The grand gala of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials took place at Penn State University over two grueling days beginning April 20. With the last Olympic medal in Greco-Roman wrestling won in 2008, this year’s trials had great significance. The spotlight shone brightly on the Greco-Roman division as Payton Jacobson, Joe Rau, and Adam Coon secured their berths on the US Olympic team.

Competing in the 86 kg Greco-Roman category was a new challenge for Payton Jacobson, though he ended up on the U.S. squad. Now, having secured his spot as the seventh seed, the 21-year-old Olympic wrestler revealed the disparity within the wrestling community.

Payton Jacobson highlights American wrestlers’ shortcomings

In a nail-biting finals championship against Spencer Woods, Payton Jacobson won round one 8-2 but lost round two 5-2. However, Jacobson rallied in the third round, winning a hard-fought 3-1 decision to win the championship. Following his victory in the 2024 Olympic Trials, Jacobson expressed a critical concern shared on YouTube Shorts by @Fivepointmove: “Like other countries, like sometimes we’d be winning Cadet, cadet medals but these guys aren’t developing till they’re 18,19. And then they have such a big gap on us because we’re wrestling but they’re just wrestling Greko the whole time.”

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Jacobson stressed the significant developmental gap, saying, “We gotta start getting out guys wrestling Greco more and more in order to grow our sport or else, we’re just never gonna win medals. And that’s part of the complaint in this country. We’re on our way. I really think so.” He urged a shift in attention towards Greco-Roman wrestling from an early age and said, “I started Greko early and I’ve been developed perfectly.” 

His journey to success culminated in victories throughout the challenge tournament, including a quarterfinal win over Richard Carlson and a final victory over John Stefanowicz, which secured his spot on the Olympic team with Josef Rau and Adam Coon. The road to Paris is multifarious, with the World Championships playing a critical part in awarding quotas across wrestling styles.

Wrestling qualification criteria unfurled ahead of the behemoth games

Each style—Freestyle, Women’s Wrestling, and Greco-Roman—were allocated 30 berths, with the World Championships providing five quotas for each of the 18 Olympic divisions. Subsequent continental qualifiers and the World OG Qualifier established Olympic quotas, influencing the makeup of the Paris-bound teams.

Despite the United States’ impressive success at the Tokyo Olympics, when it won medals in nine of the twelve freestyle events, the road to Paris posed fresh challenges. With none of the Olympic champions from Tokyo returning to defend their championships, the US wrestling team faces a new test of skill and flexibility on the international scene. As the wrestling world prepares for the Paris Olympics, Payton Jacobson’s passionate request for increased attention to Greco-Roman wrestling resonates strongly.