By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling
Four Olympic wrestling medalists from the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, have notified USA Wrestling that they will accept their position on the U.S. World Team that will compete at the 2021 Senior World Championships in Oslo, Norway, October 2-10.

According to the 2021 World Team Selection Procedures, “The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Medalist, if competing at the same weight class, will receive the automatic selection to the 2021 World Team at that same weight.”

These four Olympic medalists will accept their selection to the 2021 World Team and compete at the same weight class where they wrestled at the Olympic Games: Olympic champion and 2009 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner David Taylor (86 kg in men’s freestyle), Olympic silver medalist Kyle Snyder (97 kg in men’s freestyle), Olympic bronze medalist Helen Maroulis (57 kg in women’s freestyle) and Olympic bronze medalist Kyle Dake (74 kg in men’s freestyle).

Maroulis and Snyder are both two-time Olympic medalists, and have both won two Senior World titles. Dake won Senior World titles in 2018 and 2019. Taylor was a 2018 Senior World champion.

These decisions affect the upcoming 2021 World Team Trials at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., September 11-12. With the acceptance of their World Team berths, there will not be any competition at the following weight classes in Lincoln, men’s freestyle (74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg) and women’s freestyle (57 kg).

The United States won nine medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, so five additional medalists will have until August 15 to notify USA Wrestling what their decision will be concerning the 2021 Senior World Championships.

The five Olympic medalists who have not yet notified USA Wrestling are Olympic champion Gable Steveson (125 kg in men’s freestyle), Olympic champion Tamyra Mensah Stock (68 kg in women’s freestyle), silver medalist Adeline Gray (76 kg in women’s freestyle), Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Gilman (57 kg in men’s freestyle) and Olympic bronze medalist Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg in women’s freestyle).

In addition, one U.S. athlete finished fifth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Jacarra Winchester (53 kg in women’s freestyle. According to the 2021 World Team Selection Procedures, “Athletes who wrestled for a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and stay at the Olympic weight category or choose to move one adjacent weight category (10 weights) will be placed into the semi-finals of that weight.” Winchester has not yet notified USA Wrestling of her decision.

Please note, a 2020 Olympic medalist who chooses to change weight classes would have to compete in the World Team Trials at that adjacent weight class, and would advance to the semi-finals in the new weight class.

USA Wrestling will announce any additional acceptances by 2020 Olympic medalists of World Team berths as they are received.

The 2021 World Championships in Oslo will be conducted in the 10 World Championship weight classes in each of the wrestling disciplines, for a total of 30 weight classes. These weight classes are:
Men’s freestyle: 57 kg, 61 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 74 kg, 79 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 97 kg, 125 kg
Women’s freestyle: 50 kg, 53 kg, 55 kg, 57 kg, 59 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg, 76 kg
Greco-Roman: 55 kg, 60 kg, 63 kg, 67 kg, 72 kg, 77 kg, 82 kg, 87 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg

The World Team Trials in Lincoln will be held at the World Championships weight classes, except for those weight classes in which a 2020 Olympic medalist accepts automatic selection to the 2021 World Team at that same weight class.