The 2024 Zagreb Open has been hailed as the starting point for the 2024 Paris Olympics. With some of the nation’s best wrestling talents headed to Croatia for the year’s first major event, Team USA’s hopes for a sensational time weren’t unfounded. Keeping pace with the high expectations, the freestyle wrestlers secured multiple places on the podium. However, it looks like the Greco-Roman contingent is facing tougher luck than their compatriots when it comes to starting off their road to the French capital in style.
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Spencer Woods won the 2023 Senior Nationals and made a bold statement after his win. And yet, his hopes to begin the new year with a pivotal performance took a major setback as the Army WCAP athlete failed to reach the final rounds of the Zagreb Open.
Zagreb Open offers peanuts for Greco-Roman wrestlers
The USA sent a number of world-class wrestlers to Croatia, including three Olympians. Moreover, the 2018 silver medalist Adam Coon, and former World Team members Peyton Omania, Benjamin Peak, Spencer Woods, Alan Vera, Josef Rau, and RaVaughn Perfinas added to USA Greco-Roman wrestling depth. Among them, Woods’ recent Senior Nationals triumph made him a formidable name on the list. However, things didn’t pan out according to his plans.
Spencer Woods finished the Zagreb Open in the 27th spot after a staggering 9-1 defeat to Serbia’s Aleksandr Komarov in 87 Kg bracket. After winning last year’s nationals, Woods proclaimed, “You’re going to have to kill me to beat me“. But it seems like his words didn’t supply enough steam to his winning mentality as he failed to reach the final rounds of the tournament.
On the other hand, it wasn’t like Woods’ Greco-Roman comrades faired any better either. Sunkist Kids member Benjamin Peak left the tournament with a 40th place finish, after being subdued by Italian Riccardo Abbrescia. New York Athletic Club wrestler Ravaughn Perkins was disqualified and finished the event in 39th place. Both Peak and Perkins competed in the 77kg weight class.
Freestyle wrestlers help to maintain balance
While the Greco-Roman wrestling stars found it difficult to make their mark in the Zagreb Open, the freestyle athletes claimed better performance so far. Wrestling icon Kayla Miracle won silver in the 62kg category while Spencer Woods & Co. took a stumble. In the 68kg weight class, Forrest Molinari also secured silver.
Among the men’s freestyle events, Jason Nolf (74Kg bracket) and Nate Jackson(92Kg bracket) kept the country’s elite wrestling reputation alive by winning gold medals. Now, as the Greco-Roman wrestlers have one more day to secure a place on the podium, it remains to be seen what fate has in store for Team USA.
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Purva Jain