US Army Wrestling Star of Pan Am Olympic Trials To Receive Major Honor for Olympic Qualification Heroics

Months ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Team USA’s wrestling contingent performed superbly at the Pan Am Olympic Qualifiers in Mexico. At the recently concluded event, the USA’s roster featured 29 medals across all three divisions. The team accumulated overall championship titles in the Men’s, Women’s, and Greco-Roman wrestling divisions to showcase prowess. Among them, A US Army wrestler in the 87kg Greco-Roman category picked up a big win.

With that victory, Spencer Woods also moved to obtain Paris 2024 quotas for the USA. This performance has recently brought him another honor for his cap of accolades. 

A proud achievement for the wrestler who is a ‘soldier first’ 

To share the triumphant news about the recent accomplishment of Spencer Woods, USA Wrestling took it to their official Twitter account and posted a couple of pictures of him competing on the wrestling mat. Along with the pictures, they penned, “Spencer Woods has been named the USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week, presented by @airforcespecwar.“

Spencer Woods is a two-time senior world team member who transitioned from 82kg to 87kg at the 2023 Senior Nationals last year. Recently, Woods showed up at the Pan American Games Wrestling arena. He kicked off his day by securing a win against Ariel Alfonso Rodriguez of Honduras.

Consequently, Spencer came up to compete against a tough opponent, 2020 Olympian, two-time world medalist, and four-time Pan American Champion Daniel Gregorich Hecavarria, at the semifinal showdown. Soon after locking the horns, Spencer began with a takedown to secure 3-2. However, after a lost challenge from the opponent on the final point, Woods clinched the 6-3 decision.

The wrestler who joined the US Army in 2020, loves to describe himself as a soldier first. US Army website quotes him as saying, “I am a U.S. Army Soldier with an awesome opportunity to represent the USA and U.S. Army on a world-class level. I love to compete but I am proud to say that I am a Soldier First.” As Spencer concluded in Pan Ams with Olympic success, he is not the only Greco-Roman qualified for the big event. 

Greco-Romans taking up the spotlight 

On 28th February, the USA’s three Olympic quotas were filled by Greco-roman wrestlers after their remarkable performances at the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifiers. Apart from Spencer Woods’s triumphant victory, Alan Vera and Cohlton Shultz accomplished what they have been dreaming of since the beginning of this season. 

“This is really emotional for me. I missed my chance for Tokyo 2021, but I didn’t give up. I said, OK. I’ll do what I have to do. I just went on the mat and did what I’ve known how to do for 20 years,” said Alan Vera after dominating the opponent Luillys Perez Mora with a 7-1 score at a 97kg matchup. 

Read More: Amidst USA Wrestling’s Olympic Qualification Woes, Here Are Top Wrestlers Who Could’ve Potentially Resolved the Issue

On the other hand, the final berth was accomplished by Cohlton Shultz, who squeaked out a triumphant win over the opponent Moises Perez Hellburg at the 130kg. Interestingly, Shultz managed to push the opponent to secure a 2-1 win. Currently, all three wrestlers are gearing up for the upcoming big event. 

Also Read: Pan American Olympics Qualifiers: USA Wrestling Star Cohlton Schultz Earns Paris 2024 Berth With Flawless Performance