Top 5: Active American Wrestlers

The United States has long been one of the world’s top wrestling nations. The American freestyle team won the world team title at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, France, finishing with six medals, including two world champions. The United States women’s wrestling team has earned a team trophy every year of this Olympic cycle, placing second in 2017, and third in both 2018 and 2019. Last year, the United States women wrestling team crowned three world champions for the first time ever.

Let’s look at the top five active American wrestlers.

5. Tamyra MENSAH- Twenty-seven-year-old Tamyra MENSAH was the 2019 United World Wrestling Women’s Wrestler of the Year. She finished 2019 with an undefeated record capped off by winning the 68kg world title over Olympic medalist Jenny FRANSSON (SWE). Earlier in the tournament she dominated 2016 Olympic champion Sara DOSHO (JPN), 10-1. She was a bronze medalist in 2018 and became the first U.S. wrestler to win the Ivan Yarygin three straight years. Mensah is currently ranked No.1 at 68kg in the world and has locked up the top seed for the Tokyo Olympics.

 

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@afearnsi pointed out to me that I looked like a butterfly in this pic, did you notice?

A post shared by Tamyra Mariama Mensah Stock (@mensahtamyrastock) on Sep 26, 2019 at 2:18pm PDT

4. J’den COX – J’den COX has established himself as one of the world’s top upper-weight freestyle wrestlers since entering the world stage in 2016. He earned a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Since then, Cox has gone 12-1 at world championships, winning a bronze medal in 2017 at 86kg before winning world titles in both 2018 and 2019 at 92kg. He was undefeated in 2019 and outscored his opponents 26-0 at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

 

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This past week has been awesome! I got to go and support #WLAG, attending their gala. I got to work with the @olympicchannel and work with amazing people. I just got back from Wisconsin doing camps with @benaskren. Oh and also I got to worth with @lolojones this week as well ? Yep I’d say I’ve had an awesome week!!! #busyandworthit #greattimes

A post shared by J’den Cox (@jmiz_cusa) on Nov 4, 2019 at 7:40am PST

3. Adeline GRAY – In 2019, Adeline GRAY captured her fifth world title, becoming America’s first-ever five-time world champion. Gray has won gold medals at the world championships each of the last four times she has competed in the event. Her last defeat at a world championship came in 2013, when she earned a bronze medal to go along with a world bronze she won in 2011. Gray is currently ranked No.1 in the world at 76kg.

 

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#throwbackthursday who knows what happened to this hand!? . . . . . . . #graytogold #womeninsport #wrestlelikeagirl #worldchampion #hurthand #tape

A post shared by Adeline Gray (@adelinegray) on Apr 16, 2020 at 4:41pm PDT

2. Kyle SNYDER – Kyle SNYDER, nicknamed “Captain America,” became the United States’ youngest wrestling world champion with his world title in 2015. The next year, Snyder won gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, becoming American’s youngest Olympic wrestling champion. In 2017, Snyder won his world title by defeating Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) in a battle of 2016 Olympic champions. The next year, Snyder and Sadulaev met again for the world title in Budapest, Hungary, with Sadulaev coming out on top, leaving Snyder with the silver medal. In 2019, Snyder claimed his fourth world medal, winning bronze in Nur-Sultan. He is currently ranked No.2 in the world at 97kg with 57 Ranking Series points.

 

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Thankful for your support and my competitors. Looking forward to Kazakhstan.

A post shared by Kyle Snyder (@snyderman45) on Aug 11, 2019 at 7:59am PDT

1. Jordan BURROUGHS

Jordan BURROUGHS has been a model of consistency and excellence at 74kg since breaking onto the world scene in 2011. He captured his first world title in 2011 and then became an Olympic champion the next year at the 2012 London Olympics. Burroughs has since added world titles in 2013, 2015 and 2017, along with world bronze medals in 2014, 2018 and 2019. He has compiled a 33-3 career record in world championship events. Burroughs is ranked No.4 in the world at 74kg with 43 Ranking Series points.

 

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This sport is unforgiving. There’s an especially small margin of error at the highest level of athletics. The difference between gold and bronze is razor thin. I’m talking 1.3 seconds thin. Over the last couple of days, I’ve countlessly replayed the last few seconds of my World Championships Semifinal, and obsessed over how any series of different movements on my behalf could have changed the outcome. It’s maddening. But the most difficult part is when you finally settle back into reality and come to the sobering realization that there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Yet I don’t consider this weekend a failure. What it truly is, is another stinging opportunity for growth. There’s tragedy and beauty in just missing out on a goal. The tragedy is that you’ve failed to accomplish something you set out to do. The beauty is that what you’ve missed out on may have never been intended for you. So I get back up, dust myself off once again and keep trying. Because that’s what winners do. Falling short of my goals in dramatic fashion two years in a row is difficult and confusing. But it’s also been revealing. I’m learning more about who I am, and getting closer to who I’m destined to become. I’m not done. I’ll get better. I’ll be back. My goals are still intact. It’s just going to take a little longer than planned to get to them. What many may perceive as the end of an era, is only the beginning of a new chapter — one yet to be written. I guess third in the world ain’t so bad. Because no matter where I stand on the podium, I’ll always operate with pride and dignity. No victory can define me, and no defeat can defile me. I am who I am when I enter the arena, and I remain that same man when I exit. Champ or not. So even with a bronze, I hold my head high, because seeing gold is a mentality, not just a place on the podium. Stay gold my friends. -JB ?? ? @tony_rotundo_wrestling

A post shared by Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) on Sep 25, 2019 at 10:47am PDT

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