US Olympic Wrestling Trials: Jordan Burroughs Harassed by Penn State Fan After Suffering Loss

Jordan Burroughs looked determined to punch his ticket to Paris, defeating two other Penn State stars on his way to the finals. However, the match between the Olympic gold medalist and Mitchell Mesenbrink proved to irk the home fans after Burroughs thrashed the latter’s head on the mat. Eventually, Burroughs lost to Penn State’s Jason Nolf in the finals. That probably fired up the Penn State fans once again. A post-match incident attested to that.

While Penn State’s star UFC fighter Bo Nikal extended his support to Burroughs before the match, even he couldn’t stop the fans from coming at Burroughs after his defeat. A recent social media post by FlSport Director Christian Pyles revealed that “A fan harassed Jordan Burroughs as he walked into the tunnel after losing to Jason Nolf.”

“Fan was repeatedly screaming that Jordan’s career was over….Really surprised that is the fan reaction after what could be Jordan’s last match and all that he’s meant to wrestling.”, alerted the post further. While fans were eager to make their emotions felt, an obviously frustrated Burroughs was in no mood for banter. “Mark Manning and Jordan responded before continuing their walk to the team area.“, noted Pyles’ post.

While the home fans were obviously elated at Jason Nolf subduing his heavyweight opponent and fixing a date with Kyle Dak in the 74kg final bout tomorrow, it wasn’t just that result that got the fans fiery. Burroughs’ exchange with Mitchell Mesenbrink in the semifinal match wasn’t received well by the Penn State crowd. While the Penn Star wrestler did set a very physical tone from the very beginning, Burroughs snapping back wasn’t what fans expected from the Olympic gold medalist. And, sure enough, Nolf defeated Jordan in the final round of the weight class giving fans the perfect chance to express their emotions in the most livid manner to Burroughs.

What now for the Olympian?

For months, Jordan had been training to get back to his former weight class. With a little help from UFC star Daniel Cormier, Jordan also had been investing significant time into helping rising wrestlers gain more knowledge to dominate the sport in the coming days. With his last few months all spent with the Olympic Team Trials in mind, many believe the Bryce Jordan Center stood witness to Jordan’s last shot at greatness. However, the challenge proved to be a difficult one for the former world champion and as he bows out of the competition, many ponder about what the future may hold for Burroughs.

Despite the setback, there is no reason to think that this is the end of the line. The 2024 World Championships may also see him make another triumphant return while numerous other international competitions still stand with offers of bidding the Olympic gold medalist a last ride on the mat.