Two more Olympic wrestling medalists from the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, have notified USA Wrestling that they will accept their position on the U.S. World Team that will compete at the 2021 Senior World Championships in Oslo, Norway, October 2-10.
According to the 2021 World Team Selection
Procedures, “The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Medalist, if competing at the same weight class, will receive the automatic selection to the 2021 World Team at that same weight.”
The two additional Olympic medalists that will accept their selection to the 2021 World Team and compete at the same weight class where they wrestled at the Olympic Games are Olympic silver medalist Adeline Gray (76 kg in women's freestyle) and Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Gilman (57 kg in men's freestyle).
There are now eight Tokyo Olympic medalists who will wrestle in Oslo: Gray and Gilman, plus the six previous commitments from Olympic champion Tamyra Mensah Stock (68 kg in women’s freestyle), Olympic champion David Taylor (86 kg in men’s freestyle), Olympic silver medalist Kyle Snyder (97 kg in men’s freestyle), Olympic bronze medalist Helen Maroulis (57 kg in women’s freestyle), Olympic bronze medalist Kyle Dake (74 kg in men’s freestyle) and Olympic bronze medalist Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg in women’s freestyle).
Gray has won a U.S. record five World Championships gold medals, as well as two World bronze medals, and her Olympic silver medal. Her eight World or Olympic medals ranks No. 2 among U.S. women all-time, behind only nine-time World medalist Hall of Famer Kristie Davis. Gilman was also a 2017 World silver medalist.
These decisions affect the upcoming 2021 World Team Trials at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., September 11-12. With the acceptance of their World Team berths by these six athletes, there will not be any competition at the eight following weight classes in Lincoln, men’s freestyle (57 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg) and women’s freestyle (50 kg, 57 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg).
The United States won nine medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The only Tokyo Olympic medalist who has not informed USA Wrestling of his intention is Olympic champion Gable Steveson at 125 kg in men’s freestyle. Steveson has until 11:59 p.m. Mountain time today (Sunday, August 15) to inform USA Wrestling if he will accept his berth on the 2021 World Team for Oslo. USA Wrestling will announce what will happen with the 125 kg weight class in men’s freestyle when that information becomes available.
Jacarra Winchester placed fifth at the Olympics at 53 kg in women’s freestyle. According to the 2021 World Team Selection Procedures, “Athletes who wrestled for a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and stay at the Olympic weight category or choose to move one adjacent weight category (10 weights) will be placed into the semi-finals of that weight.”
Winchester has notified USA Wrestling of her decision to compete at 55 kg in the World Team Trials, which is up one weight class from her Olympic weight class. She will be placed into the semifinals at 55 kg at the World Team Trials in Lincoln.
The 2021 World Championships in Oslo will be conducted in the 10 World Championship weight classes in each of the wrestling disciplines, for a total of 30 weight classes. These weight classes are:
Men’s freestyle: 57 kg, 61 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 74 kg, 79 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 97 kg, 125 kg
Women’s freestyle: 50 kg, 53 kg, 55 kg, 57 kg, 59 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg, 76 kg
Greco-Roman: 55 kg, 60 kg, 63 kg, 67 kg, 72 kg, 77 kg, 82 kg, 87 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg
The World Team Trials in Lincoln will be held at the World Championships weight classes, except for those weight classes in which a 2020 Olympic medalist accepts automatic selection to the 2021 World Team at that same weight class.
No comments:
Post a Comment