Paris Olympics: Major Change From Penn State Wrestling’s Zain Retherford Could Alter His Gold Chances

Penn State might be on its way to another major accolade to show off in its trophy cabinet. While NLWC alum David Taylor will miss out on the shot at defending his gold medal at the Paris Olympics, another of their flagbearers looks to be on his way to compensate for the same.

Three-time NCAA champion Zain Retherford laid his claim to be on Team USA headed for the upcoming Games in both the US Team Trials and at the Last Chance Olympic Qualifiers, and with a latest dabble into the technicalities, Retherford just upped the ante, while also beefing up on his chances to secure a podium finish at the French capital.

The former Penn State star rattles the cages ahead of the Paris Olympics

An Instagram post by the official United World Wrestling has announced that the 2023 World Championships gold medalist has bumped up to 70kg from his otherwise regular 65kg weight bracket. “MADE THE MOVE: Zain RETHERFORD 🇺🇸 70kg ➡️ 65kg,” reads the caption of the post. The post went on to elaborate on how Retherford has racked up a pretty commendable record in recent months along with shedding light on the kind of momentum he’s riding on.

“Over the last 13 months, Retherford has won the World Championships, Pan-American Championships, USA’s World and Olympic Team Trials and qualified the Stars and Stripes for Paris 2024 with his third-place finish at the World Olympic Qualifier,” notes the post. At the US Olympic Trials in April, Retherford defeated the 2024 Pan American Championships gold medalist, and another Penn State hotshot, Nick Lee in two straight matches to win the weight class. However, with the USA not having qualified for the quota in the bracket, Zain had to fly to Istanbul to punch his ticket to Paris.

However, 70kg isn’t an official Olympic weight class and Retherford will still be competing in the 65kg bracket itself. With that, the ex-Penn State man will look at a sturdier possibility of reinstating the reputation of his alma mater on the big stage. However, he looks at a strong contingent of opponents who can easily prove to be an insurmountable climb, even for Cael Sanderson’s student.

A long line of hard hitters stands on Zain’s way to the top

Tulga Tumur-Ochir of Mongolia is easily Retherford’s biggest threat to Olympic hardware on the mat. The World Championships gold medalist is the one who handed Zain his only loss in the last thirteen months and even picked up a victory against the American at Istanbul’s Last Chance World Qualifier in May. Naturally, Zain will be eyeing to set the record straight once and for all on the grandest stage, should the two meet again.

Moreover, the 2023 World Championships gold medalist Ismail Musukaev (65kg) will also be standing on Zain’s way to the top of the podium, as will Iran’s Rahman Amouzad and Mexico’s Austin Gomez. Both of the two latter wrestlers have a pretty stacked-up achievement list to show for it, with Gomez honing his skills to perfection as a Michigan Wolverines athlete.

However, the biggest Penn State alum, David Taylor himself, believes Zain has a good chance of making the opportunity count at the Paris Olympics. Do you think so too? Tell us your prediction of seeing Retherford clinch a medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in the comment section below.