OT: USA Free-Style Wrestling at Paris Olympic Games: Predictions

[Badger Pete]

Just commenting on free-style here, but herewith my predictions.

We have a long wait, but it starts on August 5th.

(Iowa) Spencer Lee (Men's Freestyle 57kg) -- No medal. I hope I am wrong, but huge international talent at this class. Love his style of offense. Trooper!!!

(Penn State) Zane Retherford (Men's Freestyle 65kg) -- No medal. Incredible collegian and international success. Super-tough warrior. Needs more speed to medal.

(Cornell) Kyle Dake (Men's Freestyle 74kg) Bronze -- He's 33, and while he gets to the medal round, he pulls out a Bronze.

(Penn State) Aaron Brooks (Men's Freestyle 86kg) -- No medal. One of the youngest USA guys to compete at this weight class. Prove me wrong, Big Fella and get a medal l!!!

(Ohio State) Kyle Snyder (Men's Freestyle 97kg)-- Gold Medal!!!! He is only 28!!! Already has one. A little undersized but will get this one. May win another one!

 

[Champs 70-71-94-95-97]

I feel like the Undertaker is gonna come out of retirement and take the heavyweight championship...

 

[PvilleHuskerTim]

BP, I don't follow international wrestling like you apparently do. Is Freestyle the most similar type of wrestling that we see in college? I thought it was but am not totally sure. Are there only the 5 weight classes in Freestyle that you mentioned?

 

[cornhustler]

"If it's not nude, man-on-man wrasslin then it ain't real Olympic wrestling." - Orsippus, probably

 

[Badger Pete]

BP, I don't follow international wrestling like you apparently do. Is Freestyle the most similar type of wrestling that we see in college? I thought it was but am not totally sure. Are there only the 5 weight classes in Freestyle that you mentioned?

Sorry, I forgot Mason Parris. Great collegian. No medal. Freestyle and Greco-Roman have 6 weight classes each.

At the Tokyo Games three years ago, the U.S. led all nations with nine wrestling medals. It was also the most medals the U.S. had won in wrestling since the 1984 Games that were boycotted by the Soviet Union and several other nations. Don't think we will repeat, but hope I am wrong.

 

[TFrazier]

I feel like the Undertaker is gonna come out of retirement and take the heavyweight championship...

 

[Badger Pete]

Sorry, I forgot Mason Parris. Great collegian. No medal. Freestyle and Greco-Roman have 6 weight classes each.

At the Tokyo Games three years ago, the U.S. led all nations with nine wrestling medals. It was also the most medals the U.S. had won in wrestling since the 1984 Games that were boycotted by the Soviet Union and several other nations. Don't think we will repeat, but hope I am wrong.

Parris is the heavy weight (Men's Freestyle 125kg).

 

[nickp91]

Mason Parris would have a 1000000% better chance of hitting a MLB pitch than Aaron Judge

 

[specops76]

Those are some interesting predictions. Obviously based purely on opinion and not taking into account any real world results from the past couple years. Here are my predictions.

57KG Spencer Lee (Gold): Spencer is a multiple Cadet and Junior World Champ. He beat previous world silver medalist Gilman 2-0 and rowed through a deep Olympic Qualifier 5-0 to earn his spot in the Olympics. There is no Uguev (#1 ranked in World) thanks to the Russian ban and Lee is finally healthy after years of knee injuries. Gold may be a bit optimistic but I think he definitely medals.

65KG Zain Retherford (5th): Zain is the current World Champ at 70KG and had to win 6 matches against world class competition at the Olympic Qualifier to earn his spot in the Olympics. He has a lot of momentum going in to this tournament and could be a surprise. Unfortunately 65KG is probably the deepest weight in the entire tournament and he will have to wrestle on another level to medal, I think he wins a bunch of matches but falls just short of Bronze.

74KG Kyle Dake (Gold): Dake is a 4-time World Champ at 79 & 74KG, he is an Olympic Bronze medalist and has lost to only two people in the last 6 years (Sidakov and Kadimagomedov) and neither of those guys are in this field. 33 years old? No big deal, KD wins Gold.

86KG Aaron Brooks (Silver): Brooks just beat the pound-for-pound best wrestler in the world 2-0 to secure his Olympic spot. I get that doesn't always translate to instant success but Brooks is also a Cadet and Junior World champ so he has already shown he can beat the best in the world at his age group. He hasn't lost a match, freestyle or folkstyle to anyone not named David Taylor in 4 years. Yazdani is the only man in the world that can beat him...and I am not sure he will.

97KG Kyle Snyder (Bronze): Love Kyle, he has won more world and Olympic medals than anyone in American history other than Burroughs & Bumgartner. Unfortunately there is a youngster named Tazhudinov that has beaten every international wrestler he has faced the last two years. He embarrassed Kyle (and Sadulaev) at last years World Championships with tech falls and I don't see that result changing.

125KG Mason Perris (No Medal): Unfortunately for the US our best wrestler at the weight (and the world) is no longer wrestling. Mason has easily been the second best we have and even won bronze last year, but this is a much better, deeper field than last years WC and I think the challenge is too much for him.

Should be a great tournament and I think the US continues their success from last years World Championships!