Nate Gallick receives draw for final Olympic Freestyle Qualifier in Poland
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by Craig Sesker
Nate Gallick's road to qualifying the United States for the Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling at 60 kg/132 lbs. will start with an opponent from Turkmenistan.
Gallick has drawn Ramazan Kambarov of Turkmenistan in the opening round of the final Freestyle Olympic Qualifying Tournament, set for Saturday in Warsaw, Poland. Kambarov placed eighth at the 2006 Asian Games and placed 18th at the 2003 Junior World Championships.
The 25-year-old Gallick will need to place in the top three in his weight class at the event to qualify the U.S. for the Olympics at 60 kilos. The American squad has already qualified the other six freestyle classes for the Olympics, set for Aug. 12-21 in Beijing, China.
Gallick (Chattanooga, Tenn./Sunkist Kids) is ranked second in the U.S. at 132 lbs. and is a past World University Games champion.
"Nate is ready," said USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson. "He has trained hard and smart for this event. He is better than the guys he will wrestle. If he sticks to American tactics, he will win."
There are 28 wrestlers entered in the 60 kilogram class at the final freestyle qualifier. If Gallick wins his first match, he would face either Luis Ortiz of Puerto Rico or Didier Pais of France in the second round. Ortiz placed fifth at the 2008 Pan American Championships. Pais placed second at the 2008 European Championships.
Gallick could see Hungary's Gergo Woeller in the quarterfinals. Woeller, a 2004 Olympian, placed third at the European Championships in 2007 and 2008.
Mongolia's Mandakhnaran Ganzorig also is on Gallick's side of the bracket. Ganzorig placed fifth at the first Olympic qualifier in freestyle two weeks ago in Switzerland. Gallick and Ganzorig would meet in the semifinals.
Ganzorig has a tough first round match against Japan's Kenichi Yumoto, a Japanese World Team member in 2005 and 2007. Yumoto placed 13th at the 2005 Worlds.
If Gallick qualifies the U.S. for the Olympics, he will advance to the best-of-3 finals series for the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 13-15 in Las Vegas.
Gallick, a past NCAA champion for Iowa State, did not compete at last weekend's U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas as he completed final preparations for the Olympic qualifier in Poland.
The U.S. has qualified 14 of 18 weight classes overall for the Olympics. The U.S. has qualified in five of the seven classes in Greco-Roman and three of the four classes in women's freestyle. Two qualifiers remain in Greco-Roman and women's freestyle.
The U.S. still needs to qualify for the Olympics in Greco-Roman at 60 kg/132 lbs. and 74 kg/163 lbs. The women still need to qualify at 55 kg/121 lbs.
Gallick has drawn Ramazan Kambarov of Turkmenistan in the opening round of the final Freestyle Olympic Qualifying Tournament, set for Saturday in Warsaw, Poland. Kambarov placed eighth at the 2006 Asian Games and placed 18th at the 2003 Junior World Championships.
The 25-year-old Gallick will need to place in the top three in his weight class at the event to qualify the U.S. for the Olympics at 60 kilos. The American squad has already qualified the other six freestyle classes for the Olympics, set for Aug. 12-21 in Beijing, China.
Gallick (Chattanooga, Tenn./Sunkist Kids) is ranked second in the U.S. at 132 lbs. and is a past World University Games champion.
"Nate is ready," said USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson. "He has trained hard and smart for this event. He is better than the guys he will wrestle. If he sticks to American tactics, he will win."
There are 28 wrestlers entered in the 60 kilogram class at the final freestyle qualifier. If Gallick wins his first match, he would face either Luis Ortiz of Puerto Rico or Didier Pais of France in the second round. Ortiz placed fifth at the 2008 Pan American Championships. Pais placed second at the 2008 European Championships.
Gallick could see Hungary's Gergo Woeller in the quarterfinals. Woeller, a 2004 Olympian, placed third at the European Championships in 2007 and 2008.
Mongolia's Mandakhnaran Ganzorig also is on Gallick's side of the bracket. Ganzorig placed fifth at the first Olympic qualifier in freestyle two weeks ago in Switzerland. Gallick and Ganzorig would meet in the semifinals.
Ganzorig has a tough first round match against Japan's Kenichi Yumoto, a Japanese World Team member in 2005 and 2007. Yumoto placed 13th at the 2005 Worlds.
If Gallick qualifies the U.S. for the Olympics, he will advance to the best-of-3 finals series for the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 13-15 in Las Vegas.
Gallick, a past NCAA champion for Iowa State, did not compete at last weekend's U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas as he completed final preparations for the Olympic qualifier in Poland.
The U.S. has qualified 14 of 18 weight classes overall for the Olympics. The U.S. has qualified in five of the seven classes in Greco-Roman and three of the four classes in women's freestyle. Two qualifiers remain in Greco-Roman and women's freestyle.
The U.S. still needs to qualify for the Olympics in Greco-Roman at 60 kg/132 lbs. and 74 kg/163 lbs. The women still need to qualify at 55 kg/121 lbs.
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