bellflower, California (2X NCAA Champion and Junior World Silver Medalist) 2014 - Chance Marsteller, Kennard-Dale High School, Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania 2013 - Zain Retherford, Benton Area High School, Benton, Pennsylvania (3X NCAA Champion) 2012 - Taylor Massa, St. Johns High School, St. Johns, Michigan 2011 - Morgan McIntosh, Calvary Chapel High School, Santa Ana, California 2010 - Logan Stieber, Monroeville High School, Monroeville, Ohio (World Champion and 4X NCAA Champion) 2009 - David Taylor, Graham High School, St. Paris, Ohio (Olympic Champion, World Champion and 2X NCAA Champion) 2008 - Jason Chamberlain, Springville High School, Springville, Utah 2007 - Zachary Sanders, Wabasha-Kellogg High School, Wabasha, Minnesota 2006 - David Craig, Brandon High School, Brandon, Florida 2005 - Troy Nickerson, Chenango Forks High School, Chenango Forks, New York (NCAA Champion) 2004 - Coleman Scott, Waynesburg High School, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (NCAA Champion and Olympic bronze medalist) 2003 - C.P. Schlatter, St. Paul Graham High School, Urbana, Ohio 2002 - Teyon Ware, Edmond North High School, Edmond, Oklahoma (2X NCAA Champion) 2001 - Steven Mocco, Blair Academy, Blairstown, New Jersey (2X NCAA Champion and Olympian) 2000 - Ben Connell, Lugoff-Elgin High School, Lugoff, South Carolina 1999 - Zach Roberson, Blue Valley North West High School, Overland Park, Kansas (NCAA Champion) 1998 - Garrett Lowney, Freedom High School, Appleton, Wisconsin (2X Olympian) Justin Ruiz, Taylorsville High School, Salt Lake City, Utah (Olympian) 1997 - Jeff Knupp, Walsh Jesuit High School, Akron, Ohio 1996 - David Kjeldgaard, Lewis Central High School, Council Bluffs, Iowa

George Mason head coach Frank Beasley (Photo courtesy of GMU athletics) Oftentimes, the concept of fundraising is an overlooked aspect of Division I athletics. Think about it. Once you buy your ticket, grab some snacks, find your seats, and finally sit down to watch an intense matchup between two rival schools on a Saturday night, do you stop and think to yourself how many hours, days, or even weeks were put into financially providing that program with every means necessary? Probably not. There are 78 Division I wrestling programs in the United States, totaling roughly 2,500 student-athletes. On average, there are 32 athletes on each team, and only 9.9 fully-funded scholarships to be distributed amongst the toughest wrestlers in the country. According to Next College Athlete Sports, men's wrestling is an "equivalency sport." This means that there isn't a strict number of athletes that are required to be on a scholarship. Instead, coaches can decide how to divide up those scholarship funds to best suit their program's needs. For example, full scholarships vs. partial scholarships. Unfortunately, there are still many programs that are not fully funded and receive only 40-50% of the scholarship allotments as compared to a fully-funded Division I program. What does this mean? Wrestling programs that are not fully funded must find an alternative way to supplement their program. With 40-50% fewer funds than the typical Division I program, their ability to travel to tournaments, creating additional coaching positions, providing their student-athletes with wrestling apparel, and endowments are all at stake. Although it is not a requirement for partially funded Division I wrestling programs to be public with this information, there are many schools that choose to utilize social media, alumni, and trustees to bridge the gap in funding. One Division I wrestling program, in particular, raises the bar and provides neighboring schools with a golden standard for how to #BeUncommon, while also bridging the gap in funding. George Mason University is a public university located in Fairfax, Virginia. Since 1972, George Mason University has grown into the largest four-year public university in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Head Coach Frank Beasley and Assistant Coaches Camden Eppert and Mike DePalma spearhead fundraising efforts that are nearly unmatched by any other Division I wrestling program in the country. During the Spring of every year, George Mason University holds a fundraiser, which is referred to as "Giving Day." On this day, donors from around the country provide donations of various amounts; those of which help to supplement the wrestling program. Giving Day occurs during Blitz Week, the final push to obtain any additional donations possible. Prior to Giving Day, Coach Beasley, Coach Eppert, Coach DePalma, and every student-athlete create a plan of attack. The wrestling program utilizes Twitter (@GMUWrestling), Instagram (@GMUWrestling), an alumni newsletter, direct text messages, and direct phone calls to engage potential donors. On average, Coach Beasley stated that returning donors and potential donors are contacted at least two weeks prior to Giving Day. He referred to it as giving the donors enough "prep time." Coaches, athletes, friends, and family work together during Giving Day to claim the top title during the Alumni-Athlete Giving Challenge, a yearlong competition. George Mason University holds an internal battle between the various athletic programs and departments. In 2020, George Mason's wrestling program won the Highest Alumni-Athlete Giving Percentage (35.5) and Highest Young Alumni Giving Percentage (80). Amongst the success, it is evident that George Mason's wrestling program utilizes an all-hands-on-deck approach. When Coach Beasley first joined the George Mason University staff, donations primarily came from alumni. He stated that the previous coaches and additional department personnel put in a tremendous effort to build and maintain relationships amongst donors. Throughout his time at George Mason, Beasley has continued to nourish those relationships, and foster new ones. "We've been lucky enough to cast a bigger net. We are reaching out to people who aren't necessarily alumni or "wrestling people." They've seen the numbers we've been able to reach, and they're buying into what our program stands for," Beasley stated. When asked what the secret to being so successful in fundraising is, Beasley stated, "Simply put, it's time and energy. Coach Eppert, Coach DePalma, and I put a lot of effort into building relationships. We are constantly on the phone, calling and texting previous donors and potential donors. We want everyone to buy into our cause, and #BeUncommon. It can be frustrating at times because you don't see an immediate payoff, but once the dust settles, you realize that those text messages, calls, and lunches have all made an impact." In Beasley's effort to foster relationships amongst new donors, it is imperative that each and every person realizes their weight and the impact they have on the wrestling program at George Mason University. Beasley stated that the fundraising efforts of each year are split into different "buckets." Each bucket is essentially a savings account for the various needs of the program. The wrestling program will utilize its earnings for the following: a renovated and expanded wrestling room, travel expenses (in an effort to give their athletes first-class treatment), elite wrestling apparel, scholarship endowments, coaching position endowments, and the expansion of its Regional Training Center (RTC); the Patriot Wrestling Club. The ultimate goal of Giving Day is to fill each bucket. In doing so, current and future athletes will be given access to the most advantageous resources and opportunities as possible, bridging the gap between neighboring fully-funded Division I wrestling programs. As previously stated, the fundraising efforts of Coach Beasley, Coach Eppert, and Coach DePalma are nearly unmatched by any other Division I wrestling program in the country. #BeUncommon is a term that George Mason University's wrestling program lives through and through. When asked how the phrase #BeUncommon coincides with George Mason's fundraising efforts, Beasley stated, "The phrase #BeUncommon means doing everything right, even the little things. As coaches and athletes, we must treat all of our donors with the utmost respect, regardless of the donation amount. We welcome any size donation, small or large. We want our donors to know that we truly care about and appreciate every individual who gives to our program." Beasley went on to say, "My staff and I participate in a Thank-A-Thon. We write a personal "thank you" note to every single person who provided a donation to our wrestling program. It's a special thing. We always strive to #BeUncommon in every aspect of our program." If you'd like to get involved with George Mason University's wrestling program and become a donor, there are various ways to do so. First, add your name to the emailing list. This will allow you to receive updates about past, present, and future events; Giving Day, Blitz Week, etc. In addition, this will give you access to the alumni newsletter, detailing all of the events you can actively participate in. Second, you can go directly to George Mason University's website to review previous data reports of Giving Day. This will give you an in-depth look at how important your donation is, and the impact it has on the wrestling program. Finally, follow George Mason's wrestling program on the following platforms: Twitter (@GMUWrestling), Instagram (@GMUWrestling), and Facebook (George Mason Wrestling). In addition to Giving Day and Blitz Week updates, each of their social media platforms will provide you with a schedule for home and away wrestling matches. One of the most important events that you can participate in is attending a home match at the Recreation Athletic Complex located on George Mason University's campus. Get ready to be loud, be proud, #BeUncommon, and support the George Mason Patriots.

North Idaho at the 2021 NJCAA National Championships (Photo courtesy of NJCAA.org) Beyond the views of Coeur d'Alene, North Idaho is home to a tradition and expectation of keeping the 14-Time National Champion, North Idaho College Cardinal Wrestling program on the map. "People care about North Idaho College wrestling," Head Coach Mike Sebaaly said. "It's the team that everyone is gunning for." Noting the poster sized-photos of the national championship teams in the North Idaho College gymnasium, Sebaaly looks to add to the already established team history and measure up to expectations. Sebaaly enters his third season with the Cardinals this year, coming off of the 2021 season where the team claimed five All-American spots, one of which was national champion, Sal Silva, at 149-pounds. With intent to add to the 249 All-Americans that have competed in a NIC singlet, Sebaaly announced on July 23rd the addition of former NJCAA and Division II Wrestler Chase Clasen to the Cardinal wrestling staff. Clasen, coming off of a graduate assistant position with the Chadron State Wrestling Program, stresses the importance of building a relationship with his athletes. "It starts in the recruiting process. They've got to trust you right away," Clasen said. "If you're recruiting them and you're putting up a front, I think the [wrestlers] can sniff right through that." Coeur d'Alene is easily adapted to by virtually any lifestyle, which is a focus for the Cardinals recruiting process. The just over two-mile-long Tubbs Hill trail and the lake that campus sits on are highlights to both recruiting trips, and the unique training process for the Cardinal athletes. The relationships that the athletes make both with the NIC coaching staff and Coeur d'Alene are not limited to the time they are a Cardinal, and allow for continued success in the Cardinal wrestling program. "There are so many people who want to keep sending kids to North Idaho College," Sebaaly said. "There is so much pride that the alumni have in this place." The tradition of success for North Idaho College is not only a desire for the athletes, but a standard for the coaches, a standard that both Sebaaly and Clasen intend to take part in continuing.

(Photo courtesy of Gannon University Athletics) Erie, PA - Gannon University has named Breonnah Neal as its new head women's wrestling coach. "I am excited for the opportunity to join a program on the rise," said Neal. "I look forward to working with all those who are a part of the Gannon family. We will build off previous success and continue to create great individuals on and off the mat." Neal joins Gannon University from Ferrum College, where she worked as head women's wrestling coach since 2019. There she built a foundation that produced the highest national finish (13th) in school history and four national qualifiers. In addition, during the 2021 season, the program had its first All-American. She also worked as an assistant coach at the School of Hard Knocks Wrestling Club in High Point, N.C. beginning in 2013. "Breonnah Neal is a tremendous hire for our women's wrestling program," said Gannon Director of Athletics Lisa Goddard McGuirk. "She has been successful as a head coach at the collegiate level and demonstrates a commitment to the student-athlete experience. Breonnah is a decorated wrestler and an experienced coach who will serve the continued growth of our student-athletes and women's wrestling." Neal began her collegiate career at Campbellsville University in Kentucky where she earned a national runner-up finish at the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) national championships. She was also a University Nationals All-American, qualified for the World Team Trials and earned Dean's List accolades during her time at Campbellsville. In 2014, Neal transferred to King University in Bristol, Tenn., where she won a national championship with a perfect 21-0 record in 2017. The run included 16 technical falls and two pins. Neal went on to earn her bachelor's degree in psychology that same year. While at King, she earned three more WCWA All-American finishes and finished third at the U.S. Open. She helped King win four straight duals title and the WCWA National Championship. In addition, Neal was named King University's 2017 Female Athlete of the Year and 2017 Most Valuable Wrestler while earning a spot on the Dean's List. A native of Winston-Salem, Neal attended West Forsyth High School, where she was a three-time varsity wrestler and a three-time all-conference honoree. Neal holds the North Carolina state record for female wins against males (111) and was the first woman to ever qualify for the 4A North Carolina State Tournament, the state's largest division. Neal is currently pursuing her master's degree in kinesiology from East Carolina University.

Ashland University All-American Tristen Weirich (Photo courtesy of Ashland University Athletics) The start of the 2022 NCAA Division II men's wrestling season is just a few short months away, which means it is time to start predicting lineup changes and roster moves. With the changes brought about due to the pandemic, we know that 2022 will be the season of #SuperSeniors (copyright pending). Athletes can hit the "Reset" button now and pretend that 2021 did not happen. You were an All-American as a true freshman? Good for you, now go out and do it again. Sure, you won a national title as a senior, but can you win a national title as a #SuperSenior? Teams that finished in the top ten at the 2021 national tournament may be hard to unseat if they return all of their starters. This is a season where a transfer could be the difference between earning a team trophy and finishing fifth. Can coaches talk athletes who have already been in college for five or six years into returning for one more run? And the thing I am looking forward to, how many athletes stay off the radar until they pop back into the lineup in the second semester, turning my rankings upside down. Those are all questions for the season and this right now is the off-season. That means it is time to get out there and look at what the top 10 teams could be bringing back. Let's start with the four teams who finished within 23 points of each other, 10th through seventh. 10th Place: Minnesota State University-Mankato Head Coach: James Makovsky (28th Season) The Mavs return a lineup that is very well balanced. In fact, I would love to see them at the NWCA Division II National Dual tournament, but I will have to keep waiting for that. Two #SuperSenior All-Americans power this lineup that also returns national finalist Trevor Turiff who is only a junior. Kolbe O'Brien had some big wins his junior run and sophomore stud Cooper Siebrecht both look ready to make the jump to national qualifiers. They will be losing Matt Blome, with his graduation and departure opening a spot at 197-pounds. I can see them moving Darrell Mason (So) into the starting role at 285, which would provide them a stronger anchor to their lineup. The departure of Blome leaves true freshman Josh Piechowski as the only returning 197 on the roster. The two-time Minnesota state placer could find himself as the man if there is no type of weight class shuffle. Keep an eye on Brock Luthens; he wrestled a very good Super Regional tournament and looked to be making strides to end the season. If the Mavs can add another couple of national qualifiers and one more All-American, they can move up the leaderboard. Oh, and you can put an end to any rumors that Ty Eustice is going anywhere, for now. The Iowa Hawkeye All-American has been integral to the development of athletes like Turiff and has had his name linked to many a head coaching position. Look for Brody Nielsen and Dylan Butts to make jumps in their second sophomore seasons, with him helping them again. 125: Trenton McManus (SuperSenior) 133: Brock Luthens (Sophomore) 141: Kolbe O'Brien (Junior) 149: Kyle Rathman (SuperSenior) 157: Cooper Siebrecht (Sophomore) 165: Brody Nielsen (Sophomore) 174: Trevor Turiff (Junior) 184: Dylan Butts (Sophomore) 197: Josh Piechowski (Freshman) 285: Darrell Mason (Sophomore) 9th Place: Gannon University Head Coach: Don Henry (38th Season) Fresh off their first Super Regional title in program history, the Gannon Golden Knights entered the NCAA tournament with more pressure than I am certain they were used to. Things may not have gone exactly according to plan, but they did climb up the leaderboard and posted their best national finish since 2010, ninth. They will return a team to St. Louis that is experienced, talented, and led by one of the nation's best coaches. Don Henry was named the 2021 NWCA Division II National Coach of the Year. The Knights sent eight athletes to the national tournament in St. Louis and it is not crazy to think they could duplicate the feat in 2022. Of the eight wrestlers to step on the mat, three of them reached All-American status, including their national finalist Alex Farenchak (165). Jacob Dunlop (133) finished eighth, while Nick Young (157) advanced to the consolation finals and finished fourth. Overall, Gannon sent seven wrestlers into the quarterfinals, which gives all kinds of optimism for an even better 2022 season. The lightweights should return, with Jacob Dunlop and Charlie Lenox holding down the 133 spots. We may not see Dunlop until semester two, but the SuperSenior duo will be a force to be reckoned with, once again. If you are wondering, what about 2023? Well, the Knights signed 2021 NJCCA All-American Aseel Almudhala (125) of Henry Ford College. If Dunlop takes some time off, expect to see him in the lineup quickly. I expect we could see the return of one more SuperSenior to the lineup, Austin Hertel (141). He is a two-time NCAA national qualifier and is part of one of the best opening salvos to any D2 wrestling lineup. 2020 national qualifier Dom Means (149) will be back and with the qualification process returning to a sense of normalcy, I expect him to make a return trip in 2022. All-Americans Nick Young and Alex Farenchak will lock down the middle of the lineup with a return of 2020 national qualifier Luigi Yates (174). The rest of the upperweights will feature 2021 national qualifiers Cam Page (184), Joel Leise (197), and Freddie Nixon (285). This is one of the best lineups out there and they are going to turn heads at the NWCA National Dual Tournament. They are going to need a better quarterfinals round in St Louis in 2022 to move up the team race, though. 125: Jacob Dunlop (SuperSenior) 133: Aseel Almudhala (So)/Charlie Lenox (SuperSenior) second semester 141: Austin Hertel (SuperSenior) 149: Dom Means (Junior) 157: Nick Young (Junior) 165: Alex Farenchak (Sophomore) 174: Luigi Yakes (Sophomore) 184: Cam Page (Junior) 197: Joel Leise (Junior) 285: Freddie Nixon (Junior) 8th Place: Colorado Mesa University Head Coach: Chuck Pipher (15th Year) The Colorado Mesa University Mavs held off Gannon to finish eighth by just half a point. In one of the best moments of the entire 2021 national tournament, senior journeyman Fred Green won the 165lb national championship and then left his shoes on the mat. The retirement of a young man whose college career began in 2016 at Boise State University, then led to the University of Virginia, then to Oregon State, culminating in a two-year run at Mesa that saw him build a 23-1 record as a Mav. The two-time All-American leaves a big hole in the middle of the lineup. The Mavs may only return one national qualifier in 2022, two-time qualifier Donald Negus. The SuperSenior finished fifth last year and, by returning, would become the de facto leader. Just two Mavericks were enough to build a top-ten team; what might happen when this lineup really performs up to expectations. There is plenty of experience starting off the Mavs; SuperSenior Cian Apple was an NJCCA national qualifier and a two-year starter for Pipher. Ryan Wheeler (149) had a miserable true freshman season, going just 1-5. But there is reason to hope; he is coming off an All-American finish in Greco at UWW Junior Nationals. Seth Latham (174) needs to return to his 2020 attack style and earn a second nationals trip. The same can be said of Nolan Krone (184); the 2020 qualifier was absolutely robbed of a qualifying spot under the laughable 2021 process. A loss to Kearney All-American Austin Eldredge in Super Regional VI kept him out of the tournament in a gross miscarriage of the wildcard process. This is a lineup with potential, but it is hard to imagine them duplicating their 2021 results without some athletes really stepping up. I can see them sending more athletes to the tournament, but do they have another champion to replicate Green's big points? Chuck Pipher was out on the recruiting trail and he has landed big transfers before; I expect the cupboard is far from bare. 125: Cian Apple (SuperSenior) 133: Colin Metzgar (Junior) 141: Daniel Magana (R-Freshman) 149: Ryan Wheeler (Freshman) 157: Nick Gallegos (Freshman) 165: Dylan Ranieri (Sophomore) 174: Seth Latham (Junior) 184: Nolan Krone (Junior) 197: Donald Negus (SuperSenior) Hwt: Gabe Carranza (Freshman) 7th Place: Ashland University Head Coach: Colt Sponseller (2nd Year) A team that went from hiring a head coach in November to finishing seventh at the NCAA national tournament less than four months later, will return a wrecking crew of a lineup. The Ashland University Eagles hired former Division I All-American Colt Sponseller and then crowned three Super Regional champions and five All-Americans. Imagine what the coaching trio of Sponseller, Ryan Kirst, and Bret Romanzak will get done with nine months of preparation. They may just decide to invade another country and start their own Olympic squad with these troops. Five, five All-Americans out of six qualifiers. They could find their Super Regional looking very different in 2022 with the return of PSAC teams and the rumored relocation of Indianapolis to Super Regional IV. But they will certainly be battling against West Liberty for the Super Regional III crown again. The lineup will be bookended by All-Americans in Christian Wellman (125) and Tristen Weirich (285). And in the middle, they have two more SuperSenior All-Americans that could return in Carson Speelman (149) and Aidan Pasiuk (184). Throw in the talented and very real title threat Dan Beamer at 174, and you have one ridiculous core of athletes to build around. This lineup will be even stronger with the addition of 2021 transfer Drew Weichers (157); he will enter the lineup after limited time as an Eagle last year. He was a national qualifier for Mount Olive in their first season and now he will take over as an immediate All-American threat. Peter Abraham was a 2020 national qualifier, but he never seemed to get on track in 2021 at one of the toughest weight classes in Super Regional III. He has all the talent necessary to make it back to 2021. This is an Eagles team that would have been shut out of the NWCA National Duals tournament, but now they will have their chance to show all of Division II that they are not some one-year wonder. The clock is ticking though, this is a mature team, seasoned veterans, tested warriors blessed with "old man" strength. 125: Christian Wellman (SuperSenior) 133: Cael Woods (Freshman) 141: Luke Wymer (Sophomore) 149: Carson Speelman (SuperSenior) 157: Drew Weichers (Sophomore) 165: Chance Esmont (Junior) 174: Daniel Beemer (Sophomore) 184: Aidan Pasiuk (SuperSenior) 197: Peter Abraham (SuperSenior) Hwt: Tristen Weirich (SuperSenior)

2021 Olympic champion David Taylor (Photo courtesy of Larry Slater; LBSphoto.smugmug.com) Come back with me, if you will, to Carioca Arena 2 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which housed the wrestling competition at the 2016 Olympics. This was almost five years ago now. The United States won just three medals that week, but two of them were historic. The first: Helen Maroulis, America's first-ever Olympic gold medalist in women's freestyle. She secured her spot in USA Wrestling lore by recording a 4-1 victory over Japan's Saori Yoshida, a 16-time world and Olympic champion. The second: Kyle Snyder, America's youngest Olympic gold medalist, at age 20. Just one year removed from his first world title, Snyder defeated Azerbaijan's Khetag Goziumov, 2-1, in the final match of the wrestling competition in Rio. “The sport of wrestling, it's a fight,” Bruce Burnett, then the U.S. men's freestyle head coach, said afterward. “The gold medal in the last match of the tournament, that's putting us on a plane forward, and I feel really good about it.” Not sure anybody back then could've seen all the good vibes that were on the way. That leads us back to Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba, Japan. On Saturday morning, USA Wrestling put the cap on a truly special week at the 2020 Olympic Games. Consider these accomplishments: The U.S. won 9 total medals across the men's and women's freestyle competitions, the most by the U.S. in a single Olympic Games since women's freestyle was added in 2004, and the most ever by the U.S. at a non-boycotted Olympic Games (the 1984 team won 13, but the Soviet Union, which won 15 medals in 1988, did not attend). The United States' 9 total medals led all countries across all three styles this week --Russia was second with 8, then Japan with 7 (but with a tournament-best 5 golds) -- and comes after the U.S. won 11 total medals across the last three Olympic Games: 3 in 2016, 5 in 2012, and 3 in 2008. The men's freestyle team batted 1.000, bringing five wrestlers and leaving with five medals. That's the most since the 1996 men's freestyle team also won five in Atlanta -- but that was back when men's freestyle had 10 Olympic weights. The women's freestyle team brought a full squad of six, and left with four medals. Before the week began, USA Wrestling had only ever won five Olympic medals all-time. This year's women's team nearly matched that, as a fifth wrestler, Jacarra Winchester, fell in the bronze-medal match at 53 kilograms. Three wrestlers won gold this week: Tamyra Mensah-Stock, women's freestyle 68-kg; David Taylor, men's freestyle 86-kg; and Gable Steveson, men's freestyle 125-kg. That's the most Olympic golds for the U.S. since, again, 1996, when Kendall Cross (57-kg), Tom Brands (62-kg), and Kurt Angle with his broken freakin' neck (100-kg) all won in men's freestyle. Two more Americans, Kyle Snyder (MFS, 97-kg) and Adeline Gray (WFS, 76-kg), reached the finals, giving the U.S. five total Olympic finalists, the most since, again, 1996, when seven made the finals. Tamyra became America's second-ever women's freestyle Olympic champ, joining Helen. She is also the first Black woman ever to win Olympic gold in women's freestyle. She went 4-0 and outscored her opponents 34-5. Finally: USA Wrestling's 9 total medals is the third-most of any American sport at the 2020 Olympic Games, behind only Swimming and Track and Field, which have both won 25-plus. “It's a special time to be part of USA Wrestling,” Sarah Hildebrandt said afterward. “It's just really cool to be a part of, and I'm so grateful to have these teammates. I really feel like we are out here supporting each other, working to get better. “I think that's something that's been different than before, and you can see it starting to pay off. It's a special team -- we knew that coming in, and I'm so excited to be a part of what we put together.” Again, an absolutely sensational week for USA Wrestling. The vibes were good, and they arrived early and often each day. The men's freestyle and women's freestyle teams combined for a 31-9 overall record. The men went 16-3, the women went 15-6. The only wart all week came from the 4-man Greco-Roman squad, who limped to a 1-5 mark and failed to win a medal for the third-straight Olympics. We will discuss that performance at a later date. In the 31 freestyle wins, 13 technical falls and 17 shutouts. The men's team collectively outscored their opponents by a combined 144-39, and two of their three losses were by four total points, both to eventual gold medal winners from Russia (Thomas Gilman lost 5-4 to Zavur Uguev and Snyder lost 6-3 to Abdulrashid Sadulaev; the other: Kyle Dake's 11-0 loss to Belarus' Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau, who made the final). At one point, the U.S. wrestlers won 11 straight matches, starting with Gable's semifinal win on Thursday morning and running all the way to Kyle Snyder's semifinal win on Friday morning. They won those 11 matches by a combined 90-8, good vibes for an entire 24 hours. In those 11 matches, the U.S. sent two wrestlers to the finals (Gable and Snyder), won three medals (Gilman won bronze, Taylor won gold, Helen won bronze), and three more reached medal matches (Dake and Jacarra both won in the repechage, and Sarah Hildebrandt won in the quarters to guarantee at least a bronze-medal match). That 11-match win streak was really part of a larger run by the United States' freestyle wrestlers. Starting with Tamyra's finals victory on Tuesday morning, U.S. wrestlers rattled off an astounding 25 wins over their final 32 matches in the tournament. There was really only one rough day in the entire competition for the United States, and that was Monday. Adeline lost in the gold-medal match, 7-3 to Germany's Aline Rotter-Focken, early in the morning, then Kayla Miracle, John Stefanowicz, and Alejandro Sancho all lost at night and were eventually eliminated. That proved to be a blip on the radar. Tamyra became an Olympic champion, and the rest of her American teammates followed her lead. Every U.S. wrestler that took the mat after she won gold either won a medal or wrestled for one. “I. Am. A. Champion. I was born for this, I was made to win,” Tamyra sang afterward in her since-viral post-finals interview with NBC Sports. “I love it!” Perhaps the most revealing part of Tamyra's interview -- which was just as incredible as her on-the-mat performance, by the way, and you should totally watch it if you haven't already -- was her answer that came right after her singing. “Did you think you would ever win an Olympic gold medal?” the reporter asked. “Yes,” Tamyra answered immediately. “100 percent yes, I knew I could do it. I knew it would be hard. I prayed that I could do it. In my wildest dreams, I knew.” That was a memorable line in an outstanding interview because of the confidence that was on display with every word. That feeling matriculated through the entire team, and it showed in their performances. On Wednesday, Gable thumped Taha Akgul, the 2016 Olympic heavyweight champion. On Thursday, Gilman and Helen completed their medal runs in dominant fashion, winning their bronze bouts 9-1 and 11-0, respectively. David Taylor's electrifying gold-medal match against Iran's Hassan Yazdanicharati was sandwiched between them, wherein he connected on a blast-double with 10 seconds left to win, 4-3. “I don't really even know if it was technique, but I wanted to win,” Taylor said. “I wanted to win an Olympic gold medal. I wanted that my entire life, and I'm maybe not going to have an opportunity to do this again. “I believe I'll have more opportunities, but you never know. It feels really good.” The next day, more good vibes. Snyder and Sarah stormed into the semifinals, Dake battled back for bronze, and Gable topped Taylor's thrilling gold-medal victory by producing one of his own, scoring two takedowns in 13 seconds to defeat Georgia's Geno Petriashvili, the three-time defending world champion. “I knew I had it in me,” Gable said, before repeating: “I knew I had it in me. Everybody talks about bringing home a gold medal, and I did it.” He did, at just 21 years old, the youngest wrestler on a USA Wrestling squad that isn't all that old, to begin with. Only three of the 11 freestyle wrestlers are currently 30. These guys and gals are still young, very much in the prime of their careers. There's every reason to believe they'll be around for a while longer. Then again, we saw at the U.S. Olympic Trials that a youth movement is afoot. Both Adeline and Tamyra held off high-schoolers in the best-of-three finals. Young stars like Vito Arujau, Daton Fix, and Spencer Lee, all accomplished age-level freestylers, will push Gilman in the years ahead. There are seemingly tons more names at every weight. Those three medals the U.S. won in Rio don't seem like a lot after the haul they earned this week, but Burnett, USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender, and many others told anybody who listened then that bigger things were coming. Perhaps they were the only ones who could have predicted the 9 medals in Tokyo. None of us will have to wait very long for the next big opportunity. The 2021 world championships in Norway are just two months out, and the 2024 Olympics in Paris will be here before we know it.

2x Olympic gold medalist Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo/UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 57 kg Men's Freestyle 65 kg Men's Freestyle 74 kg Men's Freestyle 86 kg Men's Freestyle 125 kg Men's Freestyle 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 67 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 50 kg Women's Freestyle 53 kg Women's Freestyle 57 kg Women's Freestyle 62 kg Women's Freestyle 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Results Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC) over Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan) 5-0 Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) over Mohammadhossein Mohammadian (Iran) 6-3 Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba) over Aliaksandr Hushtyn (Belarus) 4-3 Magomedgadji Nurov (Macedonia) over Mohamed Saadaoui (Tunisia) 5-0 Alisher Yergali (Kazakhstan) over Mohammed Fardj (Algeria) Forfeit Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) over Magomed Ibragimov (Uzbekistan) 3-3 Abraham Conyedo Ruano (Italy) over Albert Saritov (Romania) 6-1 Kyle Snyder (USA) over Jordan Steen (Canada) 12-2 Quarterfinal Results Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC) over Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 10-0 Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba) over Magomedgadji Nurov (Macedonia) 6-4 Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) over Alisher Yergali (Kazakhstan) 8-7 Kyle Snyder (USA) over Abraham Conyedo Ruano (Italy) 6-0 Semifinal Results Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC) over Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba) 4-0 Kyle Snyder (USA) over Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) 5-0 Repechage Results Abraham Conyedo Ruano (Italy) over Jordan Steen (Canada) 4-2 Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan) over Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 7-5 Bronze Medal Matches Abraham Conyedo Ruano (Italy) over Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) 6-2 Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba) over Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan) 3-3 Gold Medal Match Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC) over Kyle Snyder (USA) 6-3 Notes: Abdulrashid Sadulaev won his second Olympic gold medal. Sadulaev now has six World/Olympic Championships and seven world/Olympic medals. He has made the finals of every World/Olympic Championship since 2014. Sadulaev defeated Kyle Snyder for the second time in a World/Olympic final. Sadualev has taken the lead in the series two-matches-to-one. During Sadulaev's two Olympic Games he has outscored the competition 53-4. Snyder is now a two-time Olympic Medalist (2nd - 2020; 1st - 2016). Snyder has earned World/Olympic medals in every year since 2015. Though he has been a staple on the world scene for over a decade, Reineris Salas Perez earned his first Olympic medal. Salas Perez is now a four-time World/Olympic medalist. Salas Perez defeated a pair of returning world medalists during his bronze medal run (Sharifov and Nurov), plus 2020 Individual World Cup silver medalist Aleksandr Hushtyn. Abraham Conyedo-Ruano is now a two-time World/Olympic medalist. The quadrant at the top of the bracket that includes Sadulaev, Sharif Sharifov, Elizbar Odikadze, and Mohammadhossein Mohammadian was insane. Over the course of their careers, these veterans have combined to amass 14 world medals, 3 Olympic Gold medals, and five world championships. This weight class had the most returning World/Olympic medalist of any men's freestyle bracket. Three first round matches featured past world medalists clashing (Sadulaev/Sharifov, Odikadze/Mohammadian, Conyedo Ruano/Saritov). Six of the world medalists were found in the top half of the bracket. Only the top two seeds made the podium (Sadulaev and Snyder) and in that exact order.

2020 Olympic gold medalist Yui Susaki (Photo courtesy of Kadir Calisken/UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 57 kg Men's Freestyle 65 kg Men's Freestyle 74 kg Men's Freestyle 86 kg Men's Freestyle 125 kg Men's Freestyle 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 67 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 53 kg Women's Freestyle 57 kg Women's Freestyle 62 kg Women's Freestyle 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Results Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) over Stalvira Orshush (ROC) 11-7 Sarra Hamdi (Tunisia) over Seema Bisla (India) 3-1 Yui Susaki (Japan) over Namuuntsetseg Tsogt Ochir (Mongolia) 10-0 Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) over Valentina Islamova (Kazakhstan) 9-6 Oskana Livach (Ukraine) over Adijat Idris (Nigeria) 10-0 Yanan Sun (China) over Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba) 8-2 Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) over Evin Demirhan (Turkey) 11-0 Miglena Selishka (Bulgaria) over Emilia Vuc (Romania) 6-0 Quarterfinal Results Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) over Sarra Hamdi (Tunisia) 10-0 Yui Susaki (Japan) over Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) 10-0 Yanan Sun (China) over Oskana Livach (Ukraine) 7-3 Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) over Miglena Selishka (Bulgaria) 12-2 Semifinal Results Yui Susaki (Japan) over Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) 11-0 Yanan Sun (China) over Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) 10-7 Repechage Results Oskana Livach (Ukraine) over Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba) Fall Namuuntsetseg Tsogt Ochir (Mongolia) over Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) Bronze Medal Matches Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) over Namuuntsetseg Tsogt Ochir (Mongolia) 10-0 Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) over Oskana Livach (Ukraine) 12-1 Gold Medal Match Yui Susaki (Japan) over Yanan Sun (China) 10-0 Notes: Yui Susaki won her third World/Olympic gold medal. Susaki is still undefeated against opponents outside of Japan. In four matches, Susaki outscored her competition 41-0. Susaki earned wins over the other two past world champions at this weight (Yanan Sun/Mariya Stadnik). Japan has had an Olympic gold medalist at the lightest women's weights in each of the last three Games. Sun is a two-time Olympic medalist. She is also a five-time World/Olympic medalist. Sun picked up two wins over past world medalists (Sarah Hildebrandt/Oksana Livach) on the way to the finals. Stadnik is now a four-time Olympic medalist (Silver x2, Bronze x2). She is also a 10-time World/Olympic medalist. Stadnik has suffered a loss to a Japanese opponent in each of the last three Olympic Games. Stadnik was the only seeded wrestler that made it to the Olympic podium. Hildebrandt is now a two-time World/Olympic medalist. Hildebrandt earned wins over two past world medalists (Evin Demirhan and Livach). With her bronze medal, Hildebrandt became the third American woman to earn a medal at the initial weight class (Patricia Miranda - 2004 and Clarissa Chun - 2012). Both semifinal losers rebounded to earn bronze medals. The opening round saw three past world medalists go down (Demirhan, Islamova, Vuc).

2020 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson (Photo courtesy of Kadir Calisken/UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 57 kg Men's Freestyle 74 kg Men's Freestyle 86 kg Men's Freestyle 125 kg Men's Freestyle 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 67 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 53 kg Women's Freestyle 57 kg Women's Freestyle 62 kg Women's Freestyle 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Results Gadzhimurad Rashidov (ROC) over Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia) 6-0 Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Poland) over Georgios Pilidis (Greece) 11-0 Takuto Otoguro (Japan) over Tulga Tumur Ochir (Mongolia) 6-3 Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary) over Agustin Destribats (Argentina) 9-6 Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan) over Alejandro Valdes Tobier (Cuba) 21-11 Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) over Adama Diatta (Senegal) 4-0 Morteza Ghiasi Cheka (Iran) over Haithem Dakhlaoui (Tunisia) 5-1 Bajrang Punia (India) over Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan) 3-3 Quarterfinal Results Gadzhimurad Rashidov (ROC) over Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Poland) 6-2 Takuto Otoguro (Japan) over Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary) 4-1 Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) over Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan) 9-1 Bajrang Punia (India) over Morteza Ghiasi Cheka (Iran) Fall Semifinal Results Takuto Otoguro (Japan) over Gadzhimurad Rashidov (ROC) 3-2 Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) over Bajrang Punia (India) 12-5 Repechage Results Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan) over Adama Diatta (Senegal) 10-0 Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary) over Tulga Tumur Ochir (Mongolia) 4-2 Bronze Medal Matches Bajrang Punia (India) over Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan) 8-0 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (ROC) over Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary) 5-0 Gold Medal Match Takuto Otoguro (Japan) over Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 5-4 Notes: Takuto Otoguro is now a two-time World/Olympic gold medalist. Otoguro is the first Japanese men's freestyle wrestler to win the Olympics since 2012 when Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu won the 66 kg weight class. Otoguro's last two wins came over wrestlers that have combined to win four world championships (Haji Aliyev - 3, Gadzhimurad Rashidov - 1). These were the only three world champions in the bracket. Aliyev is now a two-time Olympic medalist. He has now earned five World/Olympic medals. Aliyev has now earned World/Olympic medals at three different weights (57, 61, 65). It was the first time that Aliyev earned a World/Olympic medal since 2017. Neither finalist entered the tournament with a seed. For the second consecutive Olympic Games, Azerbaijan had a silver medalist at 65 kg (Toghrul Asgarov - 2016). Rashidov is now a four-time World/Olympic medalist. He has placed at each of the last four events. Rashidov picked up wins over two past Russian transfers Iszmail Muszukajev and Magomedmurad Gadzhiev. Punia is now a four-time World/Olympic medalist. The only qualification bout that featured a pair of past world medalists was with Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan) and Alejandro Valdes Tobier (Cuba). It was one of the wildest bouts of the entire freestyle tournament. Valdes Tobier was close to earning a tech fall, but ran out of gas and was teched by Niyazbekov. The two put up 32 points combined. Both fifth-place finishers were world medalists in 2019. Both semifinal losers wrestled back for bronze medals.

2020 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson (Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo/UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 57 kg Men's Freestyle 74 kg Men's Freestyle 86 kg Men's Freestyle 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 67 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 53 kg Women's Freestyle 57 kg Women's Freestyle 62 kg Women's Freestyle 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Results Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) over Diaaeldin Abdelmottaleb (Egypt) 11-0 Zhiwei Deng (China) over Sergei Kozyrev (ROC) 4-1 Egzon Shala (Kosovo) over Djahid Berrahal (Algeria) Fall Amir Zare (Iran) over Oleksandr Khotsianivskyi (Ukraine) 7-0 Taha Akgul (Turkey) over Amar Dhesi (Canada) 5-0 Gable Steveson (USA) over Aiaal Lazarev (Kyrgyzstan) 10-0 Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (Mongolia) over Dzianis Khramiankou (Belarus) 8-4 Gennadij Cudinovic (Germany) over Yusup Batirmurzaev (Kazakhstan) Fall Quarterfinal Results Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) over Zhiwei Deng (China) 5-2 Amir Zare (Iran) over Egzon Shala (Kosovo) 13-2 Gable Steveson (USA) over Taha Akgul (Turkey) 8-0 Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (Mongolia) over Gennadij Cudinovic (Germany) 6-5 Semifinal Results Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) over Amir Zare (Iran) 6-3 Gable Steveson (USA) over Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (Mongolia) 5-0 Repechage Results Taha Akgul (Turkey) over Aiaal Lazarev (Kyrgyzstan) 4-0 Zhiwei Deng (China) over Diaaeldin Abdelmottaleb (Egypt) 7-2 Bronze Medal Matches Taha Akgul (Turkey) over Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (Mongolia) 5-0 Amir Zare (Iran) over Zhiwei Deng (China) 5-0 Gold Medal Match Gable Steveson (USA) over Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 10-8 Notes: Gable Steveson won his first World/Olympic gold medal at the Senior level. He did win two world titles at the Cadet level and one as a Junior. Steveson is the first American to win an Olympic title at heavyweight since Bruce Baumgartner in 1992. To win his Olympic title, Steveson picked up wins over Geno Petriashvili and Taha Akgul, who accounted for every world/Olympic championship since 2014. Steveson earned a place in the finals by outscoring his first three opponents 23-0. Petriashvili captured his second Olympic medal. It was his seventh World/Olympic medal. Petriashvili has earned medals at the last six World/Olympic championship events. Akgul claimed his second Olympic medal. It was his seventh World/Olympic medal. Amir Zare earned his first World/Olympic medal at the Senior level. Zare was a U23 World Champion in 2019. The four medalists represent two generations of great heavyweights. Petriashvili is 27 and Akgul is 30. Steveson is 21 and Zare is 20. Neither of the young heavyweight stars entered the tournament seeded. Both the second and fourth seeds went down in the qualification round. Iran had an Olympic medalist at 125 kg for the past three Olympic Games (Komeil Ghasemi in 2012 and 2016).

2021 Olympic champion Gable Steveson (Photo courtesy of Larry Slater; LBSphoto.smugmug.com) On the final day of the wrestling competition at the 2020 Olympic Games, one of the most anticipated bouts in Olympic history took place. 2016 Olympic gold medalists Kyle Snyder and Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC) squared off. This was the third career meeting between the two. Snyder took the initial clash between the two, in 2017, which helped clinch a world team for the men's freestyle squad. A year later, at the 2018 World Championships, Sadulaev got his revenge with a quick first-period fall. Today's matchup started off as a tactical battle, with neither wrestler making any committed offensive attacks in the first few minutes. Though Snyder was more aggressive, he was put on the shot clock first. After the :30 seconds expired, Sadulaev was awarded a point. He would lead 2-0 at the break after getting another point via step out. After the break, you could sense that Snyder was ready to turn up the heat on his Russian foe. Snyder got in on an early leg attack, but had his momentum stopped by Sadualev. The Russian locked through the crotch and was able to expose Snyder to take a 4-0 lead. That margin jumped to 6-0 as Sadulaev scored off of a similar situation. As the second period progressed, Sadulaev began to wear down and Snyder earned a takedown. The American continued to push the pace and also garnered a point from a step out. Unfortunately, Snyder was in a race against the clock and could not complete the comeback. He would ultimately fall 6-3. By making the final, Snyder earned his second Olympic medal and his sixth consecutive World/Olympic medal. He now had six (two titles) at the age of 25. Sadulaev also is 25 years old and is now among the best ever in the sport. He has a pair of Olympic gold medals to go with four world titles in five tries. The final American to step on the mat at the Olympic Games was Sarah Hildebrandt, who competed for a bronze medal at 50 kg. Standing in the way of her bronze medal with Ukraine's world bronze medalist Oksana Livach. Like Snyder's match, Hildebrandt was placed on the shot clock despite, showing more offensive attacks. Hildebrandt appeared doomed to trail 1-0 after the first period, but continued to attack until the final seconds of the period and secured a takedown as the clock expired. In the second period, it was all Hildebrandt. After her second takedown in the final stanza, Hildebrandt locked in her bread-and-butter, the leg lace. Although she was credited with three turns, she could have done many more. Only three were needed for Hildebrandt to jump to technical superiority status, though. Her 12-1 win locked up a bronze medal for the 50 kg star. With all of the dust settled, the men's freestyle team went 5-for-5 in earning Olympic medals. That is the most since the 1996 Olympics (when ten weights were contested). Two American men came away with gold medals (David Taylor and Gable Steveson), while a third was in the finals (Snyder). Snyder also became the first multi-time American Olympic medalist since Bruce Baumgartner in 1996. The women's freestyle team set numerous records with their performance. Coming into the 2020 Olympics, only five American women had won medals since the sport was offered to women in 2004. Additionally, only once had multiple women earned medals in the same Games. Four will leave Tokyo with hardware. Helen Maroulis again made history by becoming the first American woman with multiple Olympic medals. Tamyra Mensah-Stock became the first black woman to win Olympic gold. Adeline Gray was finally able to add Olympic medalist to her incredible resume. All in all, it was a tournament that will be talked about by American wrestling fans for years and decades to come. American Results 97 kg Men's Freestyle: Gold Medal Match Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC) over Kyle Snyder (USA) 6-3 50 kg Women's Freestyle: Bronze Medal Match Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) over Oksana Livach (Ukraine) 12-1

2x Olympic gold medalist Mayu Mukaida (Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo/UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 57 kg Men's Freestyle 86 kg Men's Freestyle 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 67 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 57 kg Women's Freestyle 62 kg Women's Freestyle 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Results Vinesh Phogat (India) over Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 7-1 Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) over Andreea Ana (Romania) 10-0 Jacarra Winchester (USA) over Olga Khoroshavtseva (ROC) 7-4 Qianyu Pang (China) over Lauren Herin Avila (Cuba) 2-0 Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador) over Maria Prevolaraki (Greece) 11-4 Bolortuya Bat Ochir (Mongolia) over Rckaela Aquino (Guam) Fall Roksana Zasina (Poland) over Tatyana Akhmetova (Kazakhstan) 3-2 Mayu Mukaida (Japan) over Joseph Essombe Tiako (Cameroon) 10-0 Quarterfinal Results Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) over Vinesh Phogat (India) Fall Qianyu Pang (China) over Jacarra Winchester (USA) 6-2 Bolortuya Bat Ochir (Mongolia) over Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador) 15-5 Mayu Mukaida (Japan) over Roksana Zasina (Poland) 12-2 Semifinal Results Qianyu Pang (China) over Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) 2-2 Mayu Mukaida (Japan) over Bolortuya Bat Ochir (Mongolia) 6-3 Repechage Results Joseph Essombe Tiako (Cameroon) over Roksana Zasina (Poland) 4-4 Jacarra Winchester (USA) over Lauren Herin Avila (Cuba) 5-0 Bronze Medal Matches Bolortuya Bat Ochir (Mongolia) over Joseph Essombe Tiako (Cameroon) 14-4 Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) over Jacarra Winchester (USA) Fall Gold Medal Match Mayu Mukaida (Japan) over Qianyu Pang (China) 5-4 Notes: Mayu Mukaida is now a three-time World/Olympic champion. Mukaida is also a five-time World/Olympic medalist. A Japanese woman won this weight class (53/55kg) for the fourth time in the five Olympic Games that featured women's wrestling. Qianyu Pang is now a three-time World/Olympic medalist. Pang earned her place in the finals by defeating a pair of past world champions, Vanesa Kaladzinskaya and Jacarra Winchester. Vanesa Kaladzinskaya is now a three-time World/Olympic medalist. Kaladzinskaya captured her most recent world title (2017) by downing Mukaida in the finals by the score of 8-6. Kaladzinskaya is the only wrestler at this weight class with multiple falls. Both of Kaladzinskaya's falls came over the one-seed, Vinesh Phogat, and 2019 world champion, Winchester. Kaladzinskaya is only the second woman from Belarus to earn a medal at the Olympic Games. That obviously means that with her and Iryna Kurachkina winning medals, its the first time the country has had multiple Olympic medalists. Bolortuya Bat Ochir is now a two-time World/Olympic medalist. Bat Ochir is the first Mongolian woman to have earned an Olympic medal since Battsetseg Soronzonbold in 2012 (3rd at 63kg). One of the top first round bouts in this bracket saw seven-time world medalist and 2009 world champion Sofia Mattsson meet the top-seed, Vinesh Phogat. Phogat, a 2019 world bronze medalist, was a 7-1 winner. This weight class featured an incredible ten former World/Olympic medalists. Two first-round bouts saw them clash, Phogat/Mattsson and Winchester/Olga Khoroshavtseva.

2x Olympic gold medalist Risako Kawai (Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo/UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 57 kg Men's Freestyle 86 kg Men's Freestyle 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 67 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 57 kg Women's Freestyle 62 kg Women's Freestyle 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Results Frank Chamizo (Italy) over Avtandil Kentchadze (Georgia) 5-1 Turan Bayramov (Azerbaijan) over Vasyl Mykhailov (Ukraine) 4-2 Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (Belarus) over Jeandry Garzon Caballero (Cuba) 12-8 Kyle Dake (USA) over Mostafa Hosseinkhani (Iran) 4-0 Zaurbek Sidakov (ROC) over Augusto Midana (Guinea-Bissau) 12-2 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan) over Franklin Gomez (Puerto Rico) 10-0 Amr Hussen (Egypt) over Kamil Rybicki (Poland) 6-1 Daniyar Kaisanov (Kazakhstan) over Keisuke Otoguro (Japan) Fall Quarterfinal Results Frank Chamizo (Italy) over Turan Bayramov (Azerbaijan) 3-1 Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (Belarus) over Kyle Dake (USA) 11-0 Zaurbek Sidakov (ROC) over Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan) 13-6 Daniyar Kaisanov (Kazakhstan) over Amr Hussen (Egypt) 8-5 Semifinal Results Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (Belarus) over Frank Chamizo (Italy) 9-7 Zaurbek Sidakov (ROC) over Daniyar Kaisanov (Kazakhstan) 11-0 Repechage Results Kyle Dake (USA) over Jeandry Garzon Caballero (Cuba) 10-0 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan) over Augusto Midana (Guinea-Bissau) 13-2 Bronze Medal Matches Kyle Dake (USA) over Frank Chamizo (Italy) 5-0 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan) over Daniyar Kaisanov (Kazakhstan) 13-2 Gold Medal Match Zaurbek Sidakov (ROC) over Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (Belarus) 7-0 Notes: Zaurbek Sidakov is now a three-time World/Olympic Champion. Sidakov has won World/Olympic championships in each of the last three years. Sidakov is Russia's first Olympic gold medalist at 74 kg since Buvaisar Saitiev in 2008. Sidakov is the only one of the four seeded wrestlers to earn a medal (1) Sidakov, (2) Kaisanov, (3) Sidakov, (4) Hosseinkhani Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau earned a World/Olympic medal for the first time. He was also a bronze medalist in 2020 at the Individual World Cup. Kadzimahamedau was the first Olympic finalist in men's freestyle in Belarus since Aleksey Medvedev in 1996. Kadzimahamedau defeated a pair of two-time world champions (Kyle Dake and Frank Chamizo) to make the Olympic finals. Kyle Dake earned his third World/Olympic medal. For Dake to get his bronze medal, he also defeated two-time world champion Chamizo. Dake had a 48-match winning streak that dated back to 2018 snapped by Kazimahamedau. Bekzod Abdurakhmonov earned his third World/Olympic medal. Abdurakhmonov started the tournament facing his fellow Nittany Lion Wrestling Club teammate Franklin Gomez. Both of the semifinal losers also fell in the bronze medal matches. Cuba's representative, Jeandry Garzon Caballero, last competed at the Olympic Games in 2008. The American entry at that weight class was Doug Schwab. Iran had a Olympic medalist in each of the last two Olympic Games at this weight class, but failed to do so this time.

2021 Olympic champion Gable Steveson (Photo courtesy of Larry Slater; LBSphoto.smugmug.com) There were 13 seconds left. The official called a stalemate. Geno Petriashvili, Georgia's towering heavyweight, stood up and exhaled. He had completed a remarkable comeback, from down 5-2 to up 8-5, and was now on the cusp of an Olympic gold medal. There were 13 seconds left. Across from Petriashvili stood Gable Steveson, Petriashvili's powerful, dynamic, affable American peer. Steveson, the 21-year-old wunderkind from Apple Valley, Minnesota, hurried into a stance with just one thought on his mind. I need a takedown. There were 13 seconds left. We all know what happened next. Petriashvili shot, Steveson posted, faked right, then spun behind for a takedown to make it 8-7. Steveson stood up, as if to restart the match himself. The official, surprisingly, followed. Petriashvili looked confused, saw that 6.5 seconds remained, and stood up. Another whistle. Steveson shot, forced an underhook, another shot, circled right, posted again, spun right again, his arms snaking their way around Petriashvili's frame. He circles more, he gets behind. A takedown? Yes, a takedown. Steveson calls it himself, with two-tenths of a second left. The horn sounds. Steveson jumps up. He runs to his corner and hugs Minnesota coach Brandon Eggum. The American contingent inside Makuhari Messe Hall goes ballistic, and millions around the world collectively drop their jaws in awe. Yes, Gable Steveson became an Olympic champion on Friday morning with a thrilling, come-from-behind, you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it 10-8 victory over Petriashvili in the finals at 125 kilograms (275 pounds). His improbable comeback capped a week where he went 4-0, beat two world champs, and collectively outscored his opponents 33-8. In doing so, Steveson became the first American freestyle heavyweight to win an Olympic gold medal since Bruce Baumgartner won in 1992 - eight years before Steveson was born. His performance will go down in USA Wrestling history, his spot reserved forever as an Olympic champion. "I don't know how I did it," Steveson said in a TV interview afterward. "Somehow, I did it, but I have no clue how I did that." There were 13 seconds left. How did Gable Steveson do that? … The march toward Gable Steveson's Olympic moment, you could argue, began when he was born. His full name is Gable Dan Steveson, after the famous Iowa State wrestler-turned-Iowa Hawkeye coach Dan Gable, an Olympic champion himself in 1972. But Steveson's ascent from really good wrestler to Olympic gold medalist didn't truly start until 2019. He took four losses in the span of three months that ultimately reset the course of his wrestling career. Gable Steveson was a freshman back then, a highly-touted youngster with grand plans to take over college wrestling after winning four Minnesota state titles and three age-level world championships. Expectations were large. Nobody is perfect, not even mighty Dan Gable, and Gable Dan learned the hard way that March. He lost twice that month, both to Penn State's Anthony Cassar - once at the Big Ten Championships, then again at the NCAA Championships. Rewatching those matches now, Gable Steveson looks like an entirely different person. No facial hair, some baby fat, and his tummy was far more noticeable. He was fast, yes, but not as quick as he is now. He controlled ties, sure, but not as consistently. He scored points, but he just wasn't dynamic, wasn't powerful, wasn't Gable quite yet. Those losses changed things. He hadn't lost a folkstyle match since eighth grade, then lost twice in 12 days. They made him look inward, humbled him, taught him that he wasn't always going to be the biggest, baddest man in the room. He needed to get bigger, faster, stronger. He needed to grow up, to learn more about himself. He needed to get better at wrestling. So Steveson went to work, quietly at first, but then he let us in on the journey. Those of us who follow him on his social channels can see what he does now, the weight room regimens, the sparring sessions. His baby fat was replaced by pure muscle, his grip strength now something fierce, his feet light and quick, like a champion boxer. The new Gable Steveson, the one we've all watched over the last year, first appeared at the 2019 world team trials. He beat Nick Nevills, Dom Bradley, Anthony Nelson and Adam Coon twice by a combined 43-8. He advanced to Final X at Rutgers, where he wrestled Nick Gwiazdowski for a spot on the U.S. men's freestyle world team. Gwiazdowski swept Steveson, winning both bouts on criteria, 4-4, 3-3. But Steveson showed glimpses of the wrestler he was becoming - quicker, stronger, smarter, with faster feet and powerful, explosive motion. He set up shots and wrestled through positions. His persona emerged, applauding Gwiz after he scrambled out of an ankle-pick. "As you get older, and more knowledgeable and more experienced," Gwiazdowski said afterward, "you learn there are different ways to become a master at this sport." He was talking about himself, but he could've just as easily been talking about Gable Steveson. By then, Steveson had fallen in love with the process of hard work. He realized all of his previous accomplishments, while great, were just small peeks into what he could truly become. History reserves a spot only for those willing to chase it, so he made an internal decision to seek the best version of himself, on and off the mat, because he knew those heights meant wrestling success. Fast-forward a year, November 2020, at the RTC Cup. Steveson went for a singular purpose, a rematch with Gwiazdowski. He got his wish and won, 4-1. More than that, it was confirmation to Steveson that his new process worked. Beating a two-time world bronze medalist was a mental hurdle he felt he needed to clear. "You show up to wrestle the best," Steveson said afterward. "I showed that I can compete with him, that he's not on an island by himself. I've been working, man, on my mentality, my strength, the person I've become - I love the game, I love the hustle. "All love for Gwiz, but the young dog is here to step up to the plate, and this was a big stepping stone." Three months later, Steveson won an NCAA championship. Two weeks after, he swept Gwiazdowski in the finals of the U.S. Olympic Trials, 10-0 and 10-4. It was legitimately frightening to watch him up close and in-person because of how quickly he moved and how efficiently he attacked. But one thing became abundantly clear to everybody watching during those two days in Texas. He not only had the talent and necessary tools needed to win an Olympic gold medal, but he had the knowledge and belief that he would, too. "To be the best, you have to beat the best," Steveson said that weekend. "Last time, it was just about getting the win. This time, I wanted to make a statement." … Forty-nine years after Dan Gable won Olympic gold in Munich, Gable Dan did the same in Tokyo. He nearly did it the same way, too. Gable went 6-0 and didn't allow a point. Steveson won his first three matches by a combined 23-0, punctuated by his 8-0 win over Turkey's Taha Akgul, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist, in the quarterfinals. "He's one of the best wrestlers I've seen for someone his size," said David Taylor, himself an Olympic gold medalist this week in dramatic fashion, at 86 kilograms. "We've all thought it, and now the world is seeing it." Against Petriashvili, the three-time reigning world champion, Steveson looked like he might roll again. He led 1-0 after a shot-clock point, then scored a takedown out of a snatch-single. A push-out - that maybe should've probably been a 4-point throw on the edge - made it 4-0 at the break. But Petriashvili is a wily 27-year-old veteran, a 2016 Olympic bronze-medalist and now seven-time total Senior-level world and Olympic medalist. His rally began with a crotch-lift exposure off of Steveson's shot, making it 5-2. Then he scored his own takedown, which led to two gut-wrenches and an 8-5 lead with 49 seconds left. Back they went to the center of the mat. They tied up, Steveson trying to set up a shot on the left side, but Petriashvili hand fought it away. Now 39 seconds left. Steveson lowers his level and pops back up, but Petriashvili stays low and dives at Steveson's left ankle. He had no intention of finishing. The whistle blew. There were 24 seconds left. Restart, and Petriashvili dove in for another shot, again with no intention of finishing. He clamps hard and kills time. Steveson tries to break his grip, but can't. He looks to his corner, where Eggum sits back down and adjusts his mask. There were 13 seconds left. Steveson lined up for the restart. All the growth and maturity from the last two years led him to this moment. The commitment he made to himself reminded him of why he loved wrestling in the first place, why he burned so badly to be here, on the brink of Olympic glory, and how he was determined to do everything to try and win in the time he had left. The whistle blew. Petriashvili shot in, and Steveson ran behind, takedown. Back up, a whistle, a shot, underhook, another shot, circle, circle, circle … two, takedown. Horn. How did Gable Steveson do that? "I gave him a quick outside step," Steveson said, "and he bit it a little bit and after that, he went down, I circled, I kept circling, and the rest is history." History reserves a spot only for those willing to give chase. Gable Steveson chased it, emphatically, dramatically and, ultimately, successfully, taking an 8-5 deficit and turning it into an all-time sports moment in just 13 seconds. His spot is reserved, an Olympic champion, now and forever.

2x Olympic gold medalist Risako Kawai (Photo courtesy of UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 57 kg Men's Freestyle 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 67 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 57 kg Women's Freestyle 62 kg Women's Freestyle 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Results Hassan Yazdani (Iran) over Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan) 11-2 Stefan Reichmuth (Switzerland) over Fateh Benferdjallah (Algeria) 6-2 Osman Gocen (Turkey) over Sohsuke Takatani (Japan) 2-2 Artur Naifonov (ROC) over Boris Makoev (Slovakia) 6-0 Myles Amine (San Marino) over Carlos Izquierdo Mendez (Colombia) 12-2 David Taylor (USA) over Ali Shabanau (Belarus) 11-0 Zushen Lin (China) over Pool Ambrocio Greifo (Peru) 11-0 Deepak Punia (India) over Ekerekeme Agiomore (Nigeria) 12-1 Quarterfinal Results Hassan Yazdani (Iran) over Stefan Reichmuth (Switzerland) 12-1 Artur Naifonov (ROC) over Osman Gocen (Turkey) 12-1 David Taylor (USA) over Myles Amine (San Marino) 12-2 Deepak Punia (India) over Zushen Lin (China) 6-3 Semifinal Results Hassan Yazdani (Iran) over Artur Naifonov (ROC) 7-1 David Taylor (USA) over Deepak Punia (India) 10-0 Repechage Results Myles Amine (San Marino) over Ali Shabanau (Belarus) 2-0 Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan) over Stefan Reichmuth (Switzerland) 5-2 Bronze Medal Matches Myles Amine (San Marino) over Deepak Punia (India) 4-2 Artur Naifonov (ROC) over Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan) 2-0 Gold Medal Match David Taylor (USA) over Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 4-3 Notes: David Taylor became a two-time World/Olympic Champion. Taylor is the third American to medal at the 84/86 kg weight class at the Olympics since 2004. (J'den Cox - 3rd/2016; Cael Sanderson - 1st/2004). Taylor outscored the competition in Tokyo 37-5 during his gold medal run. He is now 3-0 career against Hassan Yazdani. Yazdani has not lost to another opponent since 2016. Yazdani is now a six-time World/Olympic medalist. He is now a two-time Olympic medalist (2nd/2020 and 1st/2016). Yazdani has earned a medal at every World/Olympic event since 2015. Artur Naifonov is a two-time World/Olympic medalist. Myles Amine earned his first World/Olympic medal. Amine's bronze medal was the first ever for San Marino at the Olympics. Earlier this Games, two other athletes earned the first Olympic medals ever for San Marino, in any sport. Amine had to defeat a pair of returning world medalists Ali Shabanau and Deepak Punia to earn his bronze. A pair of past world silver medalists lost in the first round (Boris Makoev and Sohsuke Takatani) and didn't get pulled into repechage.

2021 Olympic champion Gable Steveson (Photo courtesy of Larry Slater; LBSphoto.smugmug.com) For the last week, it has seemed the the USA Wrestling team has continued to outdo itself. One day, Tamyra Mensah-Stock dominated the field to become only the second American woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Another saw David Taylor pull out a clutch double leg to win gold himself and down rival Hassan Yazdani. Today we were treated to a comeback that will live forever in the annals of US Wrestling history. Gable Steveson was trying to put the finishing touches on a fantastic run through the 125 kg Olympic field. Standing between him and a gold medal was three-time defending world champion Geno Petriashvili (Georgia). Geno and Taha Akgul (Turkey) have combined to win every World/Olympic title at the weight since 2014. Steveson had already dispatch Akgul in the quarterfinals and was looking to make his stamp on the weight. As he has done all tournament, Steveson got on the scoreboard first with a point after Petriashvili violated the shot clock. He added to the lead with a takedown off of a single leg. Before the break, Steveson had a massive toss at the edge of the mat that only netted a step-out point. Though he appeared to be shocked, Petriashvili never wavered and got his first points of the bout, exposing Steveson's back after another offensive attempt. Stevenson finished the flurry on top for a 5-2 advantage. Petriashvili finally was able to convert a shot and pulled to within 5-4 after a takedown, but he quickly took the lead, 8-5, after a pair of gut wrenches. In a :13 second span that will be replayed thousands of times this week, Steveson was able to stuff a half-hearted Petriashvili shot attempt and spin for two points. He reverted to his folkstyle roots and seemingly “cut” the Georgian for an escape rather than work for exposure. The official obliged and stood the two up for a restart with 6.5 seconds left in the bout. After the whistle blew, Steveson got Petriashvili to bite on an outside step, then snapped and circled, and circled, and circled, and finally got behind for a takedown with .02 left on the clock. The Georgian bench challenged by the call was confirmed and the celebration was on! Steveson became the first US heavyweight since Bruce Baumgartner in 1992 to win an Olympic gold medal. After his hand was raised, Steveson did his customary round off to a backflip. That and the comeback are sure to place the 21-year-old all over mainstream sports and news channels. If that wasn't enough, Kyle Dake also finished his comeback and ended the tournament with a bronze medal. After a shocking loss by tech fall in the quarterfinals, Dake rebounded to battle two-time world champion Frank Chamizo (Italy), in his final contest of the Games. It was immediately apparent that Dake was his normal self and never let Chamizo in the match. He showed his normal combination of stingy defense, timely offensive, and a high degree of mat savvy. When it was all said and done, Dake walked away a winner, 5-0. With Dake's win, the US Men's freestyle team saw all five of its participants clinch medals. The last time the Americans were able to produce such a high medal count was in 1996. The fourth member to lock up a medal, Kyle Snyder, did so earlier in the session by cruising back Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey), 5-0 in the semifinals at 97 kg. Snyder kept his Turkish opponent off balance all match and on the defensive. Though, Snyder was not able to convert his attempts, he was able to get multiple step-out points and was never seriously threatened. Snyder's berth in the finals sets up chapter three in his rivalry with “The Russian Tank” Abdulrashid Sadulaev. In 2017, Snyder had a comeback victory over Sadulaev in the world finals, which helped the Americans capture their first team crown since 1995. A year later, the two met in the world finals and Sadulaev won after a quick fall. Both wrestlers are chasing their second Olympic gold medal and have not been tested in Tokyo. It appeared as if the Americans would have another finalist as Sarah Hildebrandt jumped out to a 7-0 lead on Yanan Sun during their 50 kg semifinal. Sun chipped away at the lead and got the margin down to 7-6 in the closing seconds of the match. Then she hit a lateral drop which sent Hildebrandt to her back for four points and a 10-7 loss. Hildebrandt still has an opportunity to medal as she'll face the winner of Yusneylys Guzman (Cuba) and Oskana Livach (Ukraine) in a bronze medal contest. Another member of the women's freestyle team, Jacarra Winchester, competed for a bronze medal today, but came up just short. Winchester was tossed in a headlock and pinned early in the first period by Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) and had to settle for fifth-place. American Results Men's Freestyle 74 kg Bronze Medal Bout Kyle Dake (USA) over Frank Chamizo (Italy) 5-0 Men's Freestyle 97 kg Semifinal Kyle Snyder (USA) over Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) 5-0 Men's Freestyle 125 kg Gold Medal Bout Gable Steveson (USA) over Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 108 Women's Freestyle 50 kg Semifinal Yanen Sun (China) over Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) 10-7 Women's Freestyle 53 kg Bronze Medal Match Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) over Jacarra Winchester

2x Olympic gold medalist Risako Kawai (Photo courtesy of UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 57 kg Men's Freestyle 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 67 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 62 kg Women's Freestyle 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Results Risako Kawai (Japan) over Fatoumata Camara (Guinea) 8-2 Khongorzul Boldsaikhan (Mongolia) over Mathilde Riviere (France) Injury Default Tetyana Kit (Ukraine) over Siwar Bouseta (Tunisia) Fall Helen Maroulis (USA) over Ningning Rong (China) 8-4 Iryna Kurachkina (Belarus) over Anshu Malik (India) 8-2 Valeria Koblova (ROC) over Jane Valencia (Mexico) 5-2 Evelina Nikolova (Bulgaria) over Jowita Wrzesien (Poland) 3-0 Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) over Odunayo Adekuoroye (Nigeria) Fall Quarterfinal Results Risako Kawai (Japan) over Khongorzul Boldsaikhan (Mongolia) 7-0 Helen Maroulis (USA) over Tetyana Kit (Ukraine) 8-0 Iryna Kurachkina (Belarus) over Valeria Koblova (ROC) 6-3 Evelina Nikolova (Bulgaria) over Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) 6-3 Semifinal Results Risako Kawai (Japan) over Helen Maroulis (USA) 2-1 Iryna Kurachkina (Belarus) over Evelina Nikolova (Bulgaria) 11-0 Repechage Results Valeria Koblova (ROC) over Anshu Malik (India) 5-1 Khongorzul Boldsaikhan (Mongolia) over Fatoumata Camara (Guinea) 10-0 Bronze Medal Matches Evelina Nikolova (Bulgaria) over Valeria Koblova (ROC) Fall Helen Maroulis (USA) over Khongorzul Boldsaikhan (Mongolia) 11-0 Gold Medal Match Risako Kawai (Japan) over Iryna Kurachkina (Belarus) 5-0 Notes: Risako Kawai won her second Olympic gold medal. Kawai is now a five-time World/Olympic gold medalist. Kawai now has six World/Olympic medals. Her first Olympic gold medal came up at 63 kg and she moved down to allow her sister to get into the lineup. The 55/57/58 kg weight classes have been won by a Japanese wrestler in every Olympic Games that offered women's wrestling. Iryna Kurachkina is now a three-time World/Olympic medalist. Coincidentally, Kawai defeated a wrestler from Belarus to earn her first Olympic gold medal (Maryia Mamashuk - 63 kg). Helen Maroulis became the first American woman to win multiple Olympic medals in wrestling. Maroulis is now a six-time World/Olympic medalist. The qualification bout between Maroulis and Ningning Rong (China) featured two wrestlers that both won world titles and combined to own eight World/Olympic medals. The semifinal match between Maroulis and Kawai was likely the most star-studded matchup in the entire women's tournament. Both were returning gold medalists and own five world titles, combined. Evelina Nikolova earned her first World/Olympic medal. Nikolova, combined with Olympic bronze medalist Taybe Yusein, earned Olympic bronze medals for Bulgaria. This was the first time the country has ever had multiple Olympic medalists in the same year. Both semifinal losers ended up earning bronze medals. This weight class saw the second (Odunayo Adekuoroye) and fourth (Rong) seeds fall in the opening round.

2020 Olympic champion Zavur Uguev of the Russian Olympic Committee (Photo courtesy of UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 67 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 62 kg Women's Freestyle 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Round Yuki Takahashi (Japan) over Stevan Micic (Serbia) 7-0 Nurislam Sanayev (Kazakhstan) over Diamantino Iuna Fafe (Guinea-Bissau) 7-0 Georgi Vangelov (Bulgaria) over Abdelhak Kherbache (Algeria) Fall 3:37 Ravi Kumar (India) over Oscar Tigreros Urbano (Colombia) 13-2 Reza Atri (Iran) over Suleyman Atli (Turkey) 3-2 Bekhbayer Erdenebat (Mongolia) over Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) 6-1 Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) over Minghu Liu (China) 10-2 Zavur Uguev (ROC) over Thomas Gilman (USA) 5-4 Quarterfinal Results Nurislam Sanayev (Kazakhstan) over Yuki Takahashi (Japan) 4-4 Ravi Kumar (India) over Georgi Vangelov (Bulgaria) 14-4 Reza Atri (Iran) over Bekhbayer Erdenebat (Mongolia) 5-1 Zavur Uguev (ROC) over Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) 6-6 Semifinal Results Ravi Kumar (India) over Nurislam Sanayev (Kazakhstan) Fall 5:21 Zavur Uguev (ROC) over Reza Atri (Iran) 8-3 Repechage Results Thomas Gilman (USA) over Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) 11-1 Georgi Vangelov (Bulgaria) over Oscar Tigreros Urbano (Colombia) Fall 5:21 Bronze Medal Matches Thomas Gilman (USA) over Reza Atri (Iran) 9-1 Nurislam Sanayev (Kazakhstan) over Georgi Vangelov (Bulgaria) 5-1 Gold Medal Match Zavur Uguev (ROC) over Ravi Kumar (India) 7-4 Notes: Zavur Uguev became a three-time World/Olympic gold medalist with his title. Uguev needed last-second rallies to come back both the qualification round (Gilman) and the quarterfinals (Abdullaev). Kumar is now a two-time World/Olympic medalist. At both World/Olympic-level events where Kumar has medaled, he has suffered a loss to Uguev. Nurislam Sanayev is now a three-time World/Olympic medalist. Both India and Kazakhstan missed out on having any medalists in 2016, but had one in 2012. Thomas Gilman is now a two-time World/Olympic medalist. Gilman was the first American since Henry Cejudo in 2008 to earn a medal at the lowest weight class. Cejudo won gold at 55 kg. This weight class had the number one seed, Stevan Micic, go out in the first round by the score of 7-0. That was an "upset" by seeds only, as his opponent Yuki Takahashi (Japan) was a world champion in 2017. The third seed also was beaten in the opening round, as Suleyman Atli (Turkey) went down at the hands of Reza Atri. Takahashi failed to make the medal podium for Japan, which had a long streak of medal at the opening weight class snapped. You have to go back to 2000 to find the last time Japan was medal-less at the lowest weight. Fifth is the unlucky place for Georgi Vangelov (Bulgaria). He finished fifth here, the same place he has fallen in each of the last three European Championship events. Vangelov was the only wrestler at this weight to notch two falls. Perhaps it's the difficulty to maintain 57 kg, but this weight class did not have a single medalist repeat from 2016. In fact, no past medalists were even in the field.

2021 Olympic champion David Taylor (Photo courtesy of Larry Slater; LBSphoto.smugmug.com) What a day from the wrestlers representing the United States of America! The earlier session was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, with Gable Steveson and Thomas Gilman putting together dominating performances, while Kyle Dake and Jacarra Winchester were the victims of shocking upsets. This most recent session was all positive for the Americans. The evening started with the semifinals, a round that featured 125 kg star Gable Steveson. Gable earned his place in the semis after handling 2016 Olympic gold medalist Taha Akgul (Turkey). Steveson's bout against Lkhagvagerel Monkhtoriin (Mongolia) differed from his previous two bouts that were offensive showcases. This was a more controlled bout against an opponent that was set on preventing Steveson from scoring more than generating offense of his own. However the case, Steveson prevailed 5-0 and was never threatened by the Mongolian. Steveson will advance to the Olympic finals and has a date with the top-seed, Geno Petriashvili (Georgia), winner of every world championship since the Rio Olympics in 2016. It will surely be a match for the ages, as Petriashvili has gone back-and-forth with Akgul for the last six years. Next up was Thomas Gilman in a bronze medal match at 57 kg. Gilman faced Iran's Reza Atri, an opponent he had previously defeated at the World Championships in 2017. He continued his impressive run and was clicking on all cylinders offensively and defensively. After taking a 5-0 lead at the break, Gilman continued to pressure Atri and wound up with a 9-1 win. The overall tournament was Gilman's most complete as a Senior-level athlete. He was just a few seconds away from defeating the eventual Olympic champion and didn't wrestle a close bout otherwise. The Gilman/Atri match set the stage for another battle between the USA and Iran in the 86 kg gold medal match. One of the most highly anticipated bouts of the entire Olympics took place as 2018 World Champion David Taylor met 2016 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion, Hassan Yazdani. The two had met twice previously and in each contest, Yazdani held a solid lead in the first, but was worn down by the American. This time, Yazdani was never able to generate any real offense against Taylor. He used his signature underhook for much of the match and took ground, but didn't register a takedown. A shot clock violation from Taylor accounted for the only scoring in the opening period, as Yazdani held a slim 1-0 lead. Taylor started the second with a quick takedown from a high-crotch and looked like he may have found his opening. Largely that wasn't the case and Yazdani shut down Taylor's offense and gathered two more points from a caution and one and a step out. Trailing 3-2 with under :20 remaining in the match and sporting a singlet that was torn to shreds by Yazdani, Taylor had to make his final push. Although never known for his double leg, the Magic Man pulled one out of his bag of tricks and stunned the Iranian with the maneuver. The takedown gave Taylor a 4-3 lead and most of the waning seconds were spent in the par terre position. Once again, Taylor had done it! He is now 3-0 versus Yazdani, who is undefeated against the rest of the world since 2016. The gold medal is the cherry on top of an already remarkable career for Taylor. A four-time Ohio state champion, number one recruit in the nation, two-time national champion for Penn State, and a leader of four national title-winning teams, before winning a world title, Taylor has now officially “done it all.” This isn't to call for Taylor's retirement, because he clearly is on top of the world and has plenty of good years ahead. American fans were still giddy with excitement regarding Taylor's dramatic win when Helen Maroulis took the mat in a bronze medal contest against the young Mongolian Khongorzul Boldsaikhany. Maroulis found a weakness with Boldsaikhany's defense from a two-on-one and repeatedly dragged the arm for takedowns. In the final seconds of the bout, Maroulis secured an 11-0 tech, which gave her the bronze at 57 kg. In 2016, Maroulis made history by becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal. This time she added a new entry to the record books, by becoming the first American woman to earn multiple Olympic medals. While Maroulis' history-making upset in 2016 is already legendary in USA Wrestling lore, this bronze medal-winning performance may be more impressive. In the years following her gold medal, Maroulis battled severe concussions that nearly forced her to retire, as well as PTSD and surgeries on her knee and shoulder. Not only did the Americans win on the mat, but they also were aided by wrestlers they needed to rely on to enter repechage. Kyle Dake and Jacarra Winchester both saw the opponents that defeated them earn berths in the gold medal match, allowing them to wrestle back for bronze. In both instances, the wrestlers they needed to win, upset more well-known opponents. American Results 57 kg Men's Freestyle Bronze Medal Match: Thomas Gilman (USA) over Reza Atri (Iran) 9-1 86 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: David Taylor (USA) over Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 4-3 57 kg Women's Freestyle Bronze Medal Match: Helen Maroulis (USA) over Khongorzul Boldsaikhany (Mongolia) 11-0 125 kg Men's Freestyle Semifinals: Gable Steveson (USA) over Lkhagvagerel Monkhtoriin (Mongolia) 5-0

2016 Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder (Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Brackets for the sixth day of the 2020 Olympic Games have been released. The remaining men's freestyle weights begin with 65 kg and 97 kg, as well as, 50 kg in women's freestyle which will be conducted on day six of the wrestling competition. Below are all three brackets and information about the first-round opponent for each American entrant. 65 kg Men's Freestyle American Entry - None Top 1st Round Matches: Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia) - 2019 World Champion/3x World Medalist vs. Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia) - 2020 Individual World Cup Champion Takuto Otoguro (Japan) - 2018 World Champion vs. Tulga Tumur-Ochir (Mongolia) - 2019 World fifth-place Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan) - 2019 World Silver Medalist vs. Alejandro Valdes Tobier (Cuba) - 2x World Medalist 97 kg Men's Freestyle American Entry - Kyle Snyder 1st Round Opponent: Jordan Steen (Canada) - 2x Pan-American Bronze Medalist Top 1st Round Matches: Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC) - 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist/4x World Champion vs. Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan) - 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist/2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist/2011 World Champion/3x World Medalist Mohammad Mohammadian (Iran) - 2014 World Bronze Medalist vs. Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) - 2018 World Bronze Medalist Aleksandr Hushtyn (Belarus) - 2020 Individual World Cup Silver Medal vs. Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba) - 3x World Medalist Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) - 2020 European Champion vs. Magomed Ibragimov (Uzbekistan) - 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist Abraham Conyedo Ruano (Italy) - 2018 World Bronze Medalist vs. Albert Saritov (Romania) - 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist/2011 World Bronze Medalist 50 kg Women's Freestyle American Entry - Sarah Hildebrandt 1st Round Opponent: Evin Demirhan (Turkey) - 2017 World Bronze Medalist Top 1st Round Matches: Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) - 3x Olympic Medalist/2x World Champion/6x World Medalist vs. Stalvira Orhush (ROC) - 3x European Champion Miglena Selishka (Bulgaria) - 2020 European Champion vs. Alina Vuc (Romania) - 2x World Silver Medalist

Gable Steveson defeats 2016 Olympic gold medalist Taha Akgul (Photo courtesy of Larry Slater; LBSphoto.smugmug.com) Being involved with a team at a wrestling event forces you to deal with multiple emotions, in the same day/session/hour. During today's session at the Olympic Games, American wrestling fans felt the “highest of the highs” and the “lowest of the lows” within minutes of each other. Three American wrestlers earned berths in the quarterfinals. Two wrestled at the same time, while another started right afterward. Two of those bouts produced stunning results. The first American to take the mat in the quarterfinals was 2019 world champion Jacarra Winchester. Winchester earned her gold medal at the non-Olympic weight 55 kg and cut down to 53 kg for the Olympic run. Early in her bout against two-time world bronze medalist Qianyu Pang (China), Winchester surrendered a seemingly harmless takedown. Pang found an opening, however, and turned the American twice with a trapped-arm gut wrench. Before the blink of an eye, Winchester was down 6-0. Pang was never able to add onto the lead, but at the same time, Winchester was never able to seriously threaten her Chinese counterpart. Jacarra chipped away with a pair of step-out points, but ultimately fell, 6-2. Winchester's bronze medal hopes now ride on the back of Pang, who'll face two-time world champion Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) in the semifinals. A win by Pang will pull Winchester into repechage. While Winchester's loss was not expected, based on the rest of the night, it didn't even qualify as a “shocking result.” During Winchester's match, 125 kg sensation Gable Steveson stepped on the big stage opposite 2016 Olympic gold medalist Taha Akgul (Turkey). Steveson already had impressed in his opening match, a 10-0 tech fall of veteran Aiaal Lazarev (Kyrgyzstan), that took slightly more than two minutes and consisted of five snapdowns. The co-Hodge Trophy Winner from Minnesota struck first on a counter, which accounted for the only points of the opening period. In the second, Akgul felt he needed to be the aggressor and took two shots. Both times, Steveson stuffed the attempts and spun for a takedown. Steveson showed his offense was capable, too, by scoring with a double leg. With under :15 seconds remaining in the match and Steveson out to an 8-0 lead, the youngster stood in the center of the mat and motioned to the Olympic gold medalist to come towards him. A broken Akgul half-heartedly did so, but provided no threat. This was a moment where you wished a crowd was present for the proverbial “changing of the guard,” as they would have been on their feet watching the young buck take out the old stud. Before American fans could catch their breath and ask themselves what they just witnessed, two-time world champion Kyle Dake was in a 4-0 hole against Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus). That forced the normally defensive-minded Dake to open up his offense. The more that Dake opened up, the more windows of opportunity for Kadimagomedov emerged. In just over three and a half minutes, the Belarussian racked up 11 unanswered points and defeated Dake via technical superiority. In the coming days and weeks, we'll hope to hear more about why this result occurred. While Kadimagomedov was a bronze medalist at the 2020 Individual World Cup and considered a medal threat in Tokyo, no one could imagine such a one-sided bout. Could there have been an injury to blame, some sort of illness, or just the Olympic experience? Whatever is to blame, the fact remains that Dake's bronze medal hopes lie in the hands of Kadimagomedov, who will face two-time world champion Frank Chamizo (Italy) in the semis. Speaking of possible bronze medals, 57 kg entrant Thomas Gilman took a gigantic step towards earning a medal during the repechage phase. Gilman wasted no time with Uzbekistan's Gulomjon Abdullaev. In just over two minutes, Gilman put 11 points on the board and clinched a berth in the bronze medal match, opposite Reza Atri (Iran). American Results 57 kg Men's freestyle repechage Thomas Gilman (USA) over Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) 11-0 74 kg Men's freestyle Kyle Dake (USA) over Mostafa Hosseinkhani (Iran) 4-0 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) over Kyle Dake 11-0 125 kg Men's freestyle Gable Steveson (USA) over Aiaal Lazarev (Kyrgyzstan) 10-0 Gable Steveson (USA) over Taha Akgul (Turkey) 11-0 53 kg Women's freestyle Jacarra Winchster (USA) over Olga Khoroshavtseva (ROC) 7-4 Qianyu Pang (China) over Jacarra Winchester (USA) 6-2 Bronze Medal Match 57 kg Men's Freestyle Thomas Gilman (USA) vs. Reza Atri (Iran) Semifinals 74 kg Men's freestyle Frank Chamizo (Italy) vs. Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) Zaurbek Sidakov (ROC) vs. Daniyar Kaisanov (Kazakhstan) 125 kg Men's freestyle Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) vs. Amir Zare (Iran) Gable Steveson (USA) vs. Monkhtoriin Lkhagvagerel (Mongolia) 53 kg Women's Freestyle Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) vs. Qianyu Pang (China) Bat-Ochiryn Bolortuyaa (Mongolia) vs. Mayu Mukaida (Japan)

2020 Olympic champion Yukako Kawai of Japan (Photo courtesy of UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 67 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Round Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) over Anastasija Grigorjeva (Latvia) 8-0 Kriszta Incze (Romania) over Marianna Sastin (Hungary) 3-1 Iryna Koliadenko (Ukraine) over Aminat Adeniyi (Nigeria) Fall 2:56 Jia Long (China) over Kayla Miracle (USA) 3-2 Yukako Kawai (Japan) over Liubov Ovcharova (ROC) 10-0 Henna Johnsson (Sweden) over Marwa Amri (Tunisia) 5-1 Bolortuya Khurelkhuu (Mongolia) over Sonam Malik (India) 2-2 Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) over Lais Nunes (Brazil) 4-1 Quarterfinals Results Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) over Kriszta Incze (Romania) Fall 4:08 Iryna Koliadenko (Ukraine) over Jia Long (China) Fall 2:03 Yukako Kawai (Japan) over Henna Johnsson (Sweden) 10-2 Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) over Bolortuya Khurelkhuu (Mongolia) 10-0 Semifinals Results Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) over Iryna Koliadenko (Ukraine) 10-0 Yukako Kawai (Japan) over Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) 3-2 Repechage Results Anastasija Grigorjeva (Latvia) over Kriszta Incze (Romania) 14-7 Liubov Ovcharova (ROC) over Henna Johnsson (Sweden) 8-7 Bronze Medal Results Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) over Liubov Ovcharova (ROC) 10-0 Iryna Koliadenko (Ukraine) over Anastasija Grigorjeva (Latvia) 3-1 Gold Medal Match Yukako Kawai (Japan) over Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) 4-3 Notes: Yukako Kawai captured the first gold medal of the Games for the Japanese women. Also the first medal, overall. It could be the first of many as the squad is stacked at the lower weights. This was Kawai's first World/Olympic gold medal. It is her third World/Olympic medal overall. Silver medalist Aisuluu Tynybekova became the first woman from Kyrgyzstan to earn an Olympic medal in wrestling. Tynybekova is now a three-time World/Olympic medalist. Bronze medalist Taybe Yusein is now a seven-time World/Olympic medalist. Yusein is the first Bulgarian woman to medal at the Games since Stanka Zlateva (2nd at 72kg) did so in 2012. Bronze medalist Iryna Koliadenko is now a two-time World/Olympic medalist. Koliadenko was able to rack up two falls, a feat that is pretty rare for Olympic-level competition. The only returning Olympic medalist Marwa Amri fell in the qualification round to Henna Johnsson. All four semifinalists ended up earning medals. Half of the eight qualification bouts featured bouts between past World/Olympic medalists (Tynybekova/Grigorjeva; Kawai/Ovcharova; Johnsson/Amri; Yusein/Nunes).

2020 Olympic champion Mohammadreza Geraei(Photo courtesy of UWW) Monday marked the first medals that were handed out in wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. As each weight class has concluded we will have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past Articles 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman 77 kg Men's Greco-Roman 87 kg Men's Greco-Roman 97 kg Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg Men's Greco-Roman 68 kg Women's Freestyle 76 kg Women's Freestyle Qualification Round Hansu Ryu (South Korea) over Abdelmalek Merabet (Algeria) 8-0 Round of 16 Ramaz Zoidze (Georgia) over Ismael Borrero Molina (Cuba) 3-2 Aker Al Obaidi (EOR) over Souleyman Nasr (Tunisia) 8-0 Mohammedreza Geraei (Iran) over Julian Horta Acevedo (Colombia) 8-0 Frank Staebler (Germany) over Mate Nemes (Serbia) 4-1 Artem Surkov (ROC) over Alex Sancho (USA) 10-4 Parviz Nasibov (Ukraine) over Fredrik Bjerrehuus (Denmark) 5-1 Karen Aslanyan (Armenia) over Balint Korpasi (Hungary) 1-1 Mohamed Elsayed (Egypt) over Hansu Ryu (South Korea) 7-6 Quarterfinal Results Ramaz Zoidze (Georgia) over Aker Al Obaidi (EOR) 10-0 Mohammedreza Geraei (Iran) over Frank Staebler (Germany) 5-5 Parviz Nasibov (Ukraine) over Artem Surkov (ROC) 1-1 Mohamed Elsayed (Egypt) over Karen Aslanyan (Armenia) 7-7 Semifinal Results Mohammedreza Geraei (Iran) over Ramaz Zoidze (Georgia) 6-1 Parviz Nasibov (Ukraine) over Mohamed Elsayed (Egypt) 7-6 Repechage Results Frank Staebler (Germany) over Julian Horta Acevedo (Colombia) 8-0 Artem Surkov (ROC) over Fredrik Bjerrehuus (Denmark) 7-0 Bronze Medal Matches Mohamed Elsayed (Egypt) over Artem Surkov (ROC) 1-1 Frank Staebler (Germany) over Ramaz Zoidze (Georgia) 5-4 Gold Medal Match Mohammedreza Geraei (Iran) over Parviz Nasibov (Ukraine) 9-1 Notes: This weight class saw the most chaos occur compared to any other on the Greco front. Mohammedreza Geraei claimed his first World/Olympic title, as well as his first medal at such an event. Parviz Nasibov earned his first career World/Olympic medal. Mohamed Elsayed earned his first career World Olympic medal. The entrant at this weight with perhaps the longest resume was Frank Staebler. Despite having three world championships and five world medals to his credit, Staebler has not placed at any of his three previous trips to the Olympics. Staebler lost a controversial match to Geraei in the quarterfinals, but rebounded to take bronze. Staebler earned his sixth World/Olympic medal. After winning his bronze medal bout, Staebler left his shoes at the center of the mat. Aside from Staebler, there was a lot of youth on the podium at 67 kg. Geraei just turned 25 about a week ago, Nasibov is 22, and Elsayed is 23. Staebler was one of two medalists from Germany (Denis Kudla at 87 kg) in 2020. The last time Germany had two Greco-Roman medalists at the Olympic Games was in 1996 (Thomas Zander - Silver at 82kg; Maik Bullman - Bronze at 90 kg). Nasibov was one of two medalists from Ukraine (Zhan Beleniuk at 87 kg) in 2020. The last time Ukraine had two Greco-Roman medalists at the Olympic Games was in 1996 (Andriy Kalashnykov - Bronze at 52 kg; Vyacheslav Oliynyk - Gold at 90 kg). While there were five returning World/Olympic champions at this weight, four of them failed to medal. Three of the returning World/Olympic champions were defeated in the Round of 16 (Hansu Ryu, Ismael Borrero Molina, Balint Korpasi). The group of past champions combined to go 6-6. Egyptian star Mohamed Elsayed earned two wins over past world champions Hansu Ryu and Artem Surkov. At first glance, one may wonder the last time Egypt had a Olympic medalist, but the drought isn't as long as you'd think. Karam Gaber was a silver medalist in 2012 at 84 kg in Greco-Roman. For the first time, Artem Surkov entered a world-level event but did not made the podium. The 2018 world champion is a four-time world medalist. Both of Surkov's losses came in 1-1 matches. This weight class featured the only member of the IOC Refugee team out of any of the wrestling events. Aker Al-Obaidi of Iraq competed and picked up an Olympic win.

The gold medal match at the 2012 Olympics between Jordan Burroughs and Sadegh Goudarzi (Photo courtesy of John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) The stage is set for the 86 kg Olympic finals in men's freestyle. One of the most anticipated bouts of the Olympics will indeed take place as both David Taylor and Hassan Yazdani have advanced to the gold medal match. Yazdani is seeking to earn his second gold medal, as he accomplished the feat in 2016 while competing at 74 kg. The Iranian also has world titles in 2017 and 2019 on his resume. The reason there's a gap between Yazdani's world championships is because of David Taylor in 2018. Four years after his decorated career at Penn State finished, Taylor finally made a world team. But even before making the world team, Taylor and Yazdani had history. At the 2017 World Cup, the two clashed and it was the Iranian who jumped out to a controlling lead. Taylor's relentless pressure forced Yazdani to wilt and he walked away with an upset victory. As luck would have it, the 2018 World Championships saw the two paired with each other in the opening round. Like their first bout, Yazdani struck first, but Taylor was unphased and battled back for the win. After that victory, Taylor rolled to a world championship, while Yazdani settled for bronze. The two have not met since 2018 because Taylor suffered a knee injury in the spring of 2019, which kept him from competing at world's that year. The loss to Taylor in 2018 is the most recent setback for the Iranian superstar. Coming into this tournament, there may have been some doubts about whether or not Taylor was back to his 2018 form. Three tech falls later and a 33-2 scoring advantage over his opponents leads one to believe, Taylor is pretty darn close to his world championship run. Two of David's three wins have come against past world medalists, as well. Though not quite as dominating on the scoreboard, Yazdani has held up his end of the bargain and made the finals without a significant challenge. Before getting to this clash of the titans, we thought it would be appropriate to look at the previous meetings between American and Iranian wrestlers in the gold medal match in the freestyle tournament at the Olympics. Going back to the 1940's it's only happened three times and each is notable in its own way. 2012: 74 kg - Jordan Burroughs vs. Sadegh Goudarzi (Iran) You've got to go back in time to remember this match in its proper perspective. Jordan Burroughs was only a year and a half removed from a Hodge Trophy-winning senior season at Nebraska. He went out and won a world title immediately and defeated Sadegh Goudarzi in the finals, 3-2, 4-1. The two met earlier in 2012 at the World Cup and it was Burroughs who prevailed again. Even as the fresh young face of USA Wrestling, Burroughs wasn't the “GOAT” as we know him now. Winning at the Olympics wasn't a foregone conclusion. Well, to us, at least. He famously tweeted the night before he took the mat in London that “My next tweet will be a picture of me holding that gold medal!!!”. To make the Olympic finals, Burroughs had to get by a tough Matt Gentry (Canada) and a three-period brawl against then-two-time world champion Denis Tsargush (Russia). Waiting for him in the finals was Goudarzi. Though the score of the “matches” in the finals against Goudarzi were both 1-0, Burroughs was never in any danger against his Iranian counterpart. In both matches, Burroughs used his signature double leg to rack up takedowns late in the contest. The Olympic finals win over Goudarzi not only cemented Burroughs status as USA Wrestling's top star, but it also marked a turning point for the men's freestyle team. Five years later, the US team would top Russia and Burroughs would claim his fifth World/Olympic title. Burroughs' quiet confidence, mixed with professionalism, and Olympic resume would make him the closest thing that wrestling had to a crossover star among mainstream sports fans. 1996: 100 kg - Kurt Angle vs. Abbas Jadidi (Iran) This is the match that helped spark a career in professional wrestling for Kurt Angle, because we all know that he won the Olympics with a “broken freaking neck.” As can be the case in some matches, the buildup and the hype surrounding it was actually more than the actual bout itself. Angle was a two-time national champion for Clarion (1990, 1992) and was coming off a world title in 1995. Abbas Jadidi was a world champion in 1993, but has that honor stripped from him after a failed drug test. He also had to endure a two-year suspension. Jadidi took bronze at the 1995 World Championships. The 1996 Games were hosted by Atlanta, so Angle had the home crowd behind him against a foe that was fresh off a suspension and who represented a country rich with wrestling tradition. It had all the makings of a classic. The match itself only turned out to see each wrestler earn a single point. Jadidi's point came from hand-to-hand exposure, while Angle's was from a takedown. As was dictated by the rules, at the time, the two engaged in a three-minute overtime period. Angle came closest to scoring as he had the Iranian's legs gathered, but his head buried in Jadidi's lap. Another wrinkle in the system was that since neither wrestler scored in the overtime, the decision was turned over to the judges. Despite, Jadidi's efforts to “help” the official raise his hand, Angle was deemed the victory and had his hand raised. Overcome with emotion, Angle hugged the referee before dropping to his knees in tears. Along with the usual emotions associated with such an incredible accomplishment, the Olympics occurred about six months after his coach Dave Schultz was murdered by John DuPont. Initially, Angle had trained at Foxcatcher, but he left after Dave's passing and wrestled under the newly-formed Dave Schultz Wrestling Club. 1992: 62 kg - John Smith vs. Askari Mohammadian (Iran) In 1992, John Smith had already established himself as one of USA Wrestling's all-time greats, but winning gold at the 1988 Olympics, along with four times at the World Championships. Even so, he'd put himself in the most elite company by chasing his second gold medal, a feat that only one other American before him had accomplished (George Mehnert. Bruce Baumgartner would win his second in 1992 also). At the time, wrestling at the Olympics consisted of “pool” action. Smith actually dropped a match to Lazaro Reinoso (Cuba), but had more points than the Cuban, who also suffered a loss, so Smith advanced to the gold medal match. There he faced a returning Olympic silver medalist, Askari Mohammadian. The Iranian was coming up to Smith's weight class after falling to USSR legend Sergei Beloglazov, 5-1 in the 1998 gold medal match. Despite Mohammadian coming in undefeated through his pool and generally running through the competition, he was no match for Smith. Early in the bout, Smith set the tone with a takedown followed by hand-to-hand exposure. Shortly thereafter, Smith added another pair of points for exposure to lead 4-0. The final score would be 6-0, as Smith dominated his way to a second Olympic gold medal.