WRESTLING AT THE PAN AM GAMES

USA Wrestling heads into the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 and Olympic Games Paris 2024 with high goals and expectations. Historically, wrestling is the third highest sport with podium appearances for the United States at the Olympic Games, behind only track and field and swimming for  Olympic medals for Team USA.

U.S. wrestlers had perhaps its best Olympic effort during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, winning nine medals, including three golds. Eight of the nine Tokyo Games wrestling medalists will be trying out for the Paris Games, with Olympic champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock recently announcing her retirement. All five men’s freestyle medalists return: David Taylor and Gable Stevenson with golds; Kyle Snyder with silver; and Thomas Gilman and Kyle Dake with bronzes.  Three women’s freestyle medalists are back, including silver medalist Adeline Gray and bronze medalists Sarah Hildebrandt and Helen Maroulis. Of these athletes, Snyder and Maroulis have won two Olympic medals (both were also gold medalists in 2016).

These returning medalists also boast world titles: Adeline Gray (six-time world champion), Kyle Dake (four-time world champion), Kyle Snyder (three-time world champion), Helen Maroulis (three-time world champion), David Taylor (two-time world champion), Thomas Gilman (one-time world champion). Jordan Burroughs, 2012 Olympic gold medalist and six-time world champion, and J’den Cox, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time world champion, will also try out for the team. A number of senior world champions who have not won an Olympic medal will also take part in the Olympic Trials process, including Amit Elor, Jacarra Winchester and Dom Parrish, all in the women’s freestyle.

The U.S. men’s freestyle team won a world team title in 2022 and will seek to win the medal count in Paris. The U.S. women’s team has placed either second or third at the world level this Olympic cycle and hopes to surpass Japan as the top nation. In Greco-Roman, Team USA has not won an Olympic medal since Adam Wheeler’s bronze in 2008. Team USA’s last world championship medal in Greco-Roman was in 2021. The Greco-Roman program seeks to return to the podium at the Paris Games.

There are only 16 athletes in each of the 18 weight classes being contested in the Paris Games (six weights each for men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle, Greco-Roman). There are only a total of 288 athletes who will compete in wrestling in Paris. In wrestling, athletes qualify their nation to compete at their specific weight class, rather than individual athletes by name. Once an athlete has qualified the nation for a specific weight class, that nation can send whoever they select to compete in Paris 2024. There is a three-phase Olympic quota qualification process for wrestling.

Phase One - 2023 Senior World Championships, Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 16-24, 2023: In each of the 18 weight classes, the top five wrestlers qualify their nation to compete in Paris 2024. This includes the gold medalist, silver medalist, two bronze medalists and a wrestle-off for the fifth-place spot in each weight class. There are 90 Olympic berths set at this stage.

Phase Two - 2024 Continental Qualification Tournaments: Four continental qualifiers are held in early 2024 (Asia, Europe, Pan American, Oceania/Africa). The top two athletes in each weight class at these events qualify their nation to compete in Paris 2024. Nations may only enter in weight classes where they have not yet qualified. The U.S. will wrestle in the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Acupulco, Mexico, Feb. 20-24. 144 Olympic berths will be set in this phase.

Phase Three - 2024 World Qualification Tournament, Istanbul, Turkey, May 9-12, 2023: Nations may only enter athletes at weight classes not yet qualified. All nations can enter this event. The top three wrestlers at each of the 18 weight classes will qualify their nation for Paris 2024: the champion, the runner-up and the winner of a wrestle-off between the two bronze-medalists. This event determines the final 54 Olympic berths.