CHROMEBIRD

Did anyone else wonder for a second why there's a Last Hoohah here? Just me?

He's pretty ripped under those goofy overalls and mini-backpack. The guy who plays Anatoly has said it's more because he has perfect form and technique.

Sorry guys, sorry. But those weights, they look fake, yes? Can I try?

Sorry, I meant selection process. My scrambled eggs brain is still in Olympics mode. Thanks for the link, I was wondering earlier if our reps were going to be picked from the current national team and OTT results.

Too early? IIRC we're only about 10 weeks out from small Worlds. Any word on who's going? I'm not even clear on the qualification process. It would be fun to see Taylor go at 92kg (5% chance of happening). Maybe Vito and Yianni/Zain will be good to go at 61 and 70? RBY at 61 for MX? Zahid?

Darrion Caldwell?

I don't remember there being any hard feelings between Snyder and the coaches, though I seem to remember it being a factor in Kerk's transfer. I'm sure Tom Ryan was pissed.

Agree that our MFS did as well as could be expected. Also, this may not be a popular opinion here, but I'd be fine with having lower chances at taking home medals if we could have 10 weight classes and greater global parity.

NBC should make it a trio. Cormier, Robles, Sparks, Cox... so many solid options.

Yeah, I admire SH's tenacity and grit. That's a well-deserved gold medal. I've also noticed that Elor has a pretty good following on social media. Not sure how much of it are new fans after she won, but pretty nice to see either way. Amit's followers seem to be enjoying her discovery of the special Olympic Village chocolate muffins, haha.

Fair point, I hear you. The freestyle attrition will likely happen either way, though. An equally important goal might be to get more kids to give wrestling a try. If MMA can help get more kids in the door, I'd be okay with that. If MMA could give college wrestlers more NIL deals and help fund more programs, even better. Last one is a bit of a stretch right now, though!

Photoshop the Nike swoosh on Romania's shoes!

Which style is better suited for wrestlers who want to compete in MMA down the road? Intuitively, developing the muscle memory and skill to control & ride your opponent seems more advantageous for MMA than avoiding back exposure or forcing step-outs. I really don't know, but just something to consider.

Rudis should license the photo and make their own Wimps Need Not Apply poster. It is spectacular!

What are you talking about? I wasn't talking about changing college to freestyle, I was talking about changing freestyle to freestyle.

We may have gotten a little spoiled from the last several results at Worlds. It's not like our wrestlers were getting tossed and teched like crazy in Paris, though. Re-wrestle the brackets 10 times and I'm sure you'd get 10 different results, including one where the US takes home a bunch of gold. Thin margins and such.

What's the best high-res, close up photo you've seen of it? I hope her opponent is okay, but the throw was so iconic. It's giving Wachsmuth Wimps Need Not Apply wrestling room poster vibes.

Ouch! Maybe she should've done it in Paris, and the sport should've owned it! I feel like the Mongolian underwear coaches were ahead of their time. If only Tik Tok had existed then.

Imo, freestyle would be a better product with OT. Criteria is confusing to casual fans, and we've even had instances of wrestlers thinking they were up on criteria during a match when they weren't. The pacing of international tournaments already incentivizes wrestlers to take care of business as quickly as possible without sapping themselves in long OT matches. No need for criteria.

That Australian breakdancer is EVERYWHERE. If all publicity is good publicity, who wants to take one for the team and break the internet for wrestling?

Was there any mention of a golden goose?

Looked like her routine was inspired by Louden Swain

Based on the draws, who has the best odds of making the finals? I like Blades' chances even though her half looks tough. It also looks like Gomez caught a brutal draw.

Ozaki and Susaki tho

Hard to blame Spencer for feeling the way he does right now. How many times is he going to steamroll everyone in his path only to come up a little short on the biggest stage? That has to eat away at your humanity. Meanwhile, most of us would kill to have Spencer's record. Wrestling is just a really really tough sport. I hope he takes some time to get himself sorted and that he's got some mileage left for an LA run. Maybe winning a World title in the meantime will lessen the sting. I hope he's still got the fire going.