Takedown Report

Olympic Medalist J’den Cox Wins Spot On World Team

J’den Cox punched his return ticket to the wrestling world championships with a win over the NCAA wrestler of the year on Saturday. The win came at the first Final X competition at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Cox defeated Bo Nickal, a three-time NCAA champion from Penn State, by scores of 4-2 and 5-0 in the 92 kg. weight class, advancing to a world or Olympic team for the fourth time. Nickal, who was named the 2019 Dan Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s top college wrestler, won 30 consecutive matches on his way to a third national championship with Penn State this year. He also won the 2019 U.S. Open, qualifying him for the showdown with Cox.

The victory will result in Cox looking for his fourth consecutive medal on the world stage since 2016. He won a bronze medal in his Olympic debut in Rio in 2016, and followed that up with a bronze medal at the 2017 world championships and a gold medal at the 2018 world championships. Cox was one of 14 wrestlers to secure world team berths on Saturday. The second Final X competition, which will determine the remainder of the world team, is June 15 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The 2019 World Wrestling Championships are in September in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

Nick Gwiazdowski, a bronze medalist at the last two world championships, secured his spot on the world team with a wild victory over Gable Steveson in the 125 kg. weight class. Gwiazdowski won both matches, which were tied at the end of regulation, on rules criteria. He clinched the victory by scoring the final point in a 3-3 tie in the second match. Also winning in men’s freestyle was Zain Retherford at 65 kg. Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/News/2019/June/08/Olympic-Medalist-Jden-Cox-Wins-Spot-On-Wrestling-World-Team?mc_cid=ab4be7a114&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

June 10, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized