www.amazingawaits.org Today marks the one-year mark prior to the start of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. USA Wrestling, and all of the major wrestling nations, are busy in the preparation for the qualification process for the Olympic Games and the preparation for the competition at the Beijing Games. With one year to go, TheMat.com previews the U.S. athletes in all three styles who are expected to challenge for spots on the Olympic Team, as well as information on the qualification process for the wrestling tournament. 2008 Outlook U.S. Wrestling Team Outlook The U.S. will have a mixed group of athletes seeking Olympic glory in 2008, with some veteran wrestlers with past Olympic and World experience battling for spots against young challengers who have recently made a mark on the international scene within each discipline - freestyle, Greco and Women's. In 2004, the U.S. Wrestling Team won a combined seven medals in wrestling at the Olympic Games, with three medals in freestyle - one gold, and two silvers; one bronze medal in Greco-Roman; and silver and bronze in women's wrestling. Only Russia won more medals, as the USA remains one of the world powers in international wrestling. Under the guidance and direction of national team coaches; Kevin Jackson of the U.S. Freestyle Team, Steve Fraser of the U.S. Greco-Roman Team and Terry Steiner of the U.S. Women's Team, athletes are currently preparing for the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, September 17-23. The 2007 World Championships has special importance, as it is the first qualifying event for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The top eight athletes in each weight class qualify their nation for the Olympic Games. A following series of events will complete the field for Beijing during early 2008. Freestyle Outlook for Beijing… During the Athens Olympic Games, the men's freestyle team won three medals; one gold by Cael Sanderson at the 84 kg/185 lb weight class; and two silver medals by Stephan Abas at the 55kg/121 lb. weight class and Jamill Kelly at the 66 kg/145 lb. weight class. Of these medalists, only Abas returns to the mat as the "Road to Beijing" unfolds, although he has battled a series of injuries in recent seasons. There are a number of World or Olympic medalists in the U.S. program right now, but just one, Joe Williams at 185 pounds, holds a No. 1 position in his weight class in freestyle. Williams, a two-time World bronze medalist and 2004 Olympian, has moved up one weight class from 163 pounds, where he dominated U.S. opponents for years. Another veteran on the U.S. freestyle team is 2004 Olympian Daniel Cormier at 211.5 pounds. Cormier has been on every U.S. team since 2003, and seeks his first World-level medal. Cormier is being pushed for this spot by talented 2005 World Team member Mo Lawal. The 2007 U.S. team is full of first-time World team members, led by the exciting young Henry Cejudo at 121 pounds, a 2006 Junior World silver medalist who won a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. Other newcomers to watch include World University Games champion Tommy Rowlands at 264.5 pounds, along with Doug Schwab at 145.5 pounds and Joe Heskett at 163 pounds. The 132-pound spot is not yet set, as World University Games champion Nate Gallick must battle 2006 World silver medalist Mike Zadick for the team. Russia remains the top power in international freestyle wrestling, after the most successful performance during the last two Olympic cycles, both the 1997-2000 quadrennium as well as the recently 2001-2004 quadrennium. For the second straight Olympic Games, Russia won the most medals in freestyle. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Russia won five medals, including three individual champions. The U.S. had a tremendous performance at the 2006 World Championships, placing third in the team standings and winning four medals. Veteran Bill Zadick won the World title at 145.5 pounds and his younger brother Mike won a silver medal at 132 pounds. Bronze medals were captured by 2000 Olympic silver medalist Sammie Henson at 121 pounds and Donny Pritzlaff at 163 pounds. All of these medalists will have difficult battles just making the 2008 U.S. team, which looks to have many young talents in the hunt for team spots. Greco-Roman Outlook for Beijing… The United States has developed a veteran group of Greco-Roman stars, all who have legitimate chances to win Olympic medals if they can qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. In the seven Greco-Roman weight classes, U.S. wrestlers have won World or Olympic medals in five of the weights, and have fifth-place performances in the other two. The same athletes have made the last three U.S. World Teams in six of the seven weight classes, a remarkable record of consistency. Leading the pack are past World champions Dremiel Byers at 264.5 pounds and Joe Warren at 132 pounds. Byers won his World title in 2002, and has held down the top spot in this division ever since the retirement of two-time Olympic medalist Rulon Gardner. Warren claimed his gold medal at the 2006 World Championships, where he wrestled with intensity on the way to an impressive victory. The 2006 U.S. Greco-Roman team had perhaps the best performance of any World Team in history, placing third in the standings with three individual medalists. The team was literally one victory away from capturing the team title. In the fall of 2006, the USA placed second in the Greco-Roman World Cup, again its best finish ever. At the 2007 Pan American Games, the U.S. had three individual champions, another impressive feat. Joining Warren on the medal stand at the 2006 World Championships were Lindsey Durlacher at 121 pounds and Harry Lester at 145.5 pounds. Another past medalist in the program is Justin Ruiz, a 2005 World bronze medalist and 2007 Pan American Games champion. The veterans who have placed fifth in the World include 2004 Olympian Brad Vering at 185 pounds plus T.C. Dantzler at 163 pounds. A number of talented young athletes are expected to battle the veterans for Olympic team spots, making the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials something to look forward to. One to watch are Junior and University World medalist Spenser Mango at 121 pounds and veteran Keith Sieracki at 163 pounds. Russia has been the top power in international Greco-Roman wrestling, a legacy it continued after the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Russia won the most medals in Greco-Roman of any nation at the 2004 Olympic Games with four medals, including two golds. Russia has been able to maintain its hold on the top of the standings. However, it no longer has a stranglehold on the event. In the past five years, Russia only won the World Team title once (2002) to go with its Olympic victory. The other nations to win World titles during this four-year cycle were Cuba in 2001, Georgia in 2003, Hungary in 2005 and Turkey in 2006. Because of its depth of talent in Greco-Roman, the potential exists for Russia to put together a truly dominant performance on any specific year. Women's Outlook to Beijing The United States remains one of the top world powers in women's wrestling, in spite of a dip in the standings during the 2006 season. The U.S. was seventh in the team standings at the 2006 World Championships in Guangzhou, China, with two individual bronze medalists. There are four medals to be contested at the 2008 Olympic Games (105.5 pounds, 121 pounds, 138.75 pounds, 158.5 pounds). These are the same as was held at the 2004 Athens Games. In the non-Olympic years, women's wrestling is contested in seven weight classes. Those that are serious about attempting to make the Olympics who are currently in the three "non-Olympic" weights will either move up or down in weight to try out for the U.S. team. Leading the U.S. effort are both Olympic medalists from the 2004 Athens Games, where women's wrestling was introduced for the first time. Sara McMann, who won a silver medal at 138.75 pounds, remains on top of her weight class within the USA, and seeks her first World or Olympic gold. Patricia Miranda, a 2004 Olympic bronze medalist at 105.5 pounds, has since moved up to 112.25 pounds (a non-Olympic weight), where she has won another World medal for the USA. Miranda is expected to drop to 105.5 pounds for the 2008 season, seeking to win another Olympic medal. In 2004, all four of the women who made the Olympic team were competing at the Olympic weight classes during the two seasons prior to the Games. None of the wrestlers who changed division were able to make the team over somebody who was already there. That does not mean it will happen that way again in 2008. A leader on the U.S. team is eight-time World medalist and two-time World champion Kristie Marano at 158.5 pounds. Marano has not yet made an Olympic team, so she is expected to be a strong contender for 2008. Marano will need to be her best, as 2005 World champion Iris Smith is seeking to make the Olympic team at this division as well. At 105.5 pounds, those expected to challenge Miranda include past World silver medalist Stephanie Murata and 2006 U.S. World Team member Mary Kelly. At 121 pounds, first-time U.S. team member Marcie Van Dusen is a top contender, along with two-time World silver medalist Tina George and 2006 U.S. Nationals champion Sharon Jacobson. Top challengers against McMann at 138.75 pounds may be Tori Adams or Randi Miller. Japan continues to be the World power in women's wrestling, with strong teams from China, Canada, Russia and Ukraine battling for medals and position in the standings. Traditionally, the USA has the talent and experience to compete well against all of these nations. Wrestling rules have changed since Athens One of the key changes in Olympic sports has come in the sport of wrestling, which made a series of sweeping rule adjustments starting in 2004. FILA, the international federation, announced "a new world of wrestling" during the Athens Games, and instituted the adjustments starting in 2005. Many fans and journalists will see the new wrestling for the first time in Beijing. The match was changed to a format with three, two-minute periods. Athletes must win two of the three periods to capture a match, similar to tennis and its "sets" (the total score does not matter). A weight class is started and completed in one day, similar to judo. When a wrestler steps out of bounds, his opponent receives a point. Greco-Roman wrestling has had considerable structural changes. Each Greco-Roman period consists of one minute on the feet, then two 30-second periods where each wrestler gets a reverse lock position from the mat. A number of others revisions have been instituted, all with the goal of making wrestling more exciting to watch. 2008 Selection Procedures Qualification for the Olympic Games There are four phases for the qualification of wrestling athletes for the 2008 Olympic Games in wrestling. There will be 266 men in the Greco-Roman and freestyle competitions and 64 women in the women's freestyle event. Seven places go to the Oceania nations and seven are not allocated to be determined by the international federation. In all, there will be 344 wrestlers in Beijing. Phase One is the 2007 World Championships. The top eight athletes in each weight class in all three international styles qualify their nation to compete in the Olympic Games at their weight class. Phase Two is the 2008 Continental Championships. The champions in each weight class from the European, Asian, African and Pan American Championships qualify their nation to compete in that weight class in Beijing. If the champion has already qualified, the next ranked athlete in the division that has not qualified will earn a spot for their nation at the Olympic Games. The 2008 Pan American Championships, where U.S. athletes would have to qualify, will be hosted in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA, Feb. 29 - March 3. Phase Three is the first 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament. The top four men in each weight class and the top two women in each weight class qualify their nation to compete in the 2008 Olympics. The first Olympic Qualification Tournaments will be in Switzerland (freestyle), Tunisia (Greco-Roman) and Canada (women's freestyle) Phase Four is the second 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament. The top three men in each weight class and the top two women in each weight class qualify their nation to compete in the 2008 Olympics. The second Olympic Qualification Tournaments will be in Poland (freestyle), Serbia (Greco-Roman) and Sweden (women's freestyle). China must qualify through the normal qualification procedures. In the event that China does not qualify in some of the weight classes, priority will be given to China's wrestlers from the seven remaining positions determined by FILA. Qualification for the U.S. Olympic Teams for Wrestling USA Wrestling will host a series of qualification competitions, which will lead to the selection of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Teams for wrestling. There are 18 potential U.S. team members, seven in men's freestyle, seven in men's Greco-Roman and four in women's freestyle. The first task for Team USA is to qualify a participant in each of these weight classes through the Olympic qualification system (above). All who enter the U.S. Olympic Trials process must be U.S. citizens and be a minimum of 18 years old on or before December 31, 2008. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling will be held at the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of the Univ. of Nevada-Las Vegas on June 13-15, 2008. In addition to the wrestling event, the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Judo will also be held at that time. This event will determine the U.S. athlete in each weight class who will compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China in August 2008. There are specific qualification procedures for earning a spot in the field at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. For all three of the Olympic styles, these qualifications are consistent: - Past U.S. World and/or Olympic Team members are automatically qualified - Champions in each weight class from the four Olympic Regional Trials events In men's freestyle, the following are the additional qualification criteria: - The top seven place winners in each weight class at the 2008 U.S. National Championships - Champions from the 2008 University Nationals in the seven Olympic weight classes In men's Greco-Roman, the following are the additional qualification criteria: - The top seven place winners in each weight class at the 2008 U.S. National Championships - Champions from the 2008 University Nationals in the seven Olympic weight classes - Champions from the 2008 Interservice Championships In women's freestyle, the following are the additional qualification criteria: - The top seven place winners in the four Olympic weight classes and the top four at the three non-Olympic weight classes at the 2008 U.S. National Championships - Finalists from the four Olympic weight classes and champions from the three non-Olympic weight classes from the 2008 University Nationals - Champions from the seven World Championship weight classes from the Women's College National Championships At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, each weight class will be contested in a one-day format. The event will be a line bracket double elimination (to third place) format. The championship series will be a best of three match competition, with the possibility that the 2008 U.S. Nationals champion may advance directly to the Championship Series. Each style has its own criteria for a U.S. Nationals Champion earning the bye to the finals series at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. They include: Men's Freestyle: Top 10 finish at the 2005, 2006 or 2007 World Championships; 2005 World University Games medalist; Medalist from 2005, 2006 or 2007 Junior World Championships; Multiple-time World Team member. Men's Greco-Roman: Bronze medalist or higher at the 2005, 2006 or 2007 World Championships Women's Freestyle: All of the 2008 U.S. Nationals Champions will advance directly into the Championship series, with the following exception: - If USA Wrestling must participate in the Final Olympic Qualifier and the person participating is not the 2008 U.S. Nationals champion at the weight category. If that individual qualifies the weight class, she will be moved into the No. 2 position and wrestle the winner of the Olympic Trials in a single match. The winner will then wrestle the 2008 U.S. Nationals champion in a best of three series to determine the Olympic Team Trials champion.