The Olympic Games in Paris have already started and there are fewer and fewer days left before the start of the wrestling competitions at the Olympic Games. And in this article we will introduce 2 wrestlers who should open up and show high results at the Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling.
Spencer Lee (USA, 57 kg)
Spencer Lee is a 25-year-old American wrestler who can overcome and fight for Olympic gold. He got into the US Olympic team by winning the US Olympic qualifying tournament, defeating Olympic medalist Thomas Gilman in the final. In the final, the wrestlers had 3 fights instead of the usual one. But taking into account 2 consecutive victories, Spencer Lee won ahead of schedule and entered the US Olympic team in the weight category up to 57 kg.
Final fights for a place in the national team:
1 round: Thomas Gilman - Spencer Lee (3:6)
2 round: Thomas Gilman - Spencer Lee (2:8)
Spencer Lee is known for his speed and technique, which he demonstrated at the license tournament in Istanbul, winning a ticket to the Olympic Games. At this tournament, his main problem was the Chinese Wanhao Zou, whom he defeated in a tough fight with a score of 10:9. In the remaining fights, Spencer Lee won ahead of schedule, leaving his opponents no chance.
In 2024, Spencer also became the champion of the Pan American Championship, winning ahead of schedule over all his opponents and giving up only 2 points.
Considering his outstanding performances in recent tournaments and the victory over former number one Thomas Gilman, it is safe to say that Spencer Lee has an excellent chance to fight for a medal at the Olympic Games.
The American is not on the list of seeded wrestlers, we will find out about his future opponents after the draw of the tournament grids.
The American is not included in the list of seeded wrestlers in his weight category at the Olympic Games. The list of his potential opponents will be known after the draw of the tournament grids.
Latest results of Spencer Lee
2024 Pan-American Championships (57 kg) - gold medal
2024 World Olympic License Tournament (57 kg) - gold medal
Kotaro Kiyoka (Japan, 65 kg)
Japanese samurai Kotaro is going to the Olympic Games for the first time at the age of 23 and has a high chance of winning a medal. He has already demonstrated excellent results in two tournaments in a row, leaving behind even the current world champion in his weight category, Ismail Musukaev.
Kotaro won a place in the Japanese Olympic team at the Emperor's Cup tournament, which determined the composition of the team going to Paris. At this tournament, he won a tough fight against the current Olympic champion Takuto Otoguro with a score of 6:6 and successfully got into the team.
At the licensed tournament of Asia, which was held in Bishkek, Kotaro performed triumphantly. He had three fights, two of which he won ahead of schedule. The only real problem for the Japanese was the Dagestani, competing for Tajikistan, Abdulmazhid Kudiev, whom he defeated with a score of 10:7.
The last tournament for the Japanese was the international tournament in Hungary, in which many strong wrestlers participated. In the weight category up to 65 kg, the tournament was held in a round robin system. In the first fight, Kotaro lost to the Azerbaijani Khadzhi Aliyev with a score of 5:2, but after that he fully opened up and confidently defeated all his opponents, including the world champion Ismail Musukaev with a score of 7:2. Based on the points scored, he turned out to be the best among all the participants and was declared the champion of the tournament.
Kotaro shows exceptional strength and technique at his age, and can be expected to perform at least semi-finally at the Olympic Games. He is not included in the list of seeded wrestlers in his weight class, and the list of his potential opponents will be known after the draw of the tournament grids.
Latest results Kotaro Kiyoka
Olympic License Tournament of Asia 2024 (65 kg) - gold medal
International tournament Pole Emre and Varga Zsanoz 2024 (65 kg) - gold medal