In the words of UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer: It’s TIME!!!!!!
The 2024 Olympic Trials are this weekend on Friday and Saturday, April 19-20 in State College, Pennsylvania. When the dust clears Saturday night the 2024 Olympic Team will be set for Team USA for the Summer Olympics in Paris, France on August 5-11.
The Olympic Trials will be shown live on Peacock.
Team USA has not qualified 57 kg for the Olympics at this time. The winner of the Olympic Trials will still have to compete to qualify USA for this weight so a lot is on the line.
Step one is to make the team. Step two is to then qualify 57 kg for the Olympics. Step three is the Olympics. That is a tall task for any wrestler. The winner at 57 kg in the Olympic Trials will be up for the challenge.
At 57 kg there will not be a Challenge Tournament Semifinal because Vito Arujau will not be competing. Vito was scheduled to receive a bye to the semifinals because he is the reigning World Champion at 62 kg. Vito is not competing due to injury.
USA Wrestling just released Pre-Seeds for Men’s Freestyle today.
Spencer Lee is the Pre-Seed #4 at 57kg/125 lbs. Should the Pre-Seeds hold up to be final I could not ask for a better seed. Also I thought Vito was the best competition for Lee at 57 kg and he is not competing.
Former Iowa Hawkeye star World champion and Olympic Silver medalist Thomas Gilman is the #2 seed. I believe we will see a Lee-Gilman final at 57 kg with Lee winning the Olympic spot.
We all know the stats of Spencer Lee. Three-time World Freestyle champ in Cadet/Juniors. Three-time NCAA National champion at the University of Iowa.
This is the first World or Olympic Trials that Lee has competed in at the Senior level.
I do not have a lot else to say except It’s Time!
Let’s get ’em in the middle.
57 kg Pre-Seeds
Challenge Tournament
- Zane Richards (Illini WC/Titan Mercury WC)
- Thomas Gilman (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
- Daton Fix (Cowboy WC/Titan Mercury WC)
- Spencer Lee (Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)
- Nico Megaludis (Pitt WC/Titan Mercury WC)
- Nick Suriano (Sunkist Kids WC)
- Liam Cronin (Nebraska WTC)
- Daniel DeShazer (Gopher WC-RTC)
- Luke Lilledahl (X-Calibur Athletics WC)
- Jax Forrest (Bishop McCourt)
- Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg WC)
Schedule for 2024 Olympic Trials
***All times listed are CST
Friday, April 19
9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Session I – Challenge Tournament Preliminaries, Quarterfinals and Consolation Rounds, for all styles and weight classes. (Note: all Championship matches will be held prior to the consolation rounds)
5:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. – Session II – Challenge Tournament Semifinals and Finals, all styles and weight classes
Saturday, April 20
9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Session III – Round One of Best-of-Three Championship Series, all styles and weight classes, plus Round Two of Best-of-Three Championship Series in the five weight classes not yet qualified for the Olympics. Also the completion of the Challenge Tournament consolation semifinals, consolation finals, third place bouts and True third (in necessary)
5:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. – Session IV – Round Three of Best-of-Three Championship Series (if necessary) in the five weight classes not yet qualified for the Olympics. Followed by Round Two and Round Three (if necessary) in the 13 weight classes qualified for the Olympic Games. The session concludes with the presentation of the U.S. Olympic Team.
Men’s Freestyle Pre-Seeds: https://www.themat.com/news/2024/april/15/men-s-freestyle-pre-seeds-released-for-u-s-olympic-team-trials-wrestling
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
