To compete for Team USA at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, a wrestler must first win the USA Wrestling Olympic Trials.
That’s because qualifying spots for the Olympics are given to a country rather than an individual athlete, even if the athlete has already earned the spot by competing at a high level.
Wrestlers from most countries will be the same ones that qualified their country to participate in the Olympics. However, there is so much skill in American wrestling that the ultimate trials to determine which grapplers will represent the United States in Japan must be held inside.
The coronavirus pandemic of last year forced the cancellation of the event scheduled for Penn State University. Due to continued regulations in Pennsylvania, the 2021 trials will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, at the Dickies Arena on April 1-2.
Stadium capacity will be capped at 50% due to safety concerns brought on by Covid-19.
There will be a Set Structure
To reflect the balance between freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the trials will feature 18 total divisions.
In 2021, the United States Olympic Committee will pick a single athlete to compete in the Games for each weight class, fielding six competitors in the freestyle, Greco-Roman, and savate events combined.
The Qualifying Event for the Men’s Freestyle Event
Anyone who has won the Senior Freestyle USA World Championships and the Final World Team Trials since 2017 will be invited to the trials without having to qualify.
This means that several of the world’s best male competitors, such as Olympic gold medalists Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Snyder, will be in Fort Worth for the event.
Silver and bronze medalists from the 2019 Senior World Championships at an Olympic weight will advance directly to the trials finals, while silver and bronze medalists at other weights will be offered a spot in the semi-finals of whichever weight category they choose.
Anybody who qualified in their weight class at the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier will also be able to compete for the gold medal.
Up-and-coming stars like Bo Nickal, David Carr, and Mason Parris, who won the 2019 Junior Freestyle and U23 Freestyle USA World Championships, will also be competing.
Women’s Freestyle Swimming Qualifying
Famous athletes including Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis and reigning world champion Adeline Gray, as well as all the other previous USA World Championships competitors and winners of the Final World Team Trials, will be taking part.
A medalist in the 2019 Junior World Championships might enter the competition in any division.
Athletes who place in the top six of their weight class at the 2019 Senior World Championships will advance directly to the finals, while those who win a medal in a weight class other than the Olympic weight classes will begin in the semi-finals.
In addition to those having qualified for the trials, the top three United States medalists at the 2019 Bill Farrell International Open will be invited to compete in the trials at their respective weight classes.
