In order to try and stimulate a little conversation on the board, I thought it may be interesting to predict our wrestler's chances of medal placement. For a point of reference, I've included the team.
57k Thomas Gilman
61k Nahshon Garrett
65k Logan Steiber
70k James Green
74k Jordan Burroughs
79k Kyle Dake
86k David Taylor
92k J'Den Cox
97k Kyle Snyder
125k Nick Gwizdowski
1. Kyle Snyder- As sure a lock as the United States has ever seen, including Smith (my opinion). Anyone that has followed the international scene for a period of time knows that Kyle is a once in a lifetime type talent. Looking forward to a Snyder Sadulaev rematch.
2. Jordan Burroughs- Truly an excellent ambassador for the sport, and very much returned to form at last years Worlds, after a lackluster '16 Olympic performance. Pulling for Burroughs to capture #6, and further cement his legacy.
3. J'Den Cox- Sadulaev moving up to 97 certainly helps J'Den's quest to medal. J'Den continues to prove he's one of the best in the world. I'm excited to see if he can put together a gold medal run at the international level. The talent is clearly there.
4. James Green- An unsung hero of the US team, but has been as consistent as anyone the past couple of years, excluding Snyder. I very much like his chances for a top 3 finish.
5A/B. David Taylor and Kyle Dake- I'm officially on their bandwagon/s. Taylor knocked off Yazdani (Yazdani clearly gassed), but he's been on an absolute tear as of late. Dake took out a phenomenal Zahid in the WTT finals. I'm excited to see them preform on the international stage (when it really matters).
7. Nick Gwizdowski- Will have a difficult time getting gold or silver (top 2 at this weight have clearly asserted themselves), but Gwiz has an outside chance of a bronze. He will need to get past Coon in the WTT finals, so his place is certainly not guaranteed at this point. Side note, if Coon pulls off representing the U.S. in greco AND freestyle, he will assert himself in very rare company.
Here is where things get less optimistic for the U.S.
8. Logan Steiber- A previous world gold medalist and a 4x NCAA champ (albeit, controversial), Logan's resume speaks for itself. Unfortunately, his resume also includes some head scratching performances, such as last years World's performance. If he's on, he can beat nearly anyone, but I haven't seen that level from Logan lately.
9. Thomas Gilman- As most of you know, I am a big Iowa fan, but I'm also a realist... Gilman shocked the wrestling community last year with his silver medal performance at World's. However, if you dig deeper, he didn't beat too many internationally ranked competitors. Having said that, he did look solid in defeating an extremely talented Fix in the WTT finals.
10. Nahshon Garret- Nahshon is a truly remarkable young man. I'll admit, I was rooting against Nahshon hard when he took out Cory Clark in the '16 NCAA Finals. However, I read an article about him, and I can honestly say, I was blown away by what this young man has overcome. Nahshon has a high level offense, but seems to struggle defensively. This is not a good recipe on the world stage. If Nahshon can get 2 wins, I will be thoroughly impressed, and I hope he does!
Ultimately, I see 7 very strong medal candidates on this team. I hope everyone thoroughly enjoys this run the U.S. team has been on. We've had some dark times, and it makes you appreciate the level we're currently at. I see a top 3 finish, as long as we don't get shafted in the draws.