USA Greco-Roman wrestlers primed for great performance in Rio, starting on Sunday
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
VIDEO: Olympic Greco-Roman Team press conference
Jesse Thielke and Robby Smith meet the media at their press conference just one day before weighins at the Olympic Games in Rio. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
Game time has come. The wrestling competition at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil begins on Saturday, August 13 with the weigh-ins for the first two weight classes in Greco-Roman wrestling. The wrestlers
The Greco-Roman team remained in Colorado Springs at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for their final preparation, arriving in Rio on August 10, just two days before the first weigh-in. Consistent with their decision to come into Rio at the last minute, their press conferences at the Main Press Center was just one day ahead of the first weigh-in. This colorful and very close team was able to meet with the international media and telling their personal stories.
It all starts with Greco-Roman, with Jesse Thielke (59 kg) and two-time World bronze medalist Andy Bisek (75 kg) up on Sunday, August 14, followed by Ben Provisor (85 kg) and Robby Smith (130 kg) next up on Monday, August 15. The USA does not have a Greco-Roman entry on Tuesday, August 16.
On Sunday, Thielke, who was a 2013 Senior World Team member, returns to the Senior stage after a powerful year, while Bisek comes off back-to-back World bronze medals, the top U.S. performer in Greco-Roman during this four-year Olympic cycle.
“For me personally, I just want to go out there and score points. When I step onto the mat, that is kind of how I roll. My favorite thing is to throw a guy for five, get a guy’s feet going over his head. Push the pace, get the crowd excited. Not a lot of people are excited when they watch Greco-Roman wrestling, and I am going to change that,” said Thielke.
“I try not to think about the past. That is all behind me. I continue to move forward to get my goal. I try not to put any pressure on myself in regards to what I have done in the past. I know that every tournament is a new day, and anything can happen. I need to prepare as hard and harder to get the expectations that you want,” said Bisek.
On Monday, a healthy Provisor competes in his second Olympic Games, after going through a challenging Olympic quadrennium which featured numerous injuries. Smith, who has been second in the world two times, is a showman who is also very dangerous to wrestle because of his intensity and his throws.
“There is definitely a big difference (this Olympics). I am at 85 kg, and am 24 pounds heavier. The biggest thing for me is being healthy. The last few years I have been in a situation where I could get to where I needed to be. I couldn’t do what I love because I was injured. It was very nice to train for four-and-a-half months for this, get ready, and become more mature as a human being. I am ready to take every moment on at this Olympic Games and take home a gold medal,” said Provisor.
“I am here to be an ambassador for the sport. Greco-Roman wrestling has been my life, and has been for the last 24 years. I am proud to be an Olympian, proud to represent these beautiful United States of America. It has been a dream of mine to do this. I just be myself. That’s all I am. If I bring life to the sport, that’s what I do. I don’t change my personality for anything. I just roll through it,” said Smith.
National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland feels good about the chances of all four wrestlers, not just based upon their training and experience, but also because of their personality and life approach.
“These gentlemen are authentic guys. They all bring their own personalities, their own style. That is encouraged, in the way that they wrestle and in way they live their lives. They are all out here because they love this sport. They don’t make it to this level without the passion and the desire to compete at the highest level. That is why they are here and that is why they will be successful this weekend,” said Lindland.
The Greco-Roman team will set the stage for the rest of the USA wrestlers, and a strong performance should be a great start in helping Team USA to a performance that exceeds expectations.
OLYMPIC GRECO-ROMAN SCHEDULE
Sunday, August 14 – Greco-Roman 59 kg, 75 kg (USA entries - Thielke, Bisek)
10:00 a.m. - 59 kg and 75 kg Qualification and Elimination rounds
4:00 p.m. - 59 kg and 75 kg, Repechage, Gold Medal and Bronze Medal Matches and Ceremonies
Monday, August 15 - Greco-Roman 85 kg, 130 kg (USA entries - Provisor, Smith)
10:00 a.m. - 85 kg and 130 kg Qualification and Elimination rounds
4:00 p.m. - 85 kg and 130 kg Repechage, Gold Medal and Bronze Medal Matches and Ceremonies
Tuesday, August 16 – Greco-Roman 66 kg, 98 kg (no USA entry)
10:00 a.m. - 66 kg and 98 kg Qualification and Elimination rounds
4:00 p.m. - 66 kg and 98 kg Repechage, Gold Medal and Bronze Medal Matches and Ceremonies
Jesse Thielke and Robby Smith meet the media at their press conference just one day before weighins at the Olympic Games in Rio. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
Game time has come. The wrestling competition at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil begins on Saturday, August 13 with the weigh-ins for the first two weight classes in Greco-Roman wrestling. The wrestlers
The Greco-Roman team remained in Colorado Springs at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for their final preparation, arriving in Rio on August 10, just two days before the first weigh-in. Consistent with their decision to come into Rio at the last minute, their press conferences at the Main Press Center was just one day ahead of the first weigh-in. This colorful and very close team was able to meet with the international media and telling their personal stories.
It all starts with Greco-Roman, with Jesse Thielke (59 kg) and two-time World bronze medalist Andy Bisek (75 kg) up on Sunday, August 14, followed by Ben Provisor (85 kg) and Robby Smith (130 kg) next up on Monday, August 15. The USA does not have a Greco-Roman entry on Tuesday, August 16.
On Sunday, Thielke, who was a 2013 Senior World Team member, returns to the Senior stage after a powerful year, while Bisek comes off back-to-back World bronze medals, the top U.S. performer in Greco-Roman during this four-year Olympic cycle.
“For me personally, I just want to go out there and score points. When I step onto the mat, that is kind of how I roll. My favorite thing is to throw a guy for five, get a guy’s feet going over his head. Push the pace, get the crowd excited. Not a lot of people are excited when they watch Greco-Roman wrestling, and I am going to change that,” said Thielke.
“I try not to think about the past. That is all behind me. I continue to move forward to get my goal. I try not to put any pressure on myself in regards to what I have done in the past. I know that every tournament is a new day, and anything can happen. I need to prepare as hard and harder to get the expectations that you want,” said Bisek.
On Monday, a healthy Provisor competes in his second Olympic Games, after going through a challenging Olympic quadrennium which featured numerous injuries. Smith, who has been second in the world two times, is a showman who is also very dangerous to wrestle because of his intensity and his throws.
“There is definitely a big difference (this Olympics). I am at 85 kg, and am 24 pounds heavier. The biggest thing for me is being healthy. The last few years I have been in a situation where I could get to where I needed to be. I couldn’t do what I love because I was injured. It was very nice to train for four-and-a-half months for this, get ready, and become more mature as a human being. I am ready to take every moment on at this Olympic Games and take home a gold medal,” said Provisor.
“I am here to be an ambassador for the sport. Greco-Roman wrestling has been my life, and has been for the last 24 years. I am proud to be an Olympian, proud to represent these beautiful United States of America. It has been a dream of mine to do this. I just be myself. That’s all I am. If I bring life to the sport, that’s what I do. I don’t change my personality for anything. I just roll through it,” said Smith.
National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland feels good about the chances of all four wrestlers, not just based upon their training and experience, but also because of their personality and life approach.
“These gentlemen are authentic guys. They all bring their own personalities, their own style. That is encouraged, in the way that they wrestle and in way they live their lives. They are all out here because they love this sport. They don’t make it to this level without the passion and the desire to compete at the highest level. That is why they are here and that is why they will be successful this weekend,” said Lindland.
The Greco-Roman team will set the stage for the rest of the USA wrestlers, and a strong performance should be a great start in helping Team USA to a performance that exceeds expectations.
OLYMPIC GRECO-ROMAN SCHEDULE
Sunday, August 14 – Greco-Roman 59 kg, 75 kg (USA entries - Thielke, Bisek)
10:00 a.m. - 59 kg and 75 kg Qualification and Elimination rounds
4:00 p.m. - 59 kg and 75 kg, Repechage, Gold Medal and Bronze Medal Matches and Ceremonies
Monday, August 15 - Greco-Roman 85 kg, 130 kg (USA entries - Provisor, Smith)
10:00 a.m. - 85 kg and 130 kg Qualification and Elimination rounds
4:00 p.m. - 85 kg and 130 kg Repechage, Gold Medal and Bronze Medal Matches and Ceremonies
Tuesday, August 16 – Greco-Roman 66 kg, 98 kg (no USA entry)
10:00 a.m. - 66 kg and 98 kg Qualification and Elimination rounds
4:00 p.m. - 66 kg and 98 kg Repechage, Gold Medal and Bronze Medal Matches and Ceremonies
