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2024 Olympics Wrestling (merged)

The one thing we could possibly change -- rather, should change: we need to send all of our top guys to the ranking tournaments. Dake, Snyder, and Parris did get seeded. There is no way Zain is worse than Rivera, but Rivera got the 4 seed, and Zain got a random draw against the 2 seed who will probably win gold. RBY got an awful draw, and Lee is lucky he didn't draw Higuchi. Same for Greco and Women ... amazing how many 1 and 2 seeds we drew this year.

That's the game, everybody knows it, and we don't play it nearly well enough.

I'm not fully versed on this, but doesn't the previous years' World Championships play a big role for Olympic seeding? Isn't it more of a factor that our Olympic team had 3 spots taken by guys who weren't competing(at same Olympic weights) at Worlds?
 
I'm not fully versed on this, but doesn't the previous years' World Championships play a big role for Olympic seeding? Isn't it more of a factor that our Olympic team had 3 spots taken by guys who weren't competing(at same Olympic weights) at Worlds?
That is part of it. Seeding is based upon last year's Worlds, this year's continental championships (Pan Ams), and the Ranking Series tournaments.

Pan Ams were held in late Feb -- well before Trials. Our reps were 57 Spencer, 61 Suriano, 65 Nick Lee, 70 Pantaleo, 74 Dake, 79 Facundo, 86 Marsteller, 92 Jackson, 97 Snyder, 125 Parris. All won gold. That wasn't a terrible guess at our Olympic team -- Nick was 2nd at Trials, Taylor wasn't competing at all, and Aaron was in the middle of the college season.

Curiously, the UWW points awarded varied by weight. I'm not sure why, except it wasn't Olympic vs. non-Olympic weights. The Pan Am HWT silver earned more UWW points than Snyder did for winning.

There were 2 Ranking tourneys: Zagreb (Jan) and Budapest (June).

Our freestyle team at Zagreb (Olympic weights only): 57 RIchards (7th) and Courtney (11th), 65 McKenna (bronze) and Garrett (14th), 74 Nolf (gold) and Monday (7th), 86 Marsteller (bronze), Dean (9th), and Zahid (20th), 97 Snyder (silver), Trumble (bronze), Macchiavello (19th), HWT Parris (bronze), Gwiz (7th), Lance (18th).

Zagreb was a missed opportunity. We sent multiple guys at the Olympic weights, and some of the guys we sent had absolutely no chance of winning Trials. Our non-Olympic weight entries were also sub-optimal -- and some of them medaled. This was not one of the tougher events out there, and it counted for seeding.

Our freestyle team at Budapest: 86 Hidlay (silver), HWT Parris (gold). That's it -- no other USA at Olympic weights. Dake got the 1 seed at Olympics without this. IDK if Snyder could've gotten the 1 seed if he had competed. Otherwise ... why did we not send Spencer or Zain or Aaron? This was a month after Last Chance, and the brackets were small -- 9 entrants at 57, 7 at 65, 12 at 86. Another missed opportunity.

USA Wrestling needs to be smarter about this.
 
That is part of it. Seeding is based upon last year's Worlds, this year's continental championships (Pan Ams), and the Ranking Series tournaments.

Pan Ams were held in late Feb -- well before Trials. Our reps were 57 Spencer, 61 Suriano, 65 Nick Lee, 70 Pantaleo, 74 Dake, 79 Facundo, 86 Marsteller, 92 Jackson, 97 Snyder, 125 Parris. All won gold. That wasn't a terrible guess at our Olympic team -- Nick was 2nd at Trials, Taylor wasn't competing at all, and Aaron was in the middle of the college season.

Curiously, the UWW points awarded varied by weight. I'm not sure why, except it wasn't Olympic vs. non-Olympic weights. The Pan Am HWT silver earned more UWW points than Snyder did for winning.

There were 2 Ranking tourneys: Zagreb (Jan) and Budapest (June).

Our freestyle team at Zagreb (Olympic weights only): 57 RIchards (7th) and Courtney (11th), 65 McKenna (bronze) and Garrett (14th), 74 Nolf (gold) and Monday (7th), 86 Marsteller (bronze), Dean (9th), and Zahid (20th), 97 Snyder (silver), Trumble (bronze), Macchiavello (19th), HWT Parris (bronze), Gwiz (7th), Lance (18th).

Zagreb was a missed opportunity. We sent multiple guys at the Olympic weights, and some of the guys we sent had absolutely no chance of winning Trials. Our non-Olympic weight entries were also sub-optimal -- and some of them medaled. This was not one of the tougher events out there, and it counted for seeding.

Our freestyle team at Budapest: 86 Hidlay (silver), HWT Parris (gold). That's it -- no other USA at Olympic weights. Dake got the 1 seed at Olympics without this. IDK if Snyder could've gotten the 1 seed if he had competed. Otherwise ... why did we not send Spencer or Zain or Aaron? This was a month after Last Chance, and the brackets were small -- 9 entrants at 57, 7 at 65, 12 at 86. Another missed opportunity.

USA Wrestling needs to be smarter about this.

Thanks for the added info and I agree, not sending contenders to these ranking events is not a smart move. USA should be doing everything in their power to get as favorable of a seed as possible.

One last question. Where did you find the points awarded at each event? Would love to know where to look for next Olympics.
 
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Thanks for the added info and I agree, not sending contenders to these ranking events is not a smart move. USA should be doing everything in their power to get as favorable of a seed as possible.

One last question. Where did you find the points awarded at each event? Would love to know where to look for next Olympics.
UWW website. Each tourney was tagged as Qualifier or Ranking Series. Full results as PDF next to the tourney listing.

Adding to my previous post: if funding were an issue, then this was doubly stupid. We sent 2-3 guys per weight to Zagreb with no idea of who would make the team, but a pretty good idea that some of those guys wouldn't. And then for Budapest, 2 months after Trials, sent only 1 Trials champ + Hidlay. Poor allocation of resources.
 
In that interview he was absolutely pouting and mad and giving away your medal and having no idea where itā€™s at is as well. One smile for a picture doesnā€™t change it. I like Spencer and think he wrestled his ass off. His semifinal match was as good as Iā€™ve ever seen him. He was incredible! I just wish he thought so as well and understood that what he just accomplished is something to celebrate. You think his teammates arenā€™t upset that they didnā€™t reach their goals? Of course they are but all of their reactions have been very different from Spencerā€™s
He knows exactly where itā€™s at. He gave it to his twin sister. He didnā€™t know where she was at that moment. Jesus people.

I think that was taken after he distanced himself from the group after the medal ceremony and they had to call him back for the group photo. That was televised. He was definitely going off to pout.
no that was taken right after they hung the medals. and he was also giving thumbs up to the crowd. this stuff is on video people. he was no more pouting up there than the average silver medalist.
 
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Today is the final day of Olympic wrestling competition.

Upcoming matches:

MFS 97kg Bronze Medal Match - Kyle Fredrick Snyder VS Amirali Hamid Azarpira (IRI)

76kg WFS Gold Medal Match - Kennedy Alexis Blades VS Yuka Kagami (JPN)

Zain Retherford did not compete in his repechage match this morning & has withdrawn from the competition.

Match order link:

Brackets:
 
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Statement from USA Wrestling regarding Zain's withdrawal:

"...suffered a concussion while training in preparation for the Olympic games & had recovered prior to the competition.

During his bout against Amouzadkhali, his injury symptoms returned.

With support of his coaches and in consultation with medical stall, the decision was made...to withdraw from the tournament."
 
65kg MFS Bronze Medal Match - Sebastian "Seabass" Rivera (PUR) VS Tulga Tumur Ochir (MGL)

P1:
Tying up off the whistle, Rivera working a collar tie & Ochir looking for a 2 on 1 & they go out of bounds, restart
Ochir with an arm spin, Rivera on the mat defending, stalemate, restart
Ochir trying an under hook, no luck & they break
Rivera passivity warning, restart
Tying up in the center, Ochir coming forward, Rivera on the edge, Ochir drag & tries to come around for a TD, doesn't get it, but gets a stepout, 1-0 Ochir, restart
Tying up in the center, stoppage
Rivera 2nd passivity warning, goes on the clock
Ochir with a drag or throw by, working & finally comes behind for the TD, 3-0
Shot clock point Ochir, 4-0, restart, 3:45 left
Tying up, Ochir coming forward, Rivera with double unders, Ochir backs out
Back to center circling & then collar ties as the period ends
4-0 Ochir

P2:
Ochir looking for an underhook to start the 2nd.
Rivera drops in on a leg & gets the TD, 2-0, has a trap arm gut & gets a turn & another & another, and it's 8-4 Rivera, restart, 2:20 left. That was slick!
Tying up off the whistle, Ochir with a throw by or something feet to back for 4 & it's tied 8-8, adv Ochir, 2:05 left. Ochir has a unique drag/throw by move.
Ochir throws in an underhook off the whistle, Rivera on his knees now, stalemate, restart, 1:46 left
Ochir coming forward a little, Rivera pushing back now & they break.
Back to center, Ochir with another throw attempt & takes Rivera out of bounds, 9-8
Ochir back to the underhook, Rivera drives forward & they break, 1-min left
Rivera reaches for a leg, nothing
The pace has slowed
Rivera with another half shot, 26-sec left
Rivera reaches for a leg again, Ochir counters, Rivera counters the counter & has double unders & gets behind. Ochir in a quadpod, but Rivera can't get him down to the mat as time expires. So close to a takedown there
Challenge Rivera

Challenge won & Rivera is awarded a takedown. The score is changed to 10-9 Rivera. The replay showed that Ochir's knee touched during the takedown sequence, so Rivera was awarded those points.

Sebastian Rivera DEC Tulga Tumur Ochir 10-9 & wins the Bronze medal.

That was a fantastic effort by Seabass. Ochir was really slick & tough, but Seabass kept fighting until the end & found a way to win. Great match!
 
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65kg MFS Gold Medal Match - Kotaro Kyooka (JPN) VS Rahman Mousa Amouzadkhalili (IRI)

P1:
Another Japanese wrestler in the finals
Amouzad looking for the underhook immediately, Kyooka tries an arm spin, nothing & they're back to center. Amouzad back to the underhook & they break.
Kyooka staying low & keeping his elbows in tight to avoid Amouzad's shot off the underhook. He's doing a great job of avoiding it.
Kyooka coming forward now, stoppage
Amouzad passivity warning
Kyooka head tapping & more active now, stoppage
Amouzad 2nd passivity warning, goes on the clock
Amouzad drops to a leg & takes Kyooka out of bounds, 1-0, shot clock turned off too, restart, 4-min left
Tying up, Amouzad driving forward & they break
Kyooka passivity warning
Kyooka drops in on a low single, Amouzad trying to counter, but Kyooka comes around to get the TD, 2-1
Kyooka has his head through Amouzad's legs & they're laced. Kyooka gets 4 turns before the period expires, 10-1 Kyooka. Wow! If he had more time, he'd have ended the match with another turn. There wasn't much Amouzad could do there.

P2:
Amouzad coming forward off the whistle, has Kyooka on the edge
Amouzad drags, trying to come around for the takedown, Kyooka on the edge, grounded, stalemate, restart, 2:17 left
Amouzad back to the underhook, Kyooka more defensive now
Amouzad with a slick throw by for exposure & it's 10-3, restart, 1:45 left
Amouzad driving forward off the whistle, Kyooka turns back in right on the edge. Amouzad grounded now & restart, 1:30 left
Amouzad underhooking, Kyooka staying low & they break, 1-min left
Amouzad coming forward, but Kyooka with great defensive positioning. Both wrestlers look tired now.
Stoppage, hands to the face, 36-sec left
The pace has slowed now.
Amouzad tries a duck, nothing, reaches for an ankle, nothing, and time expires.

Kotaro Kyooka DEC Rahman Mousa Amouzadkhalili 10-3

The Japanese "Kid 'n Play" wins the gold! Another fantastic match. The Japanese wrestling team is on fire & adds another gold medal.
 
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Or that Japan would win almost half of all available wrestling gold medals?
Willie predicted Japan would win the most medals.

WILLIE SAYLOR

MatScouts (USA)
Top five nations, based upon medals won. 1. Japan; 2. United States; 3. Iran; 4. Turkey; 5. Serbia
 
97kg MFS Bronze Medal Match - Kyle Fredrick Snyder VS Amirali Hamid Azarpira (IRI)

P1:
Here we go!
Hand fighting & head snaps to start the match
Snyder fakes a shot & they're back to the tie up, stoppage
Blood time Azarpira, 5:21 left
High pace early
Back to action
Tying up, Azarpira looking for an underhook, Snyder fights it off.
Azarpira passivity warning, restart
Snyder reaches for a leg, Azarpira counters for a TD, 2-0
Blood time Snyder now. He's bleeding pretty good for his forehead. That's going to need some tape.
Maybe not, no tape & we're back to action
Tying up, both active, Snyder with lots of snaps, & they're tying up again
More blood time for Snyder. He's gets a headband style wrap now.
Back to action, tying up & pushing hard, Azarpira looking for an underhook, Snyder with a collar tie, 4-min left
Snyder coming forward a little, but they break & are back to center
More hand fighting & collar ties as the period expires.
2-0 Azarpira

P2:
3-min more. Let's go Kyle!
Snyder pushing forward off the whistle, Azarpira on the edge, but then drives back to center
Snyder reaches for an ankle, gets to it, but can't finish, 2:30 left,
Azarpira 2nd passivity, goes on the clock
Azarpira working a 2 on 1 off the whistle, then they're back to collar ties.
Snyder snapping & faking
Shot clock point Snyder, 2-1
Azarpira drives forward hard & gets a pushout, 3-1
More blood time for Snyder. He's having his head re-wrapped.
Back to action.
Tying up off the whistle, Snyder coming forward, Azarpira on the edge, but they work back to center
Snyder shoots, nothing, 1:30 left
Snyder tries a drag, nothing, reaches for a leg, nothing, reaches for an ankle, gets to it again, nothing, stoppage & Azarpira being warned for something, 1:05 left
Snyder reaches for an ankle, gets it again, but can't finish, he's so close on that.
Snyder gets to a leg, but Azarpira fights him off
Snyder in on an ankle, Azarpira sprawls, stalemate, restart, 40-sec left
Snyder reaches for a leg, nothing, Azarpira drives forward & gets another step out, 4-1
Azarpira lying on the mat, breathing hard. Trainer out with the cold spray. They're spraying it around his right leg. After some time to catch his breath, he's magically healed. Lol.
Back to action
Snyder shoots off the whistle, nothing
Snyder doming forward hard now, Azarpira on the edge & circles back in, no scoring, restart, 16-sec left
More blood time. Azarpira bleeding now
Back to action
Snyder looking for an opening, reaching for a leg, driving forward, but he can't find an opening.
That's unfortunate. Kyle got to Azarpira's ankle multiple times, but just couldn't finish from there.

Amirali Hamid Azarpira DEC Kyle Fredrick Snyder 4-1
 
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Kyle doesn't cut his forehead early and he wins that match. Just couldn't establish a rhythm and Azerpira was still gassing.
Yeah, that was frustrating, was totally like JB in Rio.

Trying to be an optimist here: At WTT next year, only 3 guys potentially (Dake and Spencer might retire) sitting in the finals/semis--should make for a fun tourney.
 
Blood time really worked against Kyle in that match. I know it can be distracting to have a head wrap but if you are in better shape than your opponent, don't you encourage the medical staff to wrap you up at the first sign of a cut on your forehead? And make sure there is an adequate Band-Aid underneath the wrap? Not doing this gave his opponent at least two additional stoppages to recover.
 
Crazy that Kyle Snyder essentially peaked as a wrestler at a mere 20 years old, which is super impressive in itself.

And before anyone interprets my saying that as meaning he was better at Ohio State then he has been at Penn State.. Iā€™m actually saying Iā€™m of the opinion thatā€™s bogus.

He may have accomplished a little more while at Ohio State but it has nothing to do with where he trained IMO. I think itā€™s just a case of Snyder was one of the few young prodigies that come around every once in awhile who enjoy more success way younger than others.

Some guys get more strength and hit their peak in their mid 20ā€™s etc.. Kyle is just unique in that he reached his much earlier again than most.

So who knows how good he would have been at 19-20 years old if he got with Cael right away? Guess weā€™ll never know.. but I think itā€™s silly to make it an Ohio State/Penn State thing.

Still one of the best weā€™ve seen and his accomplishments hold a candle to no one.
 
Crazy that Kyle Snyder essentially peaked as a wrestler at a mere 20 years old, which is super impressive in itself.

And before anyone interprets my saying that as meaning he was better at Ohio State then he has been at Penn State.. Iā€™m actually saying Iā€™m of the opinion thatā€™s bogus.

He may have accomplished a little more while at Ohio State but it has nothing to do with where he trained IMO. I think itā€™s just a case of Snyder was one of the few young prodigies that come around every once in awhile who enjoy more success way younger than others.

Some guys get more strength and hit their peak in their mid 20ā€™s etc.. Kyle is just unique in that he reached his much earlier again than most.

So who knows how good he would have been at 19-20 years old if he got with Cael right away? Guess weā€™ll never know.. but I think itā€™s silly to make it an Ohio State/Penn State thing.

Still one of the best weā€™ve seen and his accomplishments hold a candle to no one.
He'll figure out Azirpira. I'm less optimistic about Taz, that guy is insane. And his buddy in Dagestan will be back. Just goes to show, there' always gonna be a new bigger/stronger/faster kid that emerges.
 
So is David Taylor actually the biggest winner of this Olympics cycle from a saving face aspect? Did Taylor have history at all with who Brooks lost to? Obviously he did Yazdani but with he getting injured the path for Taylor this year would have been arguably his easiest to gold heā€™s had in awhile, no?
 
He'll figure out Azirpira. I'm less optimistic about Taz, that guy is insane. And his buddy in Dagestan will be back. Just goes to show, there' always gonna be a new bigger/stronger/faster kid that emerges.
Agree with everything you said
 
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