SocraTease

The way Lewis wrestled him at the All Star match, he needs Starocci to be about %15 healthy to have a chance.

Didn't Molinaro qualify for Olympics this way?

Haven't heard anything about a US trials process, but I'm pretty sure there will be one: Non-Olympic Worlds in Tirana The Bureau decided that a World Championships in non-Olympic weight classes will be held in 2024. The World Championships will be held in Tirana, Albania, from October 28 to 31, right after the U23 World Championships which will be held in the same venue from October 21 to 27. Non-Olympic weights World Championships in Tirana this year will be the first time it will be held since 2016 when Budapest became the host. Tirana will see wrestlers in 12 weight classes -- 61kg, 70kg, 79kg and 92kg in Freestyle; 55kg, 59kg, 65kg and 72kg in Women's Wrestling; 55kg, 63kg, 72kg and 82kg in Greco-Roman.

He's going on tour

That's not necessarily how citizenship works in many countries (which has to provide a guide for this process legally), and it varies from nation to nation. If you were born to American parents in a foreign country, you are still American. But you might also get dual citizenship in certain ways—e.g., marry someone from another country.

There are criteria in place having to do with citizenship, including where your parents (and perhaps grandparents) are born, or where you are born. You can't just transfer anywhere you like. You likely can marry into citizenship. I know there is a waiting period and usually a fee to be paid. In fact, here is a link to UWW rules, which I will admit I have not yet read. If the link doesn't work, google "uww international rules for the change of nationality" chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://uww.org/sites/default/files/media/document/international_rules_for_the_change_of_nationality_dec_15_eng.pdf

It happens all the time in other sports. In track and field, many of the top athletes attend US colleges and stay here to train before competing for their "home" countries at international events. Why all the attention on a narrow nationalism (jingoism and xenophobia) and countries? We live in an increasingly globalized world where nearly everything moves across fairly porous borders: ideas, animals, consumer goods, people, air, viruses, water, technology, pollution, etc. The movement of wrestlers likely increases the level of competition and pushes the sport along to higher levels. If guys from the US (or Dagestan) can make it to the Olympics or Worlds elsewhere and win medals, then it's clear that the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th best guys here, for example, are better than the top guys at a weight in Mexico or Serbia. If you are a fan of RBY or Gomez here, why not root for them when they compete for Mexico? They aren't taking a US spot.

I think he gets the 3 seed first (Bouzakis). The 1 and 2 seeds get byes in each of the brackets because there are 14 not 16 wrestlers.

When are pre-seeds and then seeds released? Anyone know what day it is this week?

Can't Zahid still transfer to Mexico? I know there is a waiting period, however (a year maybe?), for guys who transfer. Unless it is the case that once you compete internationally for one country that you can't transfer; not sure. (I think that is the case with soccer, for example). Anyone know for sure?

Strange to think that Starocci only has 73 total matches in four years of wrestling. Sanderson had something like 80 matches in his first two years and somehow managed not to be seriously injured during that time.

Brooks had a hard time scoring on him. Only got one TD if I recall.

His brother Anthony wrestled 86KG at the Pan Am qualifier. Won his first match but lost the next one. At the moment, Zahid is still pursuing a US place at the Olympics. He's a long shot because he has to get past Brooks, Hidlay and/or Deiringer in order to go against DT. I think he won a bronze at Worlds at 92KG for the US. My bet: he would have qualified 86KG for Mexico. But he is a bit inconsistent at the international level. Sometimes he looks great and other times he gets sloppy or is broken by an opponent.

In this interview after Pan Ams he says he wants to win another Big Ten title: https://www.flowrestling.org/events/11896599-2024-pan-am-qualifiers/videos?playing=12223775&limit=60

Some people are discounting the fact that the US has in recent history dominated Pan Ams. We just swept the preceding Pan Am Championships (not the Olympic Qualifier) in all ten weights and many of the US wrestlers tech-ed or pinned their way through the brackets without giving up a single point. And many of the very top US guys weren't even there (e.g., Taylor, Vito, Zain, Borroughs, Cox). My point: it was reasonable for other guys at 57KG and 65KG to believe that Nick Lee and Richards would qualify the weights given US dominance, especially since they only had to finish in the top 2. Yes, Retherford failed to qualify 65KG a few years back but in my view that was a fluke. He was beating his opponent and had him in a leg lace but got caught and pinned.

Who are the 4 from P.R.? Cruz and Rivera and ?

My guess (and it is just speculation) is that Gilman (a) thought Richards could likely get it done at Pan Ams, especially since Richards had previously beaten him; (b) cutting a lot of weight that close to trials wasn't especially alluring; and (c) being with his family and new kids was important to him. As for German philosophy, I think Gilman is drawn more to the Stoics and the Pragmatists. PS: I don't know what he said exactly about Yianni, but Gilman fancies himself a warrior who goes into battle full on and so that may have been his stance toward Yianni. He apparently reads a lot of history, particularly military history. That's a possible explanation rather than justification for his words or tweet or whatever smoke signal he sent into the ether.

Sometimes ... unless your country is ruled by a dictator, authoritarian, theocrat, or clown and is oppressive to its own people and/or other people. In such cases, it might be better to fly a kite than a flag.

In the new wrestling world of permeable borders, we cheer for laundry:

The list of US-trained guys wrestling for other countries who will be in the Olympics is long and growing. RBY Cruz Gomez Amine Micic S. Rivera Dhesi Jonovan Smith Ethan Ramos Who else have I missed?

Mexican wrestling is kicking America's butt. Never thought I would see or say that. And it's emigration not immigration problems. The Brawn Drain (as opposed to the so-called Brain Drain).

Lost Chance, now Last Chance, Last Dance, For (Olympic) Romance

Beware the Ides of March.