Gotta root for Pico tonight. Pico, Stieber, and Retherford are going to have some great battles at this weight class. Future is bright. Molinaro is a step back imo, still gotta qualify the weight.
NaTo-Escobedo in R1...don't believe they've ever wrestled? Should be a tight one. Megaludis-Colon, another amazing match--and it's the first match of the day, I believe. Nahshon-Graff in quarter finals if Nahshon gets past Tadzhimetov...yowza, can't wait for that one. I think the seeds hold to the semis with Ramos-Scott and Dennis-Graff, but I could see upsets from there.
4 pointer for Molinaro! 4-2 Molinaro with a minute to go. Being challenged. Looked like it might just be 2. And it indeed is 2. 2-2 Molinaro winning on criteria, Pico needs to score with 40 seconds to go! Pico gets a takedown with 15 seconds to go! 4-2 Pico! Pico takes the first match!! Pico has gassed every wrestler he's faced so far. He's just so heavy on that head, a true phenom. Incredible that he's a teenager. Only bad part about his success today is that it likely ends any chance of him going into MMA any time in the next 4 years, where he's a top, top prospect in the sport.
What's Pico's story? Didn't want to wrestle in college? Strictly Freestyle? I know he trains with the Russians
He went pro after his sophomore year of high school. Didn't have any desire to wrestle folkstyle, which makes sense. He's also a top, top MMA prospect (he has a boxing background as well) and already signed a deal with Bellator, but he won't focus on MMA until after 2020. He'd be a senior in high school right now.
First time watching Olympic style wrestling today. Folkstyle is much more interesting than free, and greco is about as interesting as womens basketball
There are certain elements of Freestyle I like much more than Folkstyle. Basically everything actually, except for tiebreakers. It won't happen any time soon but the US really should make the move to freestyle.
Yeah I'm watching it as well and agree on the excitement level. We freestyle'd in the summer during high school because it was supposed to help with throwing but I never threw so it didn't make sense to me. I wish I would have done a JRob camp instead.
I'm not a fan of the scoring system for free. The current NCAA rules are pretty good to enforce high level, aggressive wrestling. Something a little more boring about this style overall, though Pico - Tank 1 was pretty good.
Molinaro with zero offense all match and wins 4-3 on a counter early in the 2nd. Boo. They will go to a 3rd match to decide the olympic trial champ.
That takedown from the quick whistle was kinda gay. Quick question, what's considered the peak age for wrestlers?
Depends it's like baseball - Dave Schultz won his last gold at age 35 (World Cup) Mark I think was in his late 20's. Kerry McCoy is 41 and doesn't wrestle anymore, Sanderson is 36 and has hung it up. The sport is a bitch on your back and knees
Molinaro does it! 4-4 on criteria! Incredible, he beats the past of 65KG USA wrestling in Metcalf then the future in Stieber and Pico.
I guess the brackets I posted last night were inaccurate? 57: Colon over Blanc 15-10 in a wild one Nahshon over Escobedo 12-9 (wow) NaTo continues his dominance of Nico with a 4-3 win after a last second takedown! Waters over Tazhimetov 10-3 (Truman) 74: Mark Hall over Logan Massa 13-11 in a battle of future stars (great match) Vallimont over Dombrovskiy 5-0 Levalley over Godley 6-3 86: Cox over Foster with a takedown with 15 seconds left to win 7-7 on criteria! (Truman) Ruth over Winn 10-0 (Looks like he is hungry--dangerous) R Perry over Caldwell 10-4 Trotman upsets Reader 9-6 after a late call is overturned in his favor QUARTERFINALS: 57: Ramos-Garrett!!!! Scott-Colon Dennis-Waters Graff-Tomasello 74: Howe-M Hall Dieringer-A Hall!!! Marable-Vallimont C Perry-LeValley 86: Herbert-Cox!! Ruth-Gavin Taylor-Trotman Dake-R Perry The semis at 86....oh my. Herbert-Ruth and Taylor-Dake??? Yes please.
97 KG: Francois over Burak 2-1 (All pushouts) Gadson over Kleinschmidt 3-2 (Gadsen has Olympic rings shaved into the back of his head, which will look pretty silly tomorrow morning) Kilgore over Cabell 7-5 Byers over Felix 4-3 All close matches here. QUARTERS: Varner-Francois Gadson-Schiller Michalak-Kilgore Bergman-Byers
First takedown in Garrett-Ramos goes to Nahshon with the double!! Pushout Nahshon!!! 3-0! Nahshon lifts Ramos, can't finish, and Ramos sneaks behind to finish a takedown! 3-2 Nahshon still, under 30 seconds left! Nahshon gets hit with two cautions late, the last with 13 seconds left, Ramos gets the caution point and wins 3-3 on criteria. 57kg QF: Ramos over Garrett 3-3 Scott over Colon 14-4 (leg laces) Dennis over Waters 9-2 Graff big brothers Tomasello 10-0 (amazing how good he looks) 74kg QF: Howe over M Hall 10-0 (Hall just not ready for that level wrestler yet) Dieringer 10-4 over A Hall (he's good) Perry over LeValley 6-0 Marable over Vallimont 3-0
God, one of NBC's 4 cameras goes out and it just happens to be the Cox-Herbert match. Cox is up 2-0 early.
Depends who you ask. I'd certainly say so, but a lot thought he could go deep. Certainly not many figured he'd beat Herbert 8-1, if anyone.
Late 2 for dake on insane scramble to go up 8-7!!!! He gets an extra 2 with Perry in desperation mode to win 10-7. Dake-Taylor part 39 coming up in semis. Varner looks like Varner in 11-0 beating of Francois.
Did Herbert leave his shoes on the mat? Mat 3 announcer was speculating it would happen but Mat 4 wasn't working. Fucking NBC
Gadson-Schiller tied 2-2 in the 2nd, Gadson starts throwing Schiller all over the place and techs him 13-2! Olympic rings don't look stupid, yet.
A confusing chain of events and lost challenge leads to Kilgore beating Michalak late. Bergman over Byers 7-2
Yeah I got it back for Taylor's match, but no one said if Herbert left his shoes in the center of the mat and retired.
Noooooo Ramos wins because he had two takedowns and Scott had two 1's! Wow. Coleman Scott even celebrated, and Ramos was walking off the mat before they realized the situation.