Trolled as an Outcast, Jordan Burroughs Unwavering Amid Negativity Surrounding Wrestling Career: ‘All I See is Gold’

Life can sometimes show you the highest and the lowest points all within years. Just over a decade back in 2012, Jordan Burroughs was on top of the world winning an Olympic gold medal in wrestling. A regular at the Husker Wrestling facility in Lincoln, Burroughs had eyes full of dreams as he aimed to ascend to the summit of wrestling greatness. Unfortunately, just 12 years later, here is Burroughs, almost discarded by the very same fans that once erupted for him. 

Things started to go downhill when the 36-year-old wrestler failed to make it to Paris. Competing in the 74kg division, Burroughs lost his Olympics trial match back in April. And with that, the door of possibilities and options seemed to close in front of his eyes. While dragging back his dejected self amidst the booing crowds, Burroughs saw all his years of hard work and glory come crashing down in front of his eyes. But remember, Jordan Burroughs is a champion. Picking himself from the dust, the Olympian is now getting ready to prove his worth once again. 

Jordan Burroughs looks to rise like a phoenix 

Reflecting on his performance and the backlash he faced after the Olympic trials, Jordan Burroughs considered the idea of retiring. The constant trolling from the fans made him feel like an “outcast”. With all the negativity strangling him, it was very easy for Burroughs to take the retirement and sit back carefree. But that is not how Burroughs wanted to write the ending of his story. And so, the former Olympic gold medalist went back to the grind. Looking to put behind his dark phase, Burroughs started from where it all began- Husker Wrestling Facility. 

Looking at his picture on the wall of champions, Burroughs felt the sparks reigniting within him once again. While a lot has changed at the facility since his 2011 World Championship triumph, the atmosphere is still perfect enough for Burroughs to breed the champion within him. Back when he won the Olympic gold in 2012, Burroughs promoted the motto of ‘All I See Is Gold’. He sold merchandise and also had the slogan written on his social media account. And quite surprisingly, the manifestation helped Burroughs to actually secure the pole position.

He then went on to establish his wrestling academy by the same name where Burroughs aims to foster a lively environment for the budding talents. And now, the 36-year-old is once again looking to summon his old slogan. Speaking about his mindset coming into Lincoln, Burroughs said in the ‘Inside the Dream’ documentary, “The mentality behind “all I see is gold” was really just a testament to my willpower, my competitive nature, my desire to win…Every time I step into an arena, I want to win, I believe I can win, I’m there to win, I’ve trained to win, and I deserve to win… Like, I’m here to win.”

And after months of hard grind, the 36-year-old has finally succeeded. Looking for a berth at the World Championships, Burroughs qualified with sheer dominance at the trials, giving one back to his haters. The 36-year-old defeated Chance Marsteller in the 79kg division to cement his place in the World Championships. Having already won 4 World Championships titles in the 74Kgs and 2 in 79Kgs, Burroughs is focused on clinching his seventh in October 2024 (3rd in 79Kgs). Meanwhile, as the Olympic champion failed to win his trials, things started to go haywire long before 2024. 

Burroughs recalls how hatred made him lose his passion

With multiple World Championship victories and an Olympic gold medal, Jordan Burroughs was once the most decorated American wrestler. But as the critics tried to undermine his achievements, Burroughs slowly started losing his zeal towards wrestling. Reflecting on the same, Burroughs said, “They thought that they killed me. They couldn’t. I’m too resilient.” However, in reality, Burroughs started to get complacent right after 2022. 

Having almost won everything, the wrestler could not make up what to achieve next. And so he started to make his appearances sporadic. Apart from the Pan American Championships, Burroughs did not compete in any major competition in 2023. Thus, the lethargy began to take its effect on his body and Burroughs started to slow down significantly. Now, having gotten back the lost momentum, the 36-year-old is looking to bring back his glory days once again as he embarks on his World Championship journey in October. But the question is, can he?