Road to Paris: Spencer Lee’s Arch-Nemesis Switches Weight Class in Last-Ditch Effort to Qualify for Wrestling Olympic Team Trials

The road to Paris is gaining more traction than ever before and wrestlers like Spencer Lee and Nick Suriano are determined to make the upcoming Olympic Games a memorable one for themselves as well as for their nation. Both Lee and Suriano now face one last chance to qualify for the event as the Pan Am Games inch closer in the next few days.

Wrestlers around the country are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to make it to the national team. As the road to Paris opens up, athletes are scurrying to display their talents in all their glory to make sure the responsibility of representing the country in the Olympics doesn’t elude them. And yet, for some athletes, the time at hand isn’t a lot and Nick Suriano is also feeling the pressure of the ticking clock.

Nick Suriano bypasses Spencer Lee

In a recent social media post by wrestling pundit Justin Basch, the updated roster of Team USA for the Pan Am Games has been shed light upon.  Along with Spencer Lee and Nick Suriano, Michigan Wolverines wrestler Alec Pantaleo is also on the verge of securing his ticket to Paris. According to the post, performing well at Acapulco, Mexico will be the best chance for Suriano to boost their road to Paris aspirations. “Suriano & Pantaleo could both qualify for the 2024 Olympic Trials with Pan Am Gold“, points out the post.

However, Basch also reminds that anything other than gold might make both the stars fight for more candidates at the Olympic qualifiers that are slated to take place after the PanAm Games. Nick Suriano’s usual 57kg category has a packed roster with his arch-rival Spencer Lee being the favorite.

Therefore, qualifying from that category seems to be a tough bet for Nick. This might be a reason why Suriano shifted to 61kg. But because of this shift, Suriano will miss out on fighting against his biggest rival Spencer Lee. This iconic wrestler duo last met at the 2023 US Open Wrestling championships which Suriano lost. Fans will now have to wait further for this battle to take place. However, the roster does not have any lack of excitement.

PanAm Games show a lot of potential ahead of the Olympics

Nick Lee, expected to compete in the 65kg weight class at the Pan Am Games, will be partaking in the tournament as well as in the Pan AM Olympic Games Qualifier immediately afterward. There will be Alec Pantaleo in the 70kg category, who like Suriano, will have to secure a gold to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Trials.

Read more: Wrestling Fans Yet Again Denied the Opportunity to Witness Spencer Lee Take On Nick Suriano at Pan Am Games

Kyle Dake, Alex Facundo, Chance Marsteller, and Kyle Snyder’s names are in the roaster. Along with these three wrestlers, veteran names like Nate Jackson will also take on the PanAm Games with hopes of securing their ticket to Paris, while heavyweight sensations like Mason Parris will vie to register their dominance with the Olympic Games only months away.

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