Road to Paris 2024: Wrestling World Champion Relives College Rivalry With NCAA Foe for Olympic Training

On the road to Paris 2024, the 2023 World Wrestling Championship’s gold medalist trains and competes with the 2020 NCAA Champion and 3x All-American. Battling their wrestlers together, both the champions are well-renowned wrestlers in their sport. They had been rivals in the NCAA 2018 Championship.

In a recent video shared by the Serbian-American freestyle wrestler, the two have been seen practicing together. Hopeful for an Olympic medal in the coming months, the World champion feels blessed to have such a good and healthy competition throughout his wrestling journey.

On the road to Paris 2024, it’s amusing how two former rivals get well along

“It’s crazy how God works!“, exclaims the Wrestling World Champion, Stevan Micic on the sport bringing people together. The then-rival of Stevan Micic, an NCAA Champion, Seth Gross was the winner of the NCAA finals in 2018. From defeating Stevan Micic to now practicing together for the Summer Olympics, the latest Instagram post of Stevan Micic read, “Seth was a rival of mine who I lost my NCAA finals match to in 2018, but we have always respected each other.”

Adding to the practice sessions, both Seth Gross and Stevan Micic are looking forward to chasing the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. To this, the ‘Golden Boy’, Stevan Micic extended his wishes to his opponent, “Now we are both at different weight classes and have had great success on the world stage over the past couple of years! Good luck at the Olympic Trials bro!”

Eyeing the Paris Olympics

Defeating Michigan’s Stevan Micic by 13-8 to finish off a remarkable NCAA wrestling season, Seth Gross had won the 133-pound wrestling title at the Division I Championships back in the year 2018 in Cleveland. Though Stevan Micic had earned a takedown early in the game, an arm injury added an extra challenge to the wrestler’s game. Falling short of a sizable cushion that could not be allowed by Seth Gross to Stevan Micic, the latter lost his title in 2018.

Read More: Road to Paris 2024: World Champ Stevan Micic Sharpens Wrestling Skills With Sean O’Malley As Olympics Preps

Now preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Serbia’s first-ever men’s freestyle world title champion is passionate to win the gold this Summer Olympics. Competing at a tough competition weight class, Stevan Micic exclaimed, “I’ve now made weight twice and medaled at 57 kg, so I have to make sure that we are better prepared for Paris. It may never happen again so I’ve got to make it count.”