LONDON, England – The first two U.S. men’s freestyle wrestlers who will compete in the 2012 Olympic Games have weighed in and received their draws for their competition on Friday, August 10: Sam Hazewinkel (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs. and 2011 World champion Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs.

“The draw is the draw. I don’t get too hung up on it. You have to wrestle four people in a row. You take them one at a time, and you match strategy for each one of them,” said National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones.

Burroughs drew the No. 9 spot, and will face Francisco Soler of Puerto Rico in the opening round. Soler was second in the 2012 Pan American Olympic Qualifier.

Should Burroughs win, he will face the winner of the match between Matt Gentry of Canada and Narsingh Yadav of India. Gentry, who went to high school in Oregon, was an NCAA champion for Stanford University.  Gentry won the2012  Pan American Olympic Qualifier. Yadav won the final Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Finland.

Also in Burroughs’ half bracket is two-time World champion Denis Tsargush of Russia. Burroughs defeated Targush in the second round of the World Championships, 1-3, 1-0, 2-1 on the way to his World title in Turkey last year.

“With his positioning in the bracket, he is in a great spot. Everyone is looking at where Jordan Burroughs is in the bracket. For Jordan, it is focusing on the first guy, and making sure he gets on a roll,” said Jones.

Jones is pleased with his training coming into the Olympics.

“He is in a place right now where he is wrestling really well. He’s sharp, he’s fast, his weight came off great. He is going to run through some people. He is in a good spot,” said Jones.

Hazewinkel drew the No.  1 spot, and will face 2011 World bronze medalist Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan.

Should Hazewinkel win, he will face the winner of the match between Ahmet Peker of Turkey and David Tremblay of Canada. Peker, a two-time Junior World champion, was second at the 2012 European Olympic Qualifier. Tremblay reached the Olympics by winning the Pan American Olympic Qualifier.

“His preparation has been good. The guy who has made the most improvement in the last two weeks is Sam Hazewinkel. Short time defense is an area he has put time into. Now, that is what he needs to do. He is game, and will take them one match at a time,” said Jones.

Burroughs is competing in his first Olympic Games. He won the gold medal at the 2011 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Since starting his Senior-level freestyle career in the spring of 2011, Burroughs has not lost a match. Among his tournament victories are at the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials, the 2011 Pan American Games, the 2012 Dave Schultz Memorial, international events in Ukraine and Cuba and the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Burroughs is a native of Sicklerville, N.J., where he was a state champion for Winslow Township High School.  He was a two-time NCAA champion and the Dan Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s top college wrestler for the Univ. of Nebraska. He currently trains at Nebraska.

Hazewinkel is competing in his first Olympic Games, and his first Senior World-level tournament. He comes from a family of Olympians, as his father Dave and his uncle Jim both competed in the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games in Greco-Roman wrestling.

He started his international career in Greco-Roman, where he won two U.S. Open national titles and was a runner-up at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Hazewinkel switched to freestyle in 2009. He was a 2012 Pan American Championships champion and a 2011 U.S. Open champion.

Hazewinkel is a native of Pensacola, Fla., where he was a three-time Florida state champion for Pensacola Christian Academy. He attended the University of Oklahoma, where he was a 2007 NCAA runner-up and a four-time All-American. He currently trains at Oklahoma.

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