2021 OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS

chidy said:
It's surely no "random draw"...
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It's a, 'blind draw' according to USA Wrestling.:cool:

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MPhillips said:
It's a, 'blind draw' according to USA Wrestling.:cool:

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Of course they will say it's a "blind draw" but I think they and the rest of the world knows it's not.

Top side

Turkey- He's got some decent credentials. Most recent being Euro Silver 2019
France- Most recent World Cup 5th (2020) U23 World 5th (2019)
Slovenia- Habat, Euro Bronze 2017

The rest on the top side aren't exactly wrestling hotbeds:
Moldova
Germany
Albania
Columbia
Great Britain
Greece
Italy- Realbuto (Any relation to the Cornell Realbuto's? I noticed there's a Colin Realbuto at UNI. Same person?)
Brazil
Spain

While the bottom side is more loaded with guys with credentials or countries that typically have success on the world stage

Georgia- World Champ 61kg 2019
Poland- World Bronze 2019 (Assuming either 61kg or 70 kg)
Belarus- Euro Silver 2020

Other countries with stronger wrestling traditions than many on the top side:

Ukraine
Bulgaria
Uzbekistan
USA
 
An important thing to keep track of that I'm not sure anyone else has brought up... India is dealing with widespread Covid outbreaks recently and shut down their cricket league this week. If it continues to worsen there, I wouldn't be surprised if they dont send an Olympic team, meaning there will be an extra spot at 65kg. A bronze medal here might actually mean something, like in 2016.
 
Yankeefan33 said:
An important thing to keep track of that I'm not sure anyone else has brought up... India is dealing with widespread Covid outbreaks recently and shut down their cricket league this week. If it continues to worsen there, I wouldn't be surprised if they dont send an Olympic team, meaning there will be an extra spot at 65kg. A bronze medal here might actually mean something, like in 2016.
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That's a very good point. Any other weights they're qualified at?
 
chidy said:
That's a very good point. Any other weights they're qualified at?
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Mens 57kg and 86kg, womens 53kg, 57kg, 62kg. North Korea has already withdrawn and forfeited their two qualifiers in women's weights. Would guess those re-allocations would come soon after this weekends tournament. Just something I've been keeping an eye on from a global perspective.
 
Yankeefan33 said:
Mens 57kg and 86kg, womens 53kg, 57kg, 62kg. North Korea has already withdrawn and forfeited their two qualifiers in women's weights. Would guess those re-allocations would come soon after this weekends tournament. Just something I've been keeping an eye on from a global perspective.
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I wonder where most of the re-allocations will come from? Last chance qualifier would seem like it would make the most sense.
 
chidy said:
I wonder where most of the re-allocations will come from? Last chance qualifier would seem like it would make the most sense.
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The re-allocation process is a tricky one. At the world championships in 2019, three men's wrestlers tested positive for PEDs and had their quotas replaced. I believe they chose the highest scoring wrestler that didn't qualify. UWW's scoring is a bit odd, and I'm honestly not sure of all the scoring rules.
- France's 74kg took bronze and was replaced by Poland, who finished 7th on the other side of the bracket. South Korea also finished 7th, but Poland had a pin in the 1st round while South Korea had a decision, which I think counts for more.
- Syria's 125kg took 5th and was replaced by Kosovo, who he beat in repechage. That seems like an easy decision.
- Uzbekistan's 125kg took bronze and was replaced by Iran, who was not in repechage but did have two wins in the bracket. I believe you receive 3 points for a win and 1 for a loss if you score (0 if you don't score), which would have given Iran 7 points, the most of non-qualified wrestlers.

As of now there are three women's wrestlers who need replacing, the two from North Korea and Sweden's 68kg who tested positive for PEDs.
 
Other notable wrestlers I saw in brackets:
57kg:
Yuki Takahashi, Japan- 2017 world champ, 2018 world bronze. Was beaten out by 2016 Olympic silver medalist Rei Higuchi for the 57kg spot, but Higuchi missed weight at the Asian qualifier and Japan is sending Takahashi instead this weekend.
Reneri Andreu Ortega, Cuba- 2017 and 2019 U23 champ, beaten by Gilman to qualify the weight at PanAm qualifier
Erdenebatyn Bekhbayar- 2015/2017 world bronze

65kg:
Beka Lomtadze, Georgia- 2019 world champ, 2016 world silver
Sebastian Rivera, Puerto Rico- NCAA AA for Northwestern and Rutgers
Ilyas Bekbulatov, Uzbekistan- Maybe the best wrestler in the world to not wrestle at Worlds
Magomedmurad Gadzhiev, Poland- 2019 world bronze, 2017 world silver
David Habat, Slovakia- NCAA AA for Edinboro
Colin Realbuto, Italy- NCAA wrestler for Northern Iowa

74kg:
Malik Amine, San Marino- NCAA wrestler for Michigan
Mitch Finesilver, Israel- NCAA wrestler for Duke
Tajmuraz Salkazanov- 2019 world bronze
Khetag Tsabalov, Serbia- 2017 world silver (lost to Burroughs), 2014 world champ for Russia
Soner Demirtas, Turkey- 2016 Olympic bronze, 2017 world bronze.
Nester Taffur, Colombia- NCAA wrestling for Boston

86kg:
Domenic Abounader, Lebanon- NCAA AA for Lebanon, 3x Ohio state champ for St. Edward
Taimuraz Friev, Spain- 2018 world bronze
Boris Makoev, Slovakia- 2017 world bronze
Sosuke Takatani, Japan- 2014 world silver
Istvan Vereb, Hungary- 2013 world bronze
Ethan Ramos, Puerto Rico- NCAA AA for North Carolina
Purevjavyn Onorbat, Mongolia- 2015 world silver
Ville Heino, Finland- NCAA wrestler for Campbell

97kg:
Abraham Conyedo Ruano, Italy- 208 world bronze
Evan Ramos, Puerto Rico- D2 NCAA wrestler
Albert Saritov, Romania- 2016 Olympic bronze, 2011 world bronze for Russia

125kg:
Jere Heino, Finland- NCAA wrestler for Campbell
 
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Boro Fan said:
JO didn’t get any help with his draw, as it seems all of the top guys are on the bottom half with him (UZB/POL/GEO).

Ohioan Dave Habat is on the other side and has a first round bye
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JO got some late night help with the draw- Bekbulatov missed weight, eliminating himself from the tourney before it even starts. Oliver just won his first match 6-2 and has I think Korea up next, and he's a clear favorite to make the semis. Sometimes, luck is on our side.
 
The bad draw evened itself out. In a seeded bracket the top 2 guys are split (POL and UZB) and JO only has to beat one to make the finals and Q. Now, that’s all he has to do today. Get it done, JO.
 
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So, JO navigates a pretty tough USA field, beating Lee, Yianni, and McKenna (2x) while Zain takes an early exit losing to McKenna. He faces a tough group at the LCQ in Khinchegashvili (GEO), Gadzhiev (POL), and Bekbulatov (UZB) with a blind draw. Khinchegashvili drops out w/ Covid but GEO has a pretty solid backup in Lomtadze. Amazingly, all three of the top competitors draw to JO's half bracket w/ JO facing Bekbulatov in the R16 and Gadzhiev facing Lomtadze in the 1/4s. Then the winners meet in the semis for a spot in Tokyo. But, even more amazingly, Bekbulatov misses weight giving JO a clear path to the semis where he'll likely face the winner of Gadzhiev and Lomtadze. Now, obviously, there are other capable guys in the weight who could junk things up. But JO, who will turn 31 this Saturday, has come a long way since his suspension put him on the back shelf.
 
Finesilver won and is wrestling now. Habat also won.
Haven't seen the other guys yet. Any word on Seabass?
 
Oliver down 3-0 after the 1st period. Oliver hasn't really taken a shot and has been forced out twice. No offense at all from either guy really
 
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