G'Angelo Hancock named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week

G'Angelo Hancock at the 2016 Junior World Championships in Macon, France. Photo: Justin Hoch, JHoch.com.

G’Angelo Hancock (New York AC) has been selected as TheMat.com Athlete of the Week on Oct. 31, 2016.


Over the weekend, the 19-year-old Hancock scored a Greco-Roman gold medal at the 2016 Klippan Cup held in Klippan, Sweden.


Hancock opened the competition at 98 kg/215 lbs. with convincing technical fall victories over Mathias Back (BK Thrott), 11-0, Billy Raaf (Sandviken BK), 8-0 and Anthony Riopelle (United States), 10-0. In the gold-medal match, Hancock was tested by 2016 Nordic champion Emil Sandahl of Sweden, but the youngster emerged with a 2-1 win.


With the Klippan Cup gold on his leger, Hancock has now won four international medals during the 2016 calendar year, two on the Senior-level and two on the Junior-level. He picked up a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships, a silver medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and a bronze at the Austria Junior Open.


Hancock emerged as one of the promising, young American prospects in Greco-Roman wrestling after earning third place finishes at this year’s U.S. Open and U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He currently sits in third on the U.S. Senior ladder at 98 kg.


A Colorado native, Hancock currently trains Greco-Roman full-time at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. with U.S. Greco-Roman coach Matt Lindland.


Each week USA Wrestling will select an Athlete of the Week based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling from youth programs through the Senior level.


To nominate a wrestler for USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week please send the athlete’s name, wrestling program and weekly and career accomplishments to Richard Immel at rimmel@usawrestling.org.