PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY — Jordan Burroughs, who holds the U.S. record seven combined Olympic and world championships in wrestling, was eliminated Friday night on the first day of the two-day U.S. Olympic Trials.
Burrows, 35, who has one Olympic gold medal (2012) and six world titles, lost 3-0 to Jason Nolf in the 74kg freestyle class at Penn State. Burrows won her first two matches in a single-elimination tournament.
Nolf advanced to take on Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Kyle Dake in Saturday's best-of-three championship series for a spot on the Paris team.
Burroughs, who lost to Dake in the Tokyo Olympic Trials final, said he was nearing the end of his career, but did not publicly set a clear endpoint leading up to these trials.
Wrestling Trials: result | Broadcast schedule
Friday's tournament winners all advance to the best-of-three Championship Series starting Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. peacockThe 13 Olympic team members will be selected from men's freestyle, women's freestyle, and Greco-Roman.
In the other five weight classes where the United States has not yet earned an Olympic berth, Saturday's winners will advance to a last-chance international qualifying tournament to be held in Turkiye in May.
Also on Friday, Rio Olympic bronze medalist Jayden Cox took off his shoes and left them on the mat in a symbolic act of retirement after losing to Colin Moore. Cox, a two-time world champion, missed six months last year due to a broken ankle.
Cox retires after losing at U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials
Jayden Cox leaves his shoes on the mat after losing to Colin Moore in the men's freestyle 97kg challenge semifinals at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials. A reflective Cox then spoke about why now is the time.
Cox, 29, who became a father of twins in November, said: “It's a disgrace for me and for them to continue to play the game if I lose to the players I used to beat.” . . “Besides that, with my life with his wife and kids, I think I'm in a position where I'm done trying to conquer the world, and I'm trying to make the world better for them.” intend to.”
Isaac Trumbull then defeated Moore and will now face 2016 Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder in Saturday's final.
Other notable championship series include Tokyo Olympic gold medalist David Taylor vs. former Nittany Lion Aaron Brooks in the 86kg division, Rio Olympic champion Helen Maroulis vs. two-time world medalist Jakara Winchester in the 53kg division, and Includes six-time world champion Adeline Gray vs. Kennedy Blaze in the 76kg category.
Gray, 33, who gave birth to twins in July 2022, is aiming to become the first woman to join the U.S. Olympic wrestling team after giving birth, according to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
In Greco-Roman, Aliaksandr Kikiniu, who turned 44 on April 9, advances to Saturday's Championship Series 77kg match against Kamal Bey. The U.S. has not earned a spot in the division, so the winner of Kikiniu-Bey will have to finish in the top three at May's tournament in Turkiye to advance to Paris.
Kikiniu represented his native Belarus at the 2004 and 2012 Olympics. He still continues to compete, he said, because “wrestling is my life” and he trains with his sons, ages 15 and 17.
Kikiniou said he obtained U.S. citizenship in July 2022 and qualified to represent the United States in wrestling in early 2023. Kikiniu is aiming to become the oldest Olympic wrestler since 1988 and the oldest American to wrestle in the Olympics since 1904, the newspaper said. olly mad men.
