30 USA Wrestling Stars Descend on Mexico for First Major Tournament of the Olympic Year

With the 2024 Olympic Games coming up later this year, USA wrestling stars are looking to make every opportunity count. With that in mind, this year’s Pan Am Championships are shaping up to be the perfect stepping stone for the big occasion. Days after the Championships, the wrestlers will have another opportunity to prove their worth as the Olympic Qualifiers also loom on the horizon. Understandably, a formidable contingent from the US has been announced with eyes set on the long haul.

Some of the country’s most notable wrestling figures have accepted that this year will be much different with the Olympic Games beckoning. Naturally, USA wrestlers are looking to make waves at Acapulco, Mexico and it looks like they have just the people to undertake the massive responsibility.

USA wrestling stars spotted buckling up in Mexico

In its latest Instagram post, the official USA Wrestling account shared snippets of the athletes after having arrived in Mexico. Captioned “Touched down in 🇲🇽, primed for the Pan-American Championships“, the accompanying images show some of the nation’s biggest wrestling stars of different styles gearing up for the imminent rumble on the mat.

With such high stakes, USA’s wrestling icons are looking good as they sweat it out on the mat ahead of the big challenges. The recent social media post shows athletes like Kamal Bey, Kyle Dake, Helen Maroulis, and others soliciting each other’s expertise to start their journey to Paris in style.

Dake can be seen sparring with national teammate Alex Facundo, evidently fixated on getting his A-game back before his possible meeting with the impressive Geandry Garzon of Cuba on Saturday. In another snap, Olympian Alex Sancho can be seen taking one of his colleagues for a wild ride, while Greco-Roman wrestler Noah William can be witnessed taking notes from one of his peers. But the faces seen in the post aren’t everybody who will be looking to make the Pan Am Championships an event to remember.

The USA sending out a beefed-up squad for the big challenge ahead

Names like Kayla Miracle and Kyle Snyder only add to USA’s wrestling dreams at the Mexican tournament. Snyder is expected to lock horns with his old foe: Arturo Torres from Cuba, while three-time world champ Spencer Lee looks to make his international debut. In 74kg, Dake is expected to run face four-time World medallist Geandry Garzon of Cuba. On the other hand, Cohlton Schultz will be aiming to make bigger impacts after his last Pan Am games saw him finish the tournament as the runner-up in the 130kg weight class.

Read more: Paris Olympics 2024 Hopeful USA Wrestling Team Hits the Mat With Aim To Replicate Pan Am Success

Maroulis will also face a steep challenge as her meeting with Angela Alvarez looks highly possible. Furthermore, both Macey Kilty and Kayla Miracle are also expected to meet strong opponents at the Championships. Six-time world champion Gray has three gold medals in the Pan American Championships. She will aim to add some more to her collection. Now, it waits to be seen how the athletes face up to the task with promises of Olympic glory visible far away.

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