The USA Wrestling Olympic trials are a few days away, and I have been breaking down the seeds and previewing each weight and the next up is 65kg. The 57kg preview can be read here, and I break down the best potential matches of the tournaments and predict who I think will win.
The Story
The story here is a potential rematch of the 2019 United States Open finals, where Yianni Diakomihalis beat Zain Retherford 4-2. But those are not the only guys who can represent the USA in the Tokyo games. James Green has already earned multiple medals in the international wrestling circuit and has beaten Jordan Oliver in the 2016 World Team Trials. The 2021 NCAA Wrestling Champion at 141 pounds is also in this bracket, Nick Lee is the 6 seed and is looking to keep his momentum rolling into the Olympic Trials.
Dark Horse(s)
Nashon Garrett is the nine seed at 65kg and he is someone who can flip the bracket on its head early. The former Cornell national champion will have a tough route to the finals, but if he can make it past Diakomihalis in the round of 8, the bracket is wide open for him.
Joey McKenna has also qualified for multiple world teams, winning the 2018 U.S. Open and 2014 world junior silver medalist. He will wrestle James Green in the round of 8 in his pursuit of an Olympic appearance.
Best Matches
The potential of an all Cornell match between Garrett and Diakomihalis is something too hard to pass up. Yianni is probably the guy to beat in this entire tournament, but wrestling someone in the same program and a possible training partner always makes things more interesting.
We could also get a James Green vs Zain Retherford rematch in the semifinals. I expect Green to close the gap since their 2016 first-round match where Retherford won 9-2.
Prediction
I think the semifinals shake out to Diakomihalis vs Jordan Oliver on one side and Zain Retherford vs Joey McKenna on the other. I got Diakomihalis defeating Retherford in the finals.
USA Wrestling Olympic Trials Seeds 65kg
65 kg
1. Zain Retherford (Nittany Lion WC/TMWC)
2. Yianni Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat RTC/TMWC)
3. Jordan Oliver (Tar Heel WC/Sunkist Kids)
4. James Green (SERTC/TMWC)
5. Joey McKenna (Pennsylvania RTC/TMWC)
6. Nick Lee (Nittany Lion WC/TMWC)
7. Frank Molinaro (Sunkist Kids WC/TMWC)
8. Anthony Ashnault (New Jersey RTC/NYAC)
9. Nahshon Garrett (SERTC/TMWC)
10. Evan Henderson (Spartan Combat RTC/TMWC)
11. Mitch McKee (Gopher WC RTC)
Seeds via TeamUSA.org
SIGN UP FOR SIMBULL USING OUR CODE FOR $10 BONUS !!- WHEN YOUR TEAM WINS, YOU WIN!!! LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP HERE.
