Vote now online for Adeline Gray and Jake Varner for USOC Best of January Awards
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by USA Wrestling, USOC
Two of USA Wrestling’s greatest athletes have been nominated for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Best of January Awards, which recognizes the top Olympic athlete for January of 2016.
The wrestling nominees are three-time World champion Adeline Gray in the women’s division and 2012 Olympic champion Jake Varner (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) in the men’s division.
Click here to vote for Adeline Gray and Jake Varner
The deadline for voting is 5 p.m. MT on Sunday, February 7. VOTE NOW, VOTE OFTEN AND SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
Adeline Gray won a gold medal at the Olympic Test Event for wrestling, held in the Olympic venue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 31. Gray had a tremendously challenging road to the gold medal, facing many of the top Olympic contenders in the world.
In her first match, Gray beat 2014 World silver medalist Aline da Silva Ferreira of Brazil, 2-0. It was a rematch of the 2014 World Championships gold-medal match, also won by Gray. In the semifinals, she dominated 2015 World silver medalist Zhou Qian of China, in a 17-7 technical fall. Gray also beat Zhou in the finals of the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas. She defeated long-time rival Erica Wiebe of Canada in the gold-medal match, 7-4.
Gray now has a 35-match winning streak, going back to July 2014. She is a three-time World champion, five-time World medalist and a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete.
Jake Varner won a silver medal at 97 kg/213 lbs. at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk, Russia on January 31. This is considered the most challenging international men’s freestyle tournament of the year.
Varner defeated Russians Yuriy Vlasko, 7-4, Batradz Gazzaev, 11-0, and Adlan Ibragimov, 4-2, in the preliminary stages of the competition. In the gold-medal finals, Varner was defeated by Russia’s 2013 World bronze medalist Anzor Boltukaev, 8-2. Boltukaev also beat 2015 World champion Kyle Snyder of the USA in the semifinals before facing Varner in the finals.
No American has won this tournament since 2009 when Olympian Steve Mocco was a champion there. Varner was a 2012 Olympic champion for Team USA.
Other women nominees are Katie Ledecky (swimming), Staci Mannella (paralympic alpine skiing), Natalie Snodgras (hockey) and Mariel Zagunis (fencing).
Other men nominees are Sean Doherty (biathlon), Declan Farmer (sled hockey), Race Imboden (fencing) and Jamie Stanton (paralympic alpine skiing).
Fans will also get to vote on Olympic/Paralympic Team of the Month as well.
The wrestling nominees are three-time World champion Adeline Gray in the women’s division and 2012 Olympic champion Jake Varner (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) in the men’s division.
Click here to vote for Adeline Gray and Jake Varner
The deadline for voting is 5 p.m. MT on Sunday, February 7. VOTE NOW, VOTE OFTEN AND SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
Adeline Gray won a gold medal at the Olympic Test Event for wrestling, held in the Olympic venue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 31. Gray had a tremendously challenging road to the gold medal, facing many of the top Olympic contenders in the world.
In her first match, Gray beat 2014 World silver medalist Aline da Silva Ferreira of Brazil, 2-0. It was a rematch of the 2014 World Championships gold-medal match, also won by Gray. In the semifinals, she dominated 2015 World silver medalist Zhou Qian of China, in a 17-7 technical fall. Gray also beat Zhou in the finals of the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas. She defeated long-time rival Erica Wiebe of Canada in the gold-medal match, 7-4.
Gray now has a 35-match winning streak, going back to July 2014. She is a three-time World champion, five-time World medalist and a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete.
Jake Varner won a silver medal at 97 kg/213 lbs. at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk, Russia on January 31. This is considered the most challenging international men’s freestyle tournament of the year.
Varner defeated Russians Yuriy Vlasko, 7-4, Batradz Gazzaev, 11-0, and Adlan Ibragimov, 4-2, in the preliminary stages of the competition. In the gold-medal finals, Varner was defeated by Russia’s 2013 World bronze medalist Anzor Boltukaev, 8-2. Boltukaev also beat 2015 World champion Kyle Snyder of the USA in the semifinals before facing Varner in the finals.
No American has won this tournament since 2009 when Olympian Steve Mocco was a champion there. Varner was a 2012 Olympic champion for Team USA.
Other women nominees are Katie Ledecky (swimming), Staci Mannella (paralympic alpine skiing), Natalie Snodgras (hockey) and Mariel Zagunis (fencing).
Other men nominees are Sean Doherty (biathlon), Declan Farmer (sled hockey), Race Imboden (fencing) and Jamie Stanton (paralympic alpine skiing).
Fans will also get to vote on Olympic/Paralympic Team of the Month as well.
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