4 Pan American Olympic Qualifiers Spots on the Line as Wrestlers Gear Up for High-Stakes Showdown

With the Olympics just 177 days away, most athletes are busy preparing to win medals for their countries in Paris. However, many athletes still await an Olympic qualification and are still in line for it. Several spots in Team USA’s wrestling division are also vacant, but a new tournament will help them out.

United World Wrestling will soon launch the Pan American Olympic Qualifiers in Acapulco, Mexico. A recent social media upload notified wrestlers of the same, as the event will begin on 28 February 2024. The US wrestlers will have to compete for four vital spots even before making it to the UWW event.

The fight to win over the national opponents

United World Wrestling added a new tweet to its official X account regarding the continental qualifiers. The tweet carried the caption, “The Pan-American Olympic Qualifier will kick off the continental qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Games. Here is the list of the wrestlers entered for the February 28-March 1 event in Acapulco, Mexico. #WrestleAcapulco.”

The competition is open for six weight classes in men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle, and men’s Greco-Roman wrestling. The competition will go on for three days and end on 1 March. But, to make it to the Olympic trials qualifier, wrestle-offs will be conducted on 3 February. While the women’s freestyle category will see a wrestle-off in three weight classes, the men’s freestyle will only have one wrestle-off instead of the initially planned two.

The excluded men’s weight class would be the 57kg, where Zane Richards now has a green flag to compete. While Thomas Gilman, Daton Fix, and Vito Arujau were eligible to challenge Richard for his place, the wrestlers chose to pass on the opportunity. However, the competition in the women’s division is going to be extremely high voltage. Especially since Amit Elor will now enter the scene and compete for an Olympic trials spot.

Amit Elor to fight for maiden Olympic trials spot

The three Olympic trials qualifier spots open for contention in women’s freestyle lie in the 53kg, 62kg, and 68kg weight classes. Amit Elor will look forward to challenging the grapplers in the 68kg category and will be stepping down from her undisputed territory of 72kg. Apparently, Elor has already won eight world championship gold medals in the 72kg weight class.

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This will be a challenge for the 20-year-old as she will have to wrestle out of her comfort zone. 68kg participants Emma Bruntil, Forrest Molinari, and Mallory Velte will give a tough competition as everyone fights for their Olympic dream. But, while the wrestle-offs will test the national merit of these women, the real competition lies in Mexico. Who will earn the right to join Team USA for the upcoming Olympics in Paris?

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