The Midwest will be well-represented on the wrestling mats at the upcoming Sumer Olympics in Tokyo, with eight athletes making Team USA’s roster for the quadrennial event.
Two more athletes from the Midwest could still qualify for the Tokyo Games, as the upcoming World Qualification Tournament is set for next month in Bulgaria.
Of the 18 weight classes in the Freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines, Team USA has currently qualified for 15, with three more still up for grabs at the World Qualification Tournament next month.
Here are the Midwesterners who will don the red, white and blue in Tokyo this summer.
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Men’s Freestyle:
Thomas Gilman (57kg/125.5 pounds)
Gilman won the Pan-American Olympic Qualifier last year, and also captured the top spot in the US Olympic Trials earlier this month. Gilman is from Council Bluffs, Iowa and attends the University of Iowa.
Local
Kyle Snyder (97kg/ 213.75 pounds)
Snyder, who did his collegiate wrestling at The Ohio State University and was a three-time national champion, qualified for the Olympics by virtue of winning bronze at the 2019 world championships. Snyder is also the defending Olympic gold medalist in the 97-kilogram division.
Gable Steveson (125kg/ 275.6 pounds)
Steveson is the reigning NCAA Men’s Wrestling champion in the 285-pound weight class, and won a spot in the Tokyo Olympics by winning at the US Olympic Trials earlier this month. The Apple Valley, Minnesota native is a collegiate wrestler with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Women’s Freestyle:
Sarah Hildebrandt (50kg/ 110 pounds)
Hildebrandt, a native of Granger, Indiana, captured her spot in Tokyo by virtue of finishing as the runner-up in her weight class at the Pan-American Olympic qualifier. She won the silver medal at the 2018 world championships in Budapest, and captured gold in the Pan-American Games in 2019.
Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68kg/ 149.75 pounds)
Mensah-Stock, who was born in Chicago and currently resides in Katy, Texas, is the reigning women’s world champion in the 68-kilogram category. She also captured gold in the 2019 Pan-American Games.
Kayla Miracle (62kg/ 136.5 pounds)
The Culver, Indiana-native won the US Open championship in 2017 and 2018. She won the silver medal in the 2020 Pan-American Olympic qualification tournament. She is currently attending Campbellsville University in Kentucky.
Jacarra Winchester (53kg/ 116.5 pounds)
Winchester, a Marshall, Missouri-native, is the reigning world champion in the 55-kilogram class. She also finished in fifth place in the 2018 world championships in the same classification.
Men’s Greco-Roman:
Alejandro Sancho (67kg/ 147.5 pounds)
Sancho, a Miami-native who attends Northern Michigan University, secured his spot in the Olympics by defeating former Olympian Ellis Coleman in the Olympic Trials earlier this year. He is part of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program.
Other Potential Qualifiers:
-Adam Coon, a native of Fowlerville, Michigan, is looking to qualify for the U.S. Olympic squad in Bulgaria. He won the U.S. Team Trial event in the 130-kilogram class, and if he finishes in the top two in Bulgaria, he will punch a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.
-Jesse Porter, a graduate student at Northern Michigan University, won the title in the 77-kilogram weight class in the Greco-Roman discipline at the Olympic trials. He, like Coon, will need a top-two finish in Bulgaria to qualify for the Olympics.
