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Mensah Stock, Hildebrandt to compete at 2021 Worlds in Oslo, with six Olympic medalists now committed; Olympian Winchester to advance to semifinals at 55 kg in World Team Trials

by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling

Olympic champion Tamyra Mensah Stock and Olympic bronze medalist Sarah Hildebrandt with their Tokyo medals. Photos by John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com


Two more Olympic wrestling medalists from the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, have notified USA Wrestling that they will accept their position on the U.S. World Team that will compete at the 2021 Senior World Championships in Oslo, Norway, October 2-10.


According to the 2021 World Team Selection Procedures, “The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Medalist, if competing at the same weight class, will receive the automatic selection to the 2021 World Team at that same weight.”


The two additional Olympic medalists that will accept their selection to the 2021 World Team and compete at the same weight class where they wrestled at the Olympic Games are Olympic champion Tamyra Mensah Stock (68 kg in women’s freestyle) and Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg in women’s freestyle).


There are now six Tokyo Olympic medalists who will wrestle in Oslo: Mensah-Stock and Hildebrandt, plus the four previous commitments from Olympic champion David Taylor (86 kg in men’s freestyle), Olympic silver medalist Kyle Snyder (97 kg in men’s freestyle), Olympic bronze medalist Helen Maroulis (57 kg in women’s freestyle) and Olympic bronze medalist Kyle Dake (74 kg in men’s freestyle).


Mensah Stock was also a 2019 World champion and 2018 World bronze medalist. Hildebrandt was a 2018 World silver medalist.


These decisions affect the upcoming 2021 World Team Trials at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., September 11-12. With the acceptance of their World Team berths by these six athletes, there will not be any competition at the six following weight classes in Lincoln, men’s freestyle (74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg) and women’s freestyle (50 kg, 57 kg, 68 kg).


The United States won nine medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, so three additional medalists will have until tomorrow, Sunday, August 15, to notify USA Wrestling what their decision will be concerning the 2021 Senior World Championships.


In addition, Jacarra Winchester placed fifth at the Olympics at 53 kg in women’s freestyle. According to the 2021 World Team Selection Procedures, “Athletes who wrestled for a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and stay at the Olympic weight category or choose to move one adjacent weight category (10 weights) will be placed into the semi-finals of that weight.”


Winchester has notified USA Wrestling of her decision to compete at 55 kg in the World Team Trials, which is up one weight class from her Olympic weight class. She will be placed into the semifinals at 55 kg at the World Team Trials in Lincoln.


USA Wrestling will announce any additional acceptances by 2020 Olympic medalists of World Team berths as they are received.


The 2021 World Championships in Oslo will be conducted in the 10 World Championship weight classes in each of the wrestling disciplines, for a total of 30 weight classes. These weight classes are:

Men’s freestyle: 57 kg, 61 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 74 kg, 79 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 97 kg, 125 kg

Women’s freestyle: 50 kg, 53 kg, 55 kg, 57 kg, 59 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg, 76 kg

Greco-Roman: 55 kg, 60 kg, 63 kg, 67 kg, 72 kg, 77 kg, 82 kg, 87 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg


The World Team Trials in Lincoln will be held at the World Championships weight classes, except for those weight classes in which a 2020 Olympic medalist accepts automatic selection to the 2021 World Team at that same weight class.