Four journalists tie with seven Olympic wrestling champions predicted
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by Elizabeth Wiley
Prior to the start of wrestling competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, TheMat.com asked 16 journalists to predict who would take home gold in the three wrestling styles and 18 weight classes contested.
Four tied with seven correctly predicted champions. Those four experts are Eddie Goldman of No Holds Barred (USA), Jeff Breese of InterMat (USA), Alan Robinson of the Associated Press (USA) and the team effort of Bozidar Minkov and Krasi Stankova of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation website (Bulgaria).
Two journalists also predicted six champions correctly, Andrew Hipps from RevWrestling.com and the Sports Illustrated Olympics preview issue.
Greco-Roman competition provided the most surprise champions with only two journalists predicting more than one champions correctly in that style. Many journalists did not even have one correct Greco-Roman gold medalist.
Minkov and Stankova selected Manuchar Kirkvelia of Georgia at 74 kg and heavyweight Mijail Lopez of Cuba. Mike Finn also had Lopez winning, as well as Steeve Guenot of France at 66 kg.
No one correctly determined every champion in one style.
Final Standings among Journalists
Bozidar Minkov and Krasi Stankova, Bulgarian Wrestling Federation website (Bulgaria) (7)
Eddie Goldman (7), No Holds Barred (USA)
Jeff Breese, InterMat (USA) (7)
Alan Robinson, Associated Press (USA) (7)
Andrew Hipps, RevWrestling.com (USA) (6)
Sports Illustrated, Olympics preview issue (6)
Brian Van Kley, Publisher, W.I.N. magazine (USA) (5)
Al Bevilacqua, nywrestling.com (USA) (5)
Jason Bryant, Media Sports Productions (USA) (4)
Maahyar Rassaei, Freelance journalist (USA) (4)
Istvan Szekeres, Editor-in-chief of the FILA News (Hungary) (4)
Craig Sesker, TheMat.com (USA) (4)
Ken Chertow, KenChertow.com (USA) (4)
Pat Tocci, InterMat (USA) (4)
Mike Finn, W.I.N. Magazine (USA) (3)
Gary Abbott, TheMat.com (USA) (3)
Journalists' Olympic champion picks
Four tied with seven correctly predicted champions. Those four experts are Eddie Goldman of No Holds Barred (USA), Jeff Breese of InterMat (USA), Alan Robinson of the Associated Press (USA) and the team effort of Bozidar Minkov and Krasi Stankova of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation website (Bulgaria).
Two journalists also predicted six champions correctly, Andrew Hipps from RevWrestling.com and the Sports Illustrated Olympics preview issue.
Greco-Roman competition provided the most surprise champions with only two journalists predicting more than one champions correctly in that style. Many journalists did not even have one correct Greco-Roman gold medalist.
Minkov and Stankova selected Manuchar Kirkvelia of Georgia at 74 kg and heavyweight Mijail Lopez of Cuba. Mike Finn also had Lopez winning, as well as Steeve Guenot of France at 66 kg.
No one correctly determined every champion in one style.
Final Standings among Journalists
Bozidar Minkov and Krasi Stankova, Bulgarian Wrestling Federation website (Bulgaria) (7)
Eddie Goldman (7), No Holds Barred (USA)
Jeff Breese, InterMat (USA) (7)
Alan Robinson, Associated Press (USA) (7)
Andrew Hipps, RevWrestling.com (USA) (6)
Sports Illustrated, Olympics preview issue (6)
Brian Van Kley, Publisher, W.I.N. magazine (USA) (5)
Al Bevilacqua, nywrestling.com (USA) (5)
Jason Bryant, Media Sports Productions (USA) (4)
Maahyar Rassaei, Freelance journalist (USA) (4)
Istvan Szekeres, Editor-in-chief of the FILA News (Hungary) (4)
Craig Sesker, TheMat.com (USA) (4)
Ken Chertow, KenChertow.com (USA) (4)
Pat Tocci, InterMat (USA) (4)
Mike Finn, W.I.N. Magazine (USA) (3)
Gary Abbott, TheMat.com (USA) (3)
Journalists' Olympic champion picks
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