With the 2024 Olympics just around the corner, Istanbul will be the last pitstop on the road to Paris. Considering the stakes on the table, the country’s top wrestlers have been vying for a spot in the national team for months now. However, while the US Olympic Trials announced several names as the USA’s delegation, some more stars wait for the final verdict, and Penn State’s Zain Retherford is among the hopefuls.

Last month, Penn State played host to the Team Trials, where the likes of Aaron Brooks and Kyle Snyder punched their tickets to for the upcoming Games. However, while these wrestlers eye their glory moment on the mat at the French capital in July, the USA is still to qualify for the 57kg and 65kg weight classes. With Spencer Lee’s knee injury making things highly speculative about his chances against opponents like Muhammet Karavus and Alireza Sarlak, Retherford faces a tough challenge of his own.

Zain Retherford needs to up his game

At the Bryce Jordan Center in April, Zain subdued Nick Lee in the final match of the 65kg category to win the bracket. However, the three-time NCAA champ will have his work cut out for him with several formidable foes looking to end his Olympic dream. According a recent article by The Mat, makes Retherford’s trip to Turkey look like a steep uphill climb. A pigtail match makes it apparent that at least five matches stand in the way between the NLWC star and Paris, and none is likely to be an easy ride.

If Zain is able to brave through the first two matches (against Stefan Coman of Romania and Ibrahim Guzan of Yemen), he will be facing his arguably toughest opponent in his weight class. Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir is a force to be reckoned with. The 2021 World Championships medalist Ochir has beaten heavyweight American wrestlers like Nick Lee and Joey McKenna on previous occasions, and Retherford will do well to pull up his socks the best he can.

If the difficult Round of 16 hurdles can be jumped over, Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev will be waiting for the Penn State student in the quarterfinals. The 2023 U23 Champion has wins over Russia’s Shamil Mamedov under his belt, and could well be the one to trounce Zain and the USA’s 65kg hopes in Istanbul. Things will only get tougher should Zain make it to the semifinals, with more star wrestlers waiting to prove their mettle on the mat. However, Zain will be in good company, if he can manage to pull off some great moves and go on to win the 65kg bracket.

A beefy US contingent shaping up

Greco-Roman wrestlers Dalton Roberts (60kg), Ellis Coleman (67kg), and Kamal Bey (77kg) will all be traveling to Turkey with hopes of getting their stamp of approval to join Kyle Dake and Mason Parris to the Olympic Games in July. On the other hand, national icons like Sarah Hildebrandt, Kayla Miracle, and Adeline Gray will also be flying to Paris with hopes of bringing gold back to the country. Greco-Roman giants Adam Coon and Payton Jacobson are also set to join the country’s elite athletes on the banks of the Seine River in July.

On the other hand, Kyle Snyder has also made his 10th straight national team and a lot of hopes reside on his broad shoulders. Now, as Iowa’s Spencer Lee’s health conditions still look to be murky and nebulous, it rests on Retherford and the others to fight for the USA’s honor in Istanbul before the 2024 Games kick off two months later.