#WomensWednesday: Victoria Francis to go 76 kg for U.S. Olympic Team Trials

In the fall of 2019, two-time World Team member Victoria Francis had a decision to make. After coming back from the 2019 World Championships with a fifth-place finish at the 72 kg non-Olympic weight, she had to choose between Olympic weight classes 68 kg and 76 kg.


Back then, the decision was 68 kg, and she competed at the Senior Nationals in December 2019 at her new weight as well as some international competitions there. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, with the U.S. Olympic Trials and Olympic Games pushed back a year to 2021.


In the fall of 2020, Victoria Francis has a decision to make again. She has been able to return to competition, wrestling at the Beat the Streets fundraiser, then placing second at the Senior Nationals in October 2020 at 76 kg. During her interviews in Iowa, Francis admitted that she did not yet know what Olympic weight class she would pursue.


Now she knows.


“I am going 76 kg for the Olympic year. Going into Nationals, I felt pretty certain. When we decided to go 76 kg for nationals, it was that I am just going this weight class to not have to cut weight right now. My coaches kind of planted that idea again of me going 76. We had a pretty good idea, but it was not 100% then,” she said.


She looks back at her second place finish at Senior Nationals and was pretty pleased with that effort.


“Overall, I felt great with how I did at the Nationals. I felt I was really opening up and hitting different attacks, trying different tactics we have been working on. I felt good physically, I felt good mentally going into the tournament and through the tournament. It was a good feel, and a good sign we are on the right track with my training,” she said.


Her weight class was not large, but had many of the other top wrestlers at 76 kg in the draw. In addition to wrestling five-time World champion Adeline Gray in the finals, the No. 2 on the Women’s National Team and two-time National champion Precious Bell was also entered. 2019 Senior Nationals runner-up Dymond Guilford was in the weight, as was talented college freshman Tristan Kelly.


“Going into it, I was just looking for matches. Going into the Open, we decided to use this as a marker. Before, when I made the decision to go 68, I didn’t think I was going to be strong enough or big enough to go 76. After this tournament, I felt big enough and felt strong enough. I can hold my own at this weight class. I went against the top two in our country at that weight class. I felt pretty good against them,” she said.


While Gray was able to secure a technical fall victory over Francis at Nationals, Francis was able to defeat Bell by an 11-8 score in the semifinals. She also won her opening bout by technical fall.


Looking back, she can now compare how she felt at 68 kg last year, and how she feels at 76 kg right now.


“Body and mind were just not right at 68. I felt like was using so much of my mental energy focused on dieting, focused on the cut. That’s not just the week or two heading into a tournament. It was every day. In training, it was too focused on making the weight. This summer, and during the pandemic, it has been a good time for reflection for me. I feel like I am learning so much more, performing better during practice, performing better during tournaments. My body follows in with that. If I am not training right, of course my body is not going to perform right,” said Francis.


She also shared her decision regarding whether to try out for the Olympics after that, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.


“2024 has been the plan for a while. That will put me right at 30 years old, so I feel like that is a good time for me to start shutting down,” she said


Francis gets into more detail during the video of her interview which is posted above or can be found on the USA Wrestling YouTube Channel.

Home page photo of Victoria Francis in Senior Nationals finals by Sam Janicki.