Excitement builds as top teams gear up for World Cup in Los Angeles
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by Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
Jordan Burroughs is a combined 15-0 in his three World Cup appearances for Team USA. USAW file photo.
LOS ANGELES – What’s special about the World Cup?
Ask Olympic gold medalist and two-time World champion Jordan Burroughs and a smile quickly flashes across his face.
“It’s just an awesome event,” Burroughs said. “I’m happy to be back competing in this event. Our team looks really good. It’s my fourth straight World Cup. It’s do or die for us this time. The last three years we finished third. We’re not in the same pool with Iran this year, so we’re looking to see them in the finals and hopefully win a championship.”
The World Cup for freestyle is back in L.A. for the second straight year, and is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Forum.
The rugged two-day, freestyle dual-meet event will feature World powers like 2014 World Cup champion Iran and 2014 World Championships winner Russia.
Burroughs, fellow Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner and U.S. coach Bruce Burnett joined Iran coach Alireza Rezaie and Russia coach Christakis Alexandridis for a pre-World Cup press conference Thursday morning at the LAX Hilton.
The U.S., third in this event last year, is seeking its first World Cup title in 12 years.
Varner returns to compete in his native California for the first time since 2010. Varner and Burnett are both from Bakersfield.
“It would mean a lot to win this,” Varner said. “This is a big deal and it’s great to be back competing in my home state again. It’s the World championships of a dual tournament with the best teams. It’s been a while since we’ve won this. Being on American soil, it gives us an advantage but we still have to go out and wrestle. Hopefully, we can win a championship. This is a really fun event with the best wrestlers in the World competing. It’s exciting to be a part of it.”
Iran has once again brought a loaded and experienced team to the World Cup.
“The World Cup is a very important event,” said Rezaie, a past Olympic silver medalist. “Wrestling is an important part of our culture and it is our National sport in Iran. We love competing here and it’s a great chance for our wrestlers to gain more experience against some of the World’s top competitors. We’re very honored to be here and looking forward to competing in Los Angeles.”
World Cup host Andy Barth, who also took part in the press conference, helped bring this event to L.A. for the second straight year.
“Aside from the Olympic Games and World Championships, the World Cup is the most important international event we have,” Barth said. “It’s a great competition, country against country, in a unique environment with a dual-meet format. It’s also a great event that has brought countries together. It’s a fan-friendly format where there is a lot of national pride with the teams cheering each other on. It’s truly a great event.”
Burroughs is coming off an impressive performance where he won the tough Alexander Medved International last month in Belarus. It was his first competition since he won a bronze medal at the 2014 Worlds despite suffering a knee injury in the first round.
“It was crazy – I had six matches in one day,” Burroughs said of his win last month at the Medved. “It was a 43-man bracket. It felt great to be back. It’s reassuring for me to get back out there and see that I’ve still got it. I feel really good. I’m ready to come back and prove I’m still the man to beat at 74 kilos.”
Burroughs, 15-0 over the previous three years at the World Cup, is ready for whatever strategies and game plans his opponents throw at him.
“Every guy wants to be the guy that beats me,” Burroughs said. “That’s why I train hard every day – to beat the best guys on their best day. I’m excited to get back out there and compete.”
Burroughs will seek his 100th career win this weekend. He is 98-2 in his remarkable international career.
A possible Burroughs matchup with rival Denis Tsargush of Russia will not happen at the World Cup. Tsargush is not competing this weekend.
Burroughs beat Tsargush at the 2011 Worlds and 2012 Olympics before Tsargush beat Burroughs at the 2014 Worlds. Tsargush won World titles in 2009 and 2010 before Burroughs won World, Olympic and World titles the next three years. Tsargush then won the Worlds last year after defeating an injured Burroughs in the semifinals.
Alexandridis said Tsargush will definitely be in the U.S. for the World Championships this September in Las Vegas and said Tsargush is looking forward to another matchup with Burroughs.
“I’m excited to wrestle Tsargush again,” Burroughs said. “There’s still a process here where I need to qualify for the U.S. World Team this year. But as far as Tsargush goes, we’ll meet again. He’s training hard and I’m training hard. I will be prepared to see him again and hopefully I will see him again.”
For now, the focus for Burroughs and his teammates is on the World Cup.
The U.S. is scheduled to face Cuba and Russia on Saturday before battling Mongolia on Sunday morning. Iran, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Turkey are in the other pool. Winners of each pool meet in Sunday afternoon’s finals.
“We have a very strong team,” Burnett said. “We’re looking forward to a great competition against some very strong teams. Our guys are excited and they’re ready to go.”
Burroughs echoed those sentiments.
“We stood right next to Iran on the podium last year at the World Cup,” Burroughs said, “when we finished third and they finished first. We want to be on top of the podium this year.”
LOS ANGELES – What’s special about the World Cup?
Ask Olympic gold medalist and two-time World champion Jordan Burroughs and a smile quickly flashes across his face.
“It’s just an awesome event,” Burroughs said. “I’m happy to be back competing in this event. Our team looks really good. It’s my fourth straight World Cup. It’s do or die for us this time. The last three years we finished third. We’re not in the same pool with Iran this year, so we’re looking to see them in the finals and hopefully win a championship.”
The World Cup for freestyle is back in L.A. for the second straight year, and is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Forum.
The rugged two-day, freestyle dual-meet event will feature World powers like 2014 World Cup champion Iran and 2014 World Championships winner Russia.
Burroughs, fellow Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner and U.S. coach Bruce Burnett joined Iran coach Alireza Rezaie and Russia coach Christakis Alexandridis for a pre-World Cup press conference Thursday morning at the LAX Hilton.
The U.S., third in this event last year, is seeking its first World Cup title in 12 years.
Varner returns to compete in his native California for the first time since 2010. Varner and Burnett are both from Bakersfield.
“It would mean a lot to win this,” Varner said. “This is a big deal and it’s great to be back competing in my home state again. It’s the World championships of a dual tournament with the best teams. It’s been a while since we’ve won this. Being on American soil, it gives us an advantage but we still have to go out and wrestle. Hopefully, we can win a championship. This is a really fun event with the best wrestlers in the World competing. It’s exciting to be a part of it.”
Iran has once again brought a loaded and experienced team to the World Cup.
“The World Cup is a very important event,” said Rezaie, a past Olympic silver medalist. “Wrestling is an important part of our culture and it is our National sport in Iran. We love competing here and it’s a great chance for our wrestlers to gain more experience against some of the World’s top competitors. We’re very honored to be here and looking forward to competing in Los Angeles.”
World Cup host Andy Barth, who also took part in the press conference, helped bring this event to L.A. for the second straight year.
“Aside from the Olympic Games and World Championships, the World Cup is the most important international event we have,” Barth said. “It’s a great competition, country against country, in a unique environment with a dual-meet format. It’s also a great event that has brought countries together. It’s a fan-friendly format where there is a lot of national pride with the teams cheering each other on. It’s truly a great event.”
Burroughs is coming off an impressive performance where he won the tough Alexander Medved International last month in Belarus. It was his first competition since he won a bronze medal at the 2014 Worlds despite suffering a knee injury in the first round.
“It was crazy – I had six matches in one day,” Burroughs said of his win last month at the Medved. “It was a 43-man bracket. It felt great to be back. It’s reassuring for me to get back out there and see that I’ve still got it. I feel really good. I’m ready to come back and prove I’m still the man to beat at 74 kilos.”
Burroughs, 15-0 over the previous three years at the World Cup, is ready for whatever strategies and game plans his opponents throw at him.
“Every guy wants to be the guy that beats me,” Burroughs said. “That’s why I train hard every day – to beat the best guys on their best day. I’m excited to get back out there and compete.”
Burroughs will seek his 100th career win this weekend. He is 98-2 in his remarkable international career.
A possible Burroughs matchup with rival Denis Tsargush of Russia will not happen at the World Cup. Tsargush is not competing this weekend.
Burroughs beat Tsargush at the 2011 Worlds and 2012 Olympics before Tsargush beat Burroughs at the 2014 Worlds. Tsargush won World titles in 2009 and 2010 before Burroughs won World, Olympic and World titles the next three years. Tsargush then won the Worlds last year after defeating an injured Burroughs in the semifinals.
Alexandridis said Tsargush will definitely be in the U.S. for the World Championships this September in Las Vegas and said Tsargush is looking forward to another matchup with Burroughs.
“I’m excited to wrestle Tsargush again,” Burroughs said. “There’s still a process here where I need to qualify for the U.S. World Team this year. But as far as Tsargush goes, we’ll meet again. He’s training hard and I’m training hard. I will be prepared to see him again and hopefully I will see him again.”
For now, the focus for Burroughs and his teammates is on the World Cup.
The U.S. is scheduled to face Cuba and Russia on Saturday before battling Mongolia on Sunday morning. Iran, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Turkey are in the other pool. Winners of each pool meet in Sunday afternoon’s finals.
“We have a very strong team,” Burnett said. “We’re looking forward to a great competition against some very strong teams. Our guys are excited and they’re ready to go.”
Burroughs echoed those sentiments.
“We stood right next to Iran on the podium last year at the World Cup,” Burroughs said, “when we finished third and they finished first. We want to be on top of the podium this year.”
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