The recently concluded Pan American Olympic Qualifiers have been nothing short of a spectacle for the wrestling spectators. Commenced on Feb 3 at Regis University, Pan American Olympic Games Qualifiers was among the highly anticipated events that offered wrestlers a golden opportunity to fight for a coveted spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Coming up with wrestlers in all 11 weight classes, the Pan American Olympic Qualifiers have awarded winners at the event with a right to attempt to qualify for the US Olympic trials. Although the final wrestling roaster has been announced, the USA’s wrestlers across multiple weight classes have yet to be enlisted. 

Team USA’s final roaster

Recently, the Pan American Olympic Qualifiers wrestling team announced its final roaster having all four contenders who won a showdown against their opponents. Now, these wrestlers will be competing at the upcoming US Olympic trials to further clinch a berth at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Interestingly, the United States has not qualified to compete at the upcoming Paris Olympics in Women’s (53kg, 62kg, and 68kg), Men’s (57kg, and 65kg) and Greco-Roman (60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg, and 130kg). The major reason behind this was that athletes were only qualified to compete at the weight classes where their nation had yet to qualify for the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games. 

Now, team USA’s Men’s roaster includes Zane Richards and Nick Lee, whereas the Women’s freestyle spot is attained by Dom Parrish, Kayla Miracle, and Amit Elor. In addition to this, USA’s Greco-Roman team features Ildar Hafizov, Alex Sancho, Spencer Woods, and Kamal Bey across multiple weight classes. 

Even though Nick Lee is already part of the USA’s Men’s freestyle roaster, social media is filled with questions about his recent win.

Nick Lee vs. Yianni Diakomihalis

Nick Lee and Yianni Diakomihalis are among the elite wrestlers who faced off on the initial day at the Pan American Olympic Qualifiers. Coming out with a competitive start at the event, Yianni started to dominate Nick by taking him with a chest wrap and securing a double. Although spectators were quite sure about Yianni’s win at the event, something unexpected happened that left spectators biting their nails. 

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Within the final seconds, Nick tried to overcome Yianni’s intense pressure by hitting his head hard on the wrestling mat. Consequently, after taking some time off due to injury, Yianni accumulated all his strength and came back to his offense. After taking the lead by securing 3-2, Yianni’s injury slowly turned out to be his loss as he became slower than he was before the injury. 

Interestingly, Yianni’s injury transformed into an advantage for Nick, allowing him to conclude the matchup with a 12-3 triumphant victory. 

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