Pennsylvania State University — Jaden Cox walked off the mat to a standing ovation after losing a 2-2 decision to Colin Moore at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials on Friday night.
He won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but retired shortly after losing to fourth-seeded Moore.
Cox, 29, is a two-time world champion and three-time NCAA champion at Missouri State. After he was defeated, he decided to call it quits.
Cox said after the match, “I think it's a disgrace to myself and to them to continue to be in the game if we lose to someone we've beaten before.” “It's tough, I love this sport, but you know, I've had a great career.”
Leaving your wrestling shoes in the middle of the mat is a universal sign of retirement in the sports world. After shaking Moore's hand and looking around at his fans, Cox knelt down to unlace his shoes.
Cox blew kisses to the crowd and hugged his coach on his way out.
By the end of Saturday night's competition, 13 U.S. wrestlers will have earned spots on the U.S. team for the Paris Olympics. The remaining five will advance to an international qualifying tournament to be held in Istanbul next month.
The trial is being held at the Bryce Jordan Center on Penn State's campus, home of the three-time defending champion Nittany Lion wrestling team. The crowd was filled with Penn State fans, who performed the school's signature “We Are!” There was a moment of cheers as two former Nittany Lion wrestlers, Nick Lee and Zane Retherford, won on adjacent mats.
It's still ticking
Aliaksandr Kikiniu, 44, defeated Benji Peak in the semi-finals to reach the Greco-Roman 77kg final. After an exhausting 7-6 match, both wrestlers lay on the mat for a long time.
Belarusian-born Kikiniu will face 26-year-old Kamal Bey, 18 years his junior, on Saturday. The winner will advance to the international qualifying tournament.
Kikiniou's last Olympic appearance was at the 2012 London Olympics. His first match was 20 years ago at the 2004 Athens Summer Games.
largely
Jesse Mendez, who weighed 65 kg, outperformed the first seed.
Mendez, who is currently completing his sophomore year at Ohio State, entered Friday night as the No. 11 seed.
He picked up three straight wins over No. 6 Joey McKenna, No. 3 James Green, and No. 2 Yanni Diakomihalis.
Mendez seemed to wrestle better as his opponent's seed went up. Mendez earned a 12-7 decision win over Diakomihalis.
However, his momentum stopped when he faced current 70kg world champion Zane Retherford in the semi-finals. Mendez fell just short at 3-2. Retherford will face Nittany Lion Wrestling Club teammate Nick Lee on Saturday.
74km of chaos
Jason Nolf defeated Jordan Burrows 3-0 to win the challenger spot in the 74kg weight class and earn the right to face Kyle Dake on Saturday.
Burroughs, the 2012 Olympic champion, competed against three current and former Penn State wrestlers for a spot in the finals in front of a partisan crowd supporting the Nittany Lions. After his easy 8-3 victory over Mitchell Mazenbrink, he was booed frequently on the mat.
A takedown in the second period made the difference for Nolf, and he rode that cushion to victory. Nolf's defense was impenetrable against the six-time world champion.
Nolf will now face four-time world champion Dake in a best-of-three series.
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Zach Allen is a student at Penn State's John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
