Takedown Report

USA Wrestling – Gary Abbott’s Blog : Top 10 wrestling stories of 2019

TDR Editor’s Notes; One of the best wrestling writers in the country has his annual list of top stories and events. It is well worth reading all of it.
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BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING 
It has become a holiday tradition for me to take a break from the daily grind, and look back on the year in wrestling which is coming to an end. Putting together an annual Top 10 list of wrestling stories is not always an easy task, as there have been a ton of great achievements and amazing athletes to consider. With the Senior Nationals being held in late December, right before Christmas, I had a late start doing the research for this story. But as in other years, it is truly enjoyable going back in time, pulling together the details of these events, and trying to craft a column to share with the wrestling community. This is one of the ways I enjoy my holiday season.
The 2019 year had a variety of great stories. Here is my top 10 list of 2019:
1. Adeline Gray wins record fifth World title – You have to give credit where it is due. Our top story of the year is about the same great athlete as it was last year. Adeline Gray set the new record for career Senior World gold medals by claiming her fifth World title with a powerful performance in Nur-Sultan, Kazakshtan. Gray was dominant. She opened the tournament with three straight technical falls. In the semifinals, she won a smart 5-1 decision over past World champion Aline Focken of Germany. Her finals was another masterful 4-2 win over Hiroe Suzuki of Japan. She did this only a short time after having surgery on her hands over the summer, a major obstacle which could not slow her down. Facing a loaded weight class, Gray continues to set the standard when it most counts. Gray moved ahead of four-time Senior World champions John Smith, Tricia Saunders and Jordan Burroughs with her victory. Next up in 2020 is a run at the Olympic gold which has eluded her. Without doubt, Adeline Gray is an all-time great, with even more achievements ahead of her to look forward to.

2. Kyle Dake and J’den Cox repeat as World champions – Winning a World title is a tremendous feat. Repeating as a World champion takes that achievement up to an even higher level. After winning 2018 World titles in Budapest, Hungary, Kyle Dake and J’den Cox decided to remain in their non-Olympic weight classes for one more year to defend their turf. Dake spent much of the season recovering from injury, and needed to delay his 79 kg Final X series to a Special Wrestle-off, beating Alex Dieringer in a Special Wrestle-off in Texas. Cox defeated college star Bo Nickal in his 92 kg Final X matchup. At the Worlds in Nur-Sultan, Cox took care of business first. He shut out all four of his opponents on the way to gold, outscoring them 26-0. In the finals, he beat a regular opponent, Alireza Karimimachiani of Iran, 4-0. The next night was Dake’s turn in the finals. All four of his opponents were from former Soviet republics. After a tech-fall win in his opener, Dake beat Russian Gadzhi Nabiev 5-1 in the quarters and Uzbekistan veteran Rashid Kurbanov in the semifinals, 6-1. For the second straight year, Dake faced tough Jabrayil Hasanov of Azerbaijan in the finals … Rest of this excellent summary of this year’s wrestling events at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/December/27/Abbott-Blog-Top-10-wrestling-stories-of-2019?fbclid=IwAR3IWPAKaealtYGFY0Wk33_YwUlaWLMtDkbcln2ROY_yjM6ZvnGcYOYWnzE

December 28, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized