U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers prepare to qualify the final four weight classes for the 2004 Olympic Gam

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John Fuller (USA Wrestling)
02/18/2004


Top U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers will seek to qualify the final four weight classes for the nation to compete at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece at an Olympic Qualification Tournament to be held Feb. 28-29 in Novi-Sad, Serbia-Montenegro.    The second Olympic qualifying event will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, March 13-14. Wrestlers who qualify their respective weight classes at the first qualifying tournament will not participate in the second qualifying tournament. Only nations that have not yet qualified at each weight class may enter these Olympic qualifiers.    In order to qualify the weight class for the 2004 Olympic Games, wrestlers must place in the top five at their respective weight class at the first Olympic qualifying tournament. In the second Olympic qualifying tournament, wrestlers must place in the top four at their respective weight classes.    Wrestlers qualifying for the Olympic Games only qualify their weight class for their nation. Olympic Team athlete selection varies by country. Positions on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams will be determined at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Wrestling in Indianapolis, Ind., May 21-23.    Competing at the first Greco-Roman Olympic qualifier for the United States will be Brandon Paulson (Coon Rapids, Minn./Minnesota Storm) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Kevin Bracken (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Darryl Christian (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Garrett Lowney (Freedom, Wis./Minnesota Storm) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.    Paulson won silver medals at the 1996 Olympic Games and the 2001 World Championships and the 2003 Pan American Games. He also placed eighth in the 2002 World Championships. Paulson is a three-time U.S. Nationals champion (2000, 2002-03). In college, Paulson was a 1998 NCAA All-American while at the Univ. of Minnesota.    Bracken is a five-time U.S. World Team member (1998, 2001-03) and a five-time U.S. Nationals champion (1997, 2000-03). He placed sixth at the 2000 Olympic Games. He also competed at Illinois State Univ.    Christian won a silver medal at the 2002 World Cup. He has placed third at the U.S. World Team Trials twice (2002-03) and recently won the 2004 Dave Schultz Memorial International.    Lowney won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. He is a three-time U.S. Nationals champion (2001-03). He was a two-time NCAA All-American for the Univ. of Minnesota (2001-02).    This year, Lowney has made a comeback from a severe neck injury that kept him out of the 2003 Pan American Games and World Championships. He won a silver medal at the 2004 Dave Schultz Memorial International.    Coaching the U.S. wrestlers in Serbia-Montenegro will be USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and USA Wrestling Assistant National Greco-Roman Coach Momir Petkovic (Colorado Springs, Colo.).    Fraser led the U.S. to its best team performance ever at the 2001 World Championships with the United States taking home the third place trophy. He also led the U.S. to strong performances at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games.     As an athlete, Fraser won a gold medal at 90 kg (198 lbs.) at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming the first U.S. wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling.    Petkovic served as a club coach for the New York Athletic Club for six years before joining USA Wrestling in 2002. He was a member of the coaching staffs for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team and the 2001 U.S. World Team.    Petkovic was a 1976 Olympic gold medalist for the former Yugoslavia. He also claimed three World silver medals (1978, 1979, 1981) and a World bronze medal (1977). He placed fourth at the 1984 Olympic Games.    The Olympic qualifying tournaments are phases two and three of the Olympic qualification process. Phase one was the World Championships. In Greco-Roman, the United States qualified three out of seven weight classes for the 2004 Olympic Games, which is achieved by placing in the top 10 at each weight class.    It was possible to place 11th at the World Championships and still qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games. Host-country Greece has automatically qualified all weight classes. If a wrestler from Greece placed in the top 10 at his or her respective weight class, then the 11th-place wrestler qualified his or her country for the 2004 Olympic Games as well.    The United States has already qualified at all seven men's freestyle and all four women's freestyle weights.