How Team USA Could Miss The Olympics At 2 Weights

[@MarcusSchumpert]

Send Spencer Frekin’ Lee to qualify 57kg.

[@brianhagley9791]

Just my opinion. Yanni does better international than Nick but against each other Nick just seems to give him his most difficult matches and might even have his number? Any opinions and if so why?

[@K2NOPS]

Figuring out a "weird" wrestler is like solving a puzzle then doing it again. When you know the answer it's simple. Yianni is always a little off with some of his movements, surprising flexibility, timing etc so when he wrestles someone for a first time he has this advantage. Wrestling him a dozen times you know what to expect. Same issue with college wrestle offs. One guy is better but the backup has him solved - but can't beat anyone else just that guy.

[@brianhagley9791]

Thanks. Good observation. Very enlightening. Never thought about that. Given the same situation, why can Nolf not beat Dake even once. I'm curious about your thoughts on that as well.

[@brianhagley9791]

Nolf does well in international competitions, but Lee doesn't yet they all meet for the first time internationally against opponents.

[@K2NOPS]

@brianhagley9791 I don't think a dake/taylor/Burroughs are "weird" to figure out like Yianni exactly they are so solid it takes more than knowing what they will do to try and win.

[@rayfamily4893]

Also think it’s a little bit of the folkstyle element. Yianni is the better freestyle wrestler in my opinion. But when he wrestles Lee, Lee is able to kind of simplify the match and slow it down to a more folkstyle type grind. Arm drags, go behinds etc. Also Penn State guys are freaking hard to beat twice. And lastly Yianni needs to get rid of his bad habits of getting stuck under or shooting from too far away. He’s made a living off of it and feels comfortable there in folkstyle. But for example in his last match against Lee he was winning and put himself underneath and got exposed.

[@KremerJohnson]

Let Spencer Lee wrestle off for the Pan-Ams.

[@scottadams8530]

Chris, what about Spencer Lee?

[@combatspeed6392]

Whag about him? Hes qualified for the Trials, however the weight has not been qualified.

[@dinocollins720]

Another fantastic video! Thank you CP!

[@RandyLex-wu6jy]

Ya back in the 1950s the Aau which ran the American sports scene was so archaic about not making money that one of the best wrestlers dale thomas who later coached at Oregon state lost his chance to go to the Olympics because he was teaching pe at the time and he was considered a professional

[@justinjones5491]

So the winners of the Olympic Trials at 57 and 65 are going to have to go make the finals of the last chance qualifier?! This is going to be intense.

[@RandyLex-wu6jy]

Ya it’s archaic that they only have 6 weights some of the wrestlers will try to lose massive amounts of weight that is just not healthy

[@normanhuntley5747]

Agree,but its even tougher to go up a weight and wrestle guys who have wrestled that higher weight for years! RBY will find it hard to get to 1251/2! But even still a multiple time ncaa champ is going toMexico to try to get a spot,plus dropping weight, Olympics needs more weight classes,only 8

[@amross2112]

As the senior nationals champion, why didn't Spencer Lee have an opportunity to challenge for the Pan Am spot?

[@sadik5945]

Isnt he going to the olympics though?

[@Zdog122]

@@sadik5945Well the trials didn’t happen yet. But the point is, if the US doesn’t qualify at 57KG, no one in that weight class is going. It happened at the last Olympics at 65KG.

[@CATTO.AND.MOTTO12]

Spencer Lee ☝️☝️☝️

[@MarcusSchumpert]

Nobody will beat Spencer Freakin’ Lee! He’s a shoe in for qualifying 57kg.

[@Slapthematwrestling]

I don’t think I would say that Zane Richard’s is our most consistent guy.

[@brendan638]

I agree. I actually agree with CP 90% of the time but this was a funny comment to make. To be fair, I don't think any of them are super consistent, but if I had to pick one, it would be Gilman just because he has multiple medals.

[@christianpyles1820]

You think we will get all 6 weights qualified for men’s freestyle?

[@jurrytaalib-deen9788]

Yes, including 65, but I don't know about 57. For those not going to Pan-Ams, are they going to wait until Last Cance & if so, what would be the reasoning?

[@tdmertdmer6099]

@@jurrytaalib-deen9788 we are fine at 57 spencer is gonna qualify

[@jurrytaalib-deen9788]

@@tdmertdmer6099 you think he can beat Gilman?

[@brendan638]

I really think it depends on the brackets. Favorable draws? You bet. If anyone has to run the gauntlet, I can see someone not making it. I think we definitely get one of the two weights, and probably a 60-70% chance of getting both.

[@CharlieB-gs5uk]

No Richard’s isn’t dojng it.

[@Slapthematwrestling]

At the last Pan Ams. ( non qualifier) Austin Gomez got teched 10-0, by the guy who got teched 10-0, by the guy that go got teched 10-0 , by the guy who got a teched 10-0 by Valdez (Cuba) who then lost to Yianni in the finals. Then Nick Lee made Gomez look like nothing at worlds and pinned him. Gomez not a threat to either of those guys. Freestyle Gomez much less relevant than folk style Gomez. I would say (not quite the same but along the same path) like Bryce Meredith was. He wrestled Yianni in two stellar folk style matches. They wrestle in freestyle and Yianni teched him every time. I don’t trust Richard’s at all based on his worlds and Zagreb results. Bravo could meet him prior to finals and beat him that would not surprise me. Last chance open = CLLV Pan am qualifier = mat town open . you really want to qualify at pan ams.

[@minke4237]

daton fix said he was going down for freestyle so i can see him and i also think a healthy spencer lee could do it

[@NaterWrestle1037]

Spencer Lee dude....

[@kyleyasses4525]

Why isn’t there a wrestle of for the 57 kg spot?

[@jeffszymczak698]

Is alirez our best option at 65?

[@chrislaverick6413]

And here in canada i would be surprised if canada qualified 2 weights 😢

[@jeffdarnell7942]

Canada hasn't got near the population we have. Canada shines in certain events my friend.

[@MrSilus2000]

What is the deal with these weight classes? Only 6?? This is nuts. How did they even decide. 125 lbs 143 lbs 163 lbs 190 lbs 214 lbs.

[@brianhagley9791]

Do you know where Pan Am will be streamed or broadcast?

[@blueshells50]

all WC weights should be olympic...

[@RogerPack]

Who do we send to last chance, our local best guy?

[@mashpatayters]

I saw this take the guys who's going to have no trouble qualify the weight. 57 Gilman, Dation or Vito.65 Yainni best change we have. They can get it done. Then let then wrestle it off at Olympic trails. Be smart and let all guys who will do the job get it done.

[@xzjayz7925]

Not how that works bud 🤦🏽‍♂️. If you can’t beat out the completion here then automatically giving them the spot makes literally zero sense.

[@blueshells50]

are any greco weights going to qualify?

[@sdfdsdfd1227]

Lack of true 2nd is so stupid.

[@Life_with_hto]

I pray they figure that out

[@wef2470]

⚡️RBY⚡️ LFG!!!!!!!!!!!

[@jaymeyer9933]

What about Spencer Lee?

[@Vegandreamer]

Put me in at 57 kg I bet I can do the best if I had a chance

[@angusrocks6464]

Why wouldn't Gilman challenge?

[@mmeyer795]

Gotta send Spencer

[@Lorre4]

Yanni best at that weight world silver medalist nobody will medal except Zain lee no way and the rest the same.

[@shawndoig4392]

Can you have multiple entries at these tournaments? Can Lee, Gilman, and Retherford all wrestle at a qualifier? Secondly, if whoever gets the qualifier loses in the Olympic trials, then what?

[@Slapthematwrestling]

1- no you cannot. This is why Nick Lee and Yianni are wrestling off February 3 in a best two out of three to see who gets to go to Pan Am to try and qualify the weight. 2 - one has nothing to do with the other, meaning the person who represents USA at pan am qualifier, regardless if they qualify the weight there or not, have to go to the olympic trials and win the bracket just like everyone else in the weight that is qualified for the Olympic trials that doesn’t wrestle at pan ams. he advantage of wrestling at the Pan Am is your putting your destiny in your own hands, and not leading it up to someone else to qualify the way this is an advantage of your confident in yourself. Of course, the other advantages you get to be moved up to the highest seed in your Olympic trial bracket the exception of any buddy who met or one world that has buys the semi finals. In other words, Vito will have a bye to the semis at olympic trials since he won worlds at 61kg . Zane Richards would be one seed behind him. At 65 kg Retherford won worlds at 70kg so he gets a bye to the semis and Yianni or Nick Lee will be a seed behind him. Say if Nick Lee/Yianni and Zane Richards both qualify the two weights for usa, then that’s great for whoever the trials winner is because they will know that they’re going to the Olympics. But if whoever qualifies the way, it panams loses at the trials then they’re not going to the Olympics. Another note, The last chance open is after the Olympic trials. So if the wait isn’t qualified at pan ams, whoever wins the Olympic trials will have to go to the last chanceto try and qualify themselves to the Olympics which Jordan Oliver tried to do last Olympics and failed so we had no 65 kg wrestler.

[@stevenbaldwin1881]

Did Spencer Lee already qualify?

[@christopherroth7239]

He is qualified for the Olympic trials. No one has qualified the weight yet.

[@ryanrestle1]

What does qualifying the weight mean??

[@ryanrestle1]

Why isn't Spencer Lee qualifying the weight at pan am games.??

[@christopherroth7239]

@@ryanrestle1 there are a limited number of spots in the Olympic bracket so there is a qualifying process to see which countries get those spots.

[@MasterDiesel1]

I would enjoy these if Christina wasn’t doing them. What a joke he is