Jordan Burrows will compete in the men's freestyle 74kg category at the 2024 Olympic Trials as the No. 1 seed. This will be the fourth time the Olympic trials have been held. This is a pretty big event, even historical, and I'm trying to put it all into perspective in this blog.
2024 Olympic Games Watch Party
Not so recently, 2012 Olympic gold medalist and six-time UWW World Champion Jordan Burrows said he would retire after 2024 “no matter what.”
Now, this statement was made in 2022, which technically leaves the door open for a 79kg gold medal at the Non-Olympic World Championships scheduled for late October. , still suggesting that the 2024 trial will likely be something like that. This is the last time we will see Jordan compete in a freestyle tournament.
It's certainly a big deal and may be a very emotional viewing for many American wrestling fans.
And while I'll save my eulogy for when Burroughs officially puts his shoes on the mat, I'd like to take a moment to explain why this tournament is different from past team trials.
An easy way to do this is to provide an overview of all previous exams. Below is a list of World Championship or Olympic Team Trials that Burroughs has participated in since 2011, the year he won his second NCAA title, winning with Hodge.
Note: Burrows' record in the best two of the three finals is listed after his opponent, so 2-0 means 2-0 games. Additionally, throughout Burrow's post-college career, medals at the World Championships and Olympics earned him a bye to the Trials Finals (later known as Final X). Back in the days when there were no returning medalists in their weight classes, winning the U.S. Open would earn you a bye.
Barrow's team trial history:
- 2011: Defeated Nick Marable in the US Open final. Defeated Andrew Howe 2-0 in the WTT final. Won gold medal at the 2011 World Championships.
- 2012: Won by default in the OTT finals. Defeats Andrew Howe 2-0 in the OTT final. Won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.
- 2013: Won a walkover in the WTT finals. Defeats Kyle Dake 2-0 in the WTT final. Won gold medal at the 2013 World Championships.
- 2014: Won by default in the WTT finals. Defeated David Taylor 2-0 in the WTT final. Won bronze medal at the 2014 World Championships.
- 2015: Won a walkover in the WTT finals. Defeats Kyle Dake 2-0 in the WTT final. Won gold medal at the 2015 World Championships.
- 2016: Won by default in the OTT finals. Defeats Andrew Howe 2-0 in the OTT final. He will not participate in the 2016 Olympics.
- 2017: Defeated Kyle Dake in the US Open final. Defeats Kyle Dake 2-1 in the WTT final. Won gold medal at the 2017 World Championships.
- 2018: Won a bye in the WTT finals (currently Final X). Defeated Isaiah Martinez 2-0 in Final X. She won a bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships.
- 2019: Farewell to Final X. Defeated Isaiah Martinez 2-1 in Final X. Won bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships
- 2020: Olympics and OTT postponed to 2011 due to coronavirus.
- In 2021, we say goodbye to the OTT finals. Lost 2-0 to Kyle Dake in the OTT final. Can move up to 79kg. Defeats Alex Dearinger 2-0 in the WTT final. Won gold medal at the 2021 World Championships.
- 2022: WTT finals will be won by default. Defeated Chance Marsteller 2-1 in the WTT final. Won gold medal at the 2022 World Championships.
- 2023: Bye for WTT final. Lost 2-1 to Chance Marstella in the WTT final.
- 2024: Become the OTT 1st seed at 74kg. Kyle Dake won by default in the OTT final.
Another thing to note is that prior to Final I was sitting there. After Final
So what will be different in 2024?
age factor
One of the more obvious differences between these trials and past trials is Burrows' age. Jordan Burrows is 35 years old, making him the oldest contestant in this bracket. If Burroughs makes the Olympic team, he will be 36 years old and one of the oldest athletes in Paris in any sport.
Broad research on the subject shows that the average age of an athlete in their prime is approximately 25 to 28 years old. While I would welcome this statement to be corrected, modified or qualified to specific circumstances, there is no denying that Burrows has the advantage of experience rather than youth this weekend. Time moves inexorably and none of us are immune to its effects.
Challenge Bracket Elements
Burrows has only had to compete in the challenge bracket once so far, at the 2021 World Team Trials. It was a great year, with two years of events condensed into one.
The 2020 Olympics were held from July to August 2021, and medalists in Tokyo automatically earned a spot on the 2021 world team. So when Dake won silver at the Tokyo Games and qualified for the 2021 world championship team in the 74kg weight class, Burrows' weight rose to 79kg. JB ran through the 2021 trial slot in September and won gold in Oslo in October.
Watch Burrows defeat Alex Dearinger for the second year in a row to earn a spot on the 2021 World Team.
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In 2011 and 2017, Burrows won the U.S. Open and advanced to the finals by default, and 2024 will be the first time Burrows will attempt a regular (i.e., not failed due to the coronavirus) Olympic or World Team Trials. I had to win the tournament. Wrestle someone sitting on a bye to earn a spot on the team.
Backlog factor
Another sign of Burroughs' longevity and success is that while new talent continues to crop up in the Challenge Tournament slot, his competitors have to stay in the game just as long. Every year, the pool of talent trying to make their first world and Olympic teams grows, especially in the 74kg weight class, where Burroughs (and Dake) have competed for more than a decade.
A big part of this is that the competitive environment is generally more conducive to long careers, but it's more severe at 74kg, where Burrows (and Dake et al.) have had more exceptionally long and successful careers. It is. For example, trial slots for multi-time NCAA champions like Jason Nolf and Vincenzo Jospeh to compete at the second Olympic Team Trials have been rare, especially in the past.
scale factor
Like all participants in the tournament, Burrows must first weigh in before he can hit the mat. Jordan will be down to 74 kg starting in the fall of 2021, down from his competing weight of 79 kg. This difference in his weight by 5 kilograms equates to 11 pounds on him.
Burroughs is a professional and has been weighing in competitions for almost 30 years, but Jordan also has to weigh in two days in a row, so this cannot be completely ignored. I am not suggesting at all that Burrows will drop weight. It's just that such a weight reduction could affect his performance. It is not yet known to what extent, if any.
Burroughs' path to his third Olympic team
Of course, Jordan will have to win every match to make the Olympic team for the third time, an almost unprecedented feat, but 97kg's Kyle Snyder will make the team for the third time this weekend. It should be noted that the top candidates are (Bruce Baumgartner, Kenny Monday, Ben Peterson also comes to mind in this regard).
You can read more about Burroughs' bracket in the 74kg preview I wrote, but it also includes Carter Starocci, who was registered at age 74 but plans to step up and wrestle at age 86, and David Kerr. Please ignore the part about Keegan O'Toole. , both had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.
Watch all of Jordan Burrows' World Championship medal matches:
Burrows' pass looks like this:
round 16: good bye
Quarter finals: #8 Alex Facundo vs #9 Levi Haynes Winner
Semi-final: #4 Mitchell Mazenbrink Winner vs #12 Ladarion Lockett Winner vs #5 Meyer Shapiro
Final game: Winners of half of the bracket with #2 Jason Nolf, #3 Quincy Monday, #6 Vincenzo Joseph and others.
Best 2/3:Kyle Dake
Alex Facundo is the oldest and has only one NCAA postseason experience, so Burrows will be a youth player for his first two games. Levi Haynes has an NCAA title but has yet to medal at an age-level world championship in freestyle, unlike 2023 U20 gold medalists Meyer Shapiro and Mitchell Mazenbrink .
In that case, Burrows would have to bring in a smarter veteran in 2021 Olympic Team Trails Challenge Tournament finalist Jason Nolf, who is probably the most likely candidate, but I'm a two-time U.S. Open player. You won't want to miss runner-up Joseph or 2023 Senior National Champion Quincy. Monday. Nolf defeated Monday and Censo in 2023, but Monday's loss was a close 7-6. Nolf's last loss domestically was to Kyle Dake at the 2023 Final X.
All those games will be played on Friday. If Burroughs wins the challenge tournament, he will face Dake in prime time Saturday.
Regardless of the outcome, as mentioned above, it will be an emotional tournament for both Burrows and the fans. Twelve years is a long time to compete on the senior circuit. Not to mention the Nebraska fans who have been rooting for Burroughs since 2006. With that in mind, when Mark Manning first started scouting Burrows, the kids he's currently scouting weren't even born yet.
A lot of history is sure to come to an end at the Olympic selection trials. But if this is indeed Jordan Burroughs' last tournament, it would be an extraordinary piece of history to end this year. Few, if any, wrestlers have competed as long and meant as much to American wrestling as Jordan Burrows.
But again, save those retirement speeches and career reflections for when you need them. In the meantime, we will witness Jordan Burroughs make history in some form at the State University Olympic Team Trials.
