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2012 Olympic Games Medal Reallocation Ceremony for Tervel Dlagnev (USA), 120 kg freestyle wrestling bronze medal, set for March 6 in Lincoln, Neb.

by USA Wrestling, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, Big Ten Conference

Tervel Dlagnev has his arm raised in victory at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Photo by Larry Slater.


Tervel Dlagnev of Team USA will receive his bronze medal from the Olympic Games London 2012 at 120 kg. in men’s freestyle wrestling in an Olympic Medal Reallocation Ceremony in Lincoln, Neb., on Sunday, March 6.


The ceremony will be held at Pinnacle Bank Arena, just prior to the final session of the 2022 Big Ten Conference Wrestling Championships, with the University of Nebraska playing host to the event for the first time since joining the conference in 2012.


Session IV, which features the first-, third- and fifth-place matches, is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. CT, while the Dlagnev medal ceremony will start shortly after 3:00 p.m. CT


Additional information regarding the 2022 Big Ten Wrestling Championships can be found at //bigten.org/wrestle.


This Olympic Medal Reallocation Ceremony, approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and conducted under its specifications, will be presented by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the National Olympic Committee for the United States.


Also partnering in the Olympic Medal Reallocation Ceremony for Tervel Dlagnev are USA Wrestling, the Big Ten Conference and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.


“We are very excited that Tervel Dlagnev will be listed in the history books as an Olympic medalist, a recognition long overdue. It helps restore our faith in the system of keeping wrestling clean. We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the IOC, USOPC and UWW to bring justice in situations where doping rules are violated. We are also pleased that Tervel can share this amazing experience with his family and friends. Special thanks to the Big Ten and the University of Nebraska for providing a perfect platform to honor one of our nation’s great athletes,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director.


Dlagnev is a resident of Lincoln and works as an assistant wrestling coach for the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, which is the host institution for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships.


The 2012 Olympic bronze medal and pin will be presented to Dlagnev by a representative of the IOC and the USOPC during the ceremony. Members of the Dlagnev family will also be in attendance.


As part of the #OlympiansMadeHere program, the Big Ten Conference will also recognize Olympic wrestling medalists who are either current Big Ten student-athletes or currently serve as a coach for a Big Ten wrestling program. #OlympiansMadeHere celebrates the strong connection between NCAA athletics and the U.S. Olympic Movement. The Big Ten is respected as the strongest Div. I college wrestling conference and has produced numerous Olympic and world championship medalists in wrestling.


Dlagnev was a member of both the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Teams. In addition to his bronze medal from the 2012 Olympic Games, which he is receiving in Lincoln, Dlagnev placed fifth at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Dlagnev is also a two-time world bronze medalist, a two-time NCAA Div. II champion and four-time All-American for the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Dlagnev attended high school in Arlington, Texas.