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SPORTS A21
Tuesday 12 April 2016
Wrestler Jordan Burroughs headed to Rio Olympics
LUKE MEREDITH Gray said. than two years with a stun-
AP Sports Writer Dennis completed his ning 10-0 win over fellow
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — comeback to the sport af- former Iowa Hawkeye Tony
Jordan Burroughs’ wife, ter an absence of more Ramos in just 64 seconds.q
Lauren, wrote him a note
before his Olympic Team Jordan Burroughs celebrates after beating Andrew Howe in their
Trials match on Sunday tell- 75-kilogram freestyle finals match at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling
ing him he was destined for Team Trials, Sunday, April 10, 2016, in Iowa City, Iowa.
greatness.
Burroughs made sure his Associated Press
wife was the first person he
thanked after securing his quickness, athleticism and Ohio State despite giving
spot in the Rio Games. balance led to a domi- up about 40 pounds to his
Burroughs, a three-time nant finals performance opponent.
world champion and a capped when he won his Varner, 30, won the first
defending Olympic gold second match in just 86 match on criteria after
medalist, rolled past An- seconds. posting two takedowns.
drew Howe 9-3 and 10-0 in Burroughs, who was single But the younger Snyder
a best-of-three finals series. when he captured his first wore Varner down over the
Burroughs, considered by Olympic title in London four final two matches, outscor-
many as the best pound- years ago, held year-old ing Varner 10-1 in their final
for-pound freestyle wres- son Beacon in his arms af- two matches.
tler in the world, will be a ter the match and asked “I watched the 2012 Olym-
heavy favorite to repeat him if he wanted pizza. pics and I was like ‘Shoot.
as an Olympic champion Dad had a feast planned If I want to make the Olym-
in the 74-kilogram class in as well, having already pics I have to be that guy,’”
August. scouted out a 24-hour said Snyder, then just 16.
Burroughs celebrated by doughnut shop in Iowa City “When you’ve got some-
embracing his family in the for a late-night celebration. body like that in your class
stands and flipping his sin- “It’s changed everything, you have to train as hard
glet into the crowd. but it’s changed nothing,” as you possibly can.”
“The difference between Burroughs said about be- Gray has been touted for
legends and just great coming a father. “The ap- years as America’s best
athletes is consistency. I re- proach has always been chance for its first women’s
ally prepare for these mo- to be the best in the world, Olympic gold medal. She
ments,” Burroughs said. one of the best ever.” was by far the class of the
Twenty-year-old Kyle Sny- Snyder’s stunning run to a women’s freestyle division,
der, the youngest world world title last summer in Las winning on technical supe-
champion in U.S. history, Vegas served notice that riority in two straight match-
qualified for his first Olym- he might join Burroughs as es.
pics at 97 kilograms. Snyder America’s next major wres- “America is so great in so
beat Jake Varner, the 2012 tling star. Snyder only add- many ways. We need an
London Games gold med- ed to his growing legend Olympic gold medal for
alist, 4-4, 4-0 and 6-1. by winning the most recent women’s freestyle wrestling
Women’s 75-kilogram free- NCAA heavyweight title for and I’m going to do that,”
style star Adeline Gray, a
three-time world cham-
pion, is also headed to Rio
after beating Victoria Fran-
cis 11-0 and 10-0.
Daniel Dennis (57 kilo-
grams, freestyle), Andy
Bisek (75 kilograms, Greco-
Roman) and Robby Smith
(heavyweight, Greco-Ro-
man) clinched Olympic
bids as well on Sunday.
But perhaps only Gray was
as impressive as Burroughs,
whose unique blend of
