Takedown Report

Final X: Rutgers men’s freestyle championship series preview

BY JD RADER, USA WRESTLING | JUNE 04, 2019, 
Final X: Rutgers will feature three men’s freestyle championship series, all of which will be in the second session at 6 p.m. ET.  The six wrestlers who are competing own a total of five Senior World/Olympic medals and six age-level World medals. The Senior medalists are J’den Cox (2x World and 1x Olympic) at 92 kg and Nick Gwiazdowski (2x World) at 125 kg. All of the six age-level World medals won by wrestlers on the Final X: Rutgers card have been gold. The age-level World champions are Gable Steveson (2x Cadet and 1x Junior), Yianni Diakomihalis (2x Cadet), and Zain Retherford (1x Cadet).
Each weight will be a best-of-three showdown with the winner getting to represent Team USA at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, September 14-22.
Session Two – 6 p.m.
Bout 5: men’s freestyle 125 kg – World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn./Minnesota RTC)
At 125 kg it will be a battle between a veteran with two Senior World bronze medals and a young phenom with three age-level World gold medals. Gwiazdowski has earned his two Senior World medals in his two trips to Worlds. Steveson has earned his three age-level World medals in four trips to Worlds. After finishing the NCAA tournament in third place, Steveson came out and defeated US Open champion and Cadet World champion Adam Coon two matches to none, including a 13-3 tech fall, at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament.  Rest of the outlook and story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/June/04/Final-X-Rutgers-MFS-preview?mc_cid=d7768373b1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

June 5, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized