The race for the national team is getting more intense with every passing day, with the Olympics only five months away. The road to Paris 2024 beckons the country’s top athletes, and the wrestlers are itching to pay heed to the sonorous calling. Ahead of the Games, the Team Trials will be the final hurdle that stands on their way to the French capital and the nation’s wrestling stars are gearing up to prove their worth on the mat next month. And more are eyeing one last opportunity to get in on the action.

Over the last few months, the USA’s wrestlers have slowly been getting their names on the list for the Team Trials. While the recently concluded Pan American Championships offered a direct flight to the national team trials, others have had to take a longer route through domestic events. And now, more male freestyle wrestlers in the country are waiting to jump on the bandwagon, thanks to the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifiers!

Road to Paris 2024 looks for its final nominees

A recent post on X (formerly known as Twitter) by Justin Basch notes that the first week of April can make the list complete of the wrestlers who wish to be the flagbearers for the US on the big stage later this year. “Here are the 38 registered so far for the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier in Men’s Freestyle!“, reads the caption of the post. It also shares a link with details for the athletes who will be vying for a spot in the national team at the qualifier event in James Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia, over April 6-7.

The 57kg category is one of the weight classes that’s expected to see heavy competition. Unsurprisingly, there are 12 wrestlers, including Penn Satate’s Nathan Desmond, who will be taking on the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier in this weight class. From Colorado to Michigan, young wrestlers from across the country will test their luck against some of the nation’s best names with hopes of making it to the Team USA.

On the other hand, 5 and 10 wrestlers in the 65kg and 74kg weight classes respectively will also take to the mat. NLWC’s 2022 U17 world champ Joseph Sealey will be competing in the 74kg weight class. 5 more wrestlers in the 86kg weight class and three each in the 97kg and 125kg categories will also try their best. However, they face a tough challenge ahead.

The country’s biggest names gearing up for a showdown

The 57kg category will see some of the nation’s best competing for a spot in the national team. From Iowa’s electrifying Spencer Lee to the 2023 Senior Nationals runner-up Nico Megaludis, the category will be bustling with talents and the youngsters will have their work cut for them. On the other hand, Nick Lee, Beau Bartlett, and Seth Gross will be upping the ante in the 65kg weight class. Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs has been making waves with hints of returning to his old weight class over the last few months, and his partaking in the competition in the 74kg category will only make things tougher.

Read more: Paris Olympics Hopeful Wrestler Spencer Lee Teases ‘Healthy’ Update Ahead of Team Trials

National icon David Taylor will be returning to the mat in the 86kg category, and the young aspirants should take notes. Kyle Snyder and Mason Parris will be joining the thunderous lineup in the 97kg and 125kg categories respectively for the Olympic Team Trials at the Bryce Carter Center in Pennsylvania over April 19-20.

Also Read: Road to Paris 2024: USA Wrestling Champion David Taylor Makes an Open Promise Months Ahead of Olympics