Pan American Qualifiers Day 3 fixtures: The USA eye Tokyo Olympic berth in 4 weight classes

The third and last day of Pan American Olympic Qualifiers will feature the freestyle wrestlers bidding chances for Tokyo Olympics. The USA will enter the Day 3 of the tournament with the 74kg and 97kg weight classes already secured, courtesy to medal-winning performances at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. They will henceforth, compete in only four categories — 57kg, 65kg, 86kg, and 125 kg.

Thomas Gilman, a late lineup change for Team USA, will compete at 57 kg. He will square off in a pigtail with Canada’s Ligrit Sadiku, who placed fifth at the 2020 Pan Am championships. If he wins, he will see Reiner Andreu Ortega of Cuba, a two-time U23 World champion.

At 65 kg, USA’s Zain Retherford opens his tournament with Jose Javier Rodriguez Colon of Puerto Rico. Rodriguez Colon placed fifth at the 2020 Pan Am Championships.

2018 World champion David Taylor will make his comeback to the mat at 86 kg after a hiatus due to injury. In the opening round, Taylor will take on Pedro Francisco Ceballos Fuentes of Venezuela. A fifth-place finisher at the 2016 Olympic Games, Fuentes finished runner-up at the 2019 Pan American Games and ninth at the recently held Pan American Championships.

Two-time World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski will don the U.S. singlet in 125 kg. In his opening bout, he will face Charles Merrill of Puerto Rico. Merrill placed fifth at the 2020 Pan Am Championships.

2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier
at Ottawa, Canada (March 13-15)

Men’s freestyle roster
57 kg: Thomas Gilman (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC)
vs. Ligrit Sadiku (Canada), 2020 Pan Am Championships 5th

65 kg: Zain Retherford (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)
vs. Jose Javier Rodriguez Colon (Puerto Rico), 2020 Pan Am Championships 5th

86 kg: David Taylor (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)
vs. Pedro Francisco Ceballos Fuentes (Venezuela), Silver at 2019 Pan Am Games, 9th at 2020 Pan Am Championships