International Wrestling – # 3

SPORTS

Hidlay brothers stay ready for shot at the Olympics

Loss of NCAA Championships cuts deep

By Andrew Kalista (FOX43)
Published:  March 23, 2020
RALEIGH, N.C. — This past weekend was supposed to be a celebration of the college wrestling season with the NCAA National Championships in Minneapolis. That did not happen.  The Hidlay brothers from Mifflin County High School were two of seven area wrestlers set to compete for college gold. A opportunity lost for them and so many others. “You kind of want to think it is not real, I think that is what a lot of us were feeling leading up to it” That was the reaction of Hayden Hidley, when the NC State junior heard about the cancellation of the NCAA Wrestling Championships which was like a take-down on the entire wrestling community.  “You train all year for it and to have it not happen is heart breaking'” says Wolfpack freshman and younger brother Trent. “You know in our sport the NCAA Championships are the pinnacle of the season.” …. story and video at https://www.fox43.com/article/sports/hidlay-brothers-stay-ready-for-shot-at-the-olympics/521-4a6f4b69-7424-4e41-9ba5-147ab950e2a9?mc_cid=a94878ac8d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

How Olympic hopefuls are dealing with uncertainty and training interruptions, from baking to online Zumba classes
U.S. wrestling champion Joe Rau is learning to bake. Three-time Olympic long jumper Tyrone Smith is binge-watching Netflix and building a Lego race car. Rhythmic gymnasts Yelyzaveta Merenzon and Elizaveta Pletneva — teammates in a sport in which synchronization is paramount — are taking online Zumba classes alone in their respective homes. As the calls grow for the Summer Games to be postponed because of the coronavirus and the International Olympic Committee gives itself until mid-April to make a decision, local Olympic hopefuls have been forced to find creative ways to train and keep their minds off a potentially devastating blow to long-held dreams. It’s a task undertaken amid great uncertainty, as the athletes no longer can access their training facilities, practice with their teams or compete in qualifying competitions. “Everything I’ve done with my life over the past four years has been with the Olympics in mind,” said Rau, a Chicago native and the United States’ top Greco-Roman wrestler in the 87-kg weight class. “And all of a sudden, I have no idea what’s going to happen. I can’t practice. I can’t work out like I normally do. What am I supposed to do with all this free time?” …. story at https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-olympic-athletes-tokyo-20200322-2axzl4vzzrdulced2dppwmdx3i-story.html?mc_cid=0750227b4f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

‘It’s bigger than sports right now’: Former OSU wrestling champion supports postponing Olympics
Amar Dhesi clinched a spot with Team Canada after his performance at the Pan American Olympic Qualifiers.Author: Orlando Sanchez
March 24, 2020
PORTLAND, Ore. — Corvallis, Oregon is a special place for Amar Dhesi. “Oregon State will always be a part of my life and my journey. I thank my coaches so much for giving me the opportunity. I was just a small-town kid from a place that never had anyone go to a Division 1 school.” From Surrey, B.C., to Oregon State University, Dhesi is an all-american, PAC-12 champion and now an olympian, clinching a spot with Team Canada after his performance at the Pan American Olympic Qualifiers. “It was a surreal moment for me. I really didn’t grasp what I had done because it was just such a big moment leading up and waiting for it for so long,” said Dhesi. “I’m more excited for my family and everybody than for myself really, just because they put so much time and work into me.” Reality hit after returning home from the event and experiencing the impact coronavirus was having on the world. “It was tough because I had to self-isolate when I came back home. I was even reluctant to give my dad a hug after I made the Olympics, so it’s been a tough process altogether.” …. story at https://www.kgw.com/article/sports/former-osu-wrestling-champion-supports-olympics-postponement/283-0f88982a-7f48-4a65-8dac-4687ab1af530?mc_cid=0750227b4f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Coronavirus NJ: Wrestler Frank Molinaro says Olympic postponement was ‘right decision’
Frank Molinaro had the ending to his brilliant wrestling career all planned out. “My plan was to wrestle at Bryce Jordan Center (the Penn State University arena where the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials were going to take place April 4-5) and it was Tokyo or bust,” Molinaro said, referring to the site of the Olympic Games originally planned for this summer. “I was either going to make it to Tokyo, and I felt like I was in a great position to do that, or I was going to take my shoes off and retire at Penn State.’’ All those plans are now on hold, with the Summer Olympics being postponed to 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. “It was shaping up to be a great ending to my career,” Molinaro laughed. Molinaro has had one of the most decorated careers in the history of New Jersey wrestling. He won three NJSIAA championships at Southern Regional from 2005-2007. He won his first state title by defeating a Winslow Township junior named Jordan Burroughs 2-1 on an escape in the final seconds of the ultimate tiebreaker in the 2005 125-pound final. …. story at https://www.app.com/story/sports/2020/03/26/coronavirus-nj-wrestler-frank-molinaro-says-olympic-postponement-right-decision/5080966002/?mc_cid=5dfdb1c828&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Cox gears up for new challenge amid Olympics chaos
J’den Cox doesn’t usually like to express his opinions on social media. But on Sunday, with nearly all of the sports sphere shut down from COVID-19 and the 2020 Summer Olympics still up in the air, the former Missouri wrestler and Olympic medalist shared on Twitter that he would not be a part of the Games in Tokyo, as scheduled. Two days later, the International Olympic Committee announced its decision to postpone the Games. “I’m not going to put somebody’s life or health behind my dream,” Cox told the Missourian on Wednesday. “I’ve never told any of the athletes or anyone that they can’t be angry or they can’t be sad. It’s with a heavy heart that I say these things. It’s not like it doesn’t affect me.” While Cox said that he wasn’t trying to use his high-profile platform to speak for everyone, he is certainly someone people in the sports world look up to, according to Missouri volunteer assistant coach and United States wrestler Dom Bradley. Both Cox and Bradley, who also intended to compete in the Olympic wrestling qualifiers this summer, said that while their health is important, they don’t want to risk the lives of those who might be more vulnerable to the virus. …. story at https://www.columbiamissourian.com/sports/mizzou_sports/cox-gears-up-for-new-challenge-amid-olympics-chaos/article_56805996-6ef7-11ea-9d83-57810c6b27b1.html?mc_cid=5dfdb1c828&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Qualified athletes for Tokyo 2020 to keep places at rearranged Olympic Games
Athletes who had qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will keep their places at the rescheduled event after it was postponed until no later than the summer of 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave the guarantee on a teleconference call with 33 International Federations yesterday, multiple sources familiar with the talks told insidethegames. It is expected that the athlete quotas for each sport will remain the same following the decision to delay the Games after the World Health Organization warned the COVID-19 pandemic was accelerating. The IOC said last week that 57 per cent of the 11,000 athletes had qualified for Tokyo 2020. …. story at https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1092472/ioc-confirm-athletes-keep-olympic-places?mc_cid=1270ffe756&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Olympic dream delayed one year for Brighton wrestler representing San Marino
When the disappointing news broke, Myles Amine leaned upon the mindset that helped him become a world-class wrestler. “I try to stay optimistic at all times,” he said …. story at https://www.livingstondaily.com/story/sports/olympics/2020/03/29/olympic-dream-delayed-one-year-brighton-wrestler-myles-amine/2921161001/?mc_cid=1270ffe756&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Vallimont’s last chance to make U.S. Olympic Wrestling team in limbo
Dan Vallimont made up his mind that this would be the last chance to fulfill his dream of competing at the Olympics. The 33-year-old wrestler, who was a two-time All-American at Penn State and won a pair of state titles at Jefferson, knows that time is running out. Vallimont competed in the U.S. Olympic trials in 2016 at 74 kilograms (163 pounds), but fell short in the quarterfinals. Four years later, he was ready for one last shot to reach his dream. Vallimont was set to compete in the Last Chance Qualifier for the Olympic trials at that same weight this past weekend in Millersville, Pa., until the coronavirus pandemic forced qualifying to be postponed. Then, on Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee made the call to postpone this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo to 2021. “There’s two sides to it: There’s a lot of things that are bigger than sports. The health of the entire world is obviously one of them. At the same time, it’s saddening that it has to be this way,” Vallimont said Wednesday after the news. “There’s athletes, coaches and families and people all over the world that were looking forward to this event as something to rally around and get behind and really enjoy. It’s unfortunate that that’s not going to be able to happen as scheduled.” It was a difficult realization for Vallimont, who acknowledged that this Olympic cycle will likely be his last. …. story at https://www.njherald.com/sports/20200328/vallimonts-last-chance-to-make-us-olympic-wrestling-team-in-limbo?mc_cid=1270ffe756&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

April 9, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized