This year’s strategy for Olympic hopefuls is centered around a single goal: make it to the road to Paris. There is a lot of excitement as 288 wrestlers will battle it out in Paris. Amidst all of this, a Virginia Tech freshman wrestler is pursuing a spot on the American squad after coming off a victorious summer on the U-23 and international wrestling circuits.
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With only two months until the Olympic trials, the freshman’s bright perspective and intense desire to cut are evident. Can he overcome the obstacles in his path to Paris and transform his previous triumphs into an Olympic victory?
The Road to Paris adds standout freshman wrestler
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Copper Flynn won the U23 national freestyle competition and earned a spot in the Olympic Trials wearing his popular red shirt. Flynn told flowwrestling.org, “My goal is to make an Olympic team in however many years it takes after I graduate, but getting to do this as a sophomore in college is something that’s really cool to just even be a part of.”
Midst the grueling competition to make the Olympic team, Flynn recently admitted that he was harsh on himself. Enjoying a double treat, Flynn claims that the freestyle circuit is a unique and amazing experience. He said, “You get to train for three or four months and compete once and then train. It’s all first class, especially when you do it with Team USA.”
The Paris wrestling tournament will go underway from August 5–11 at the Champ de Mars Arena. Men’s freestyle wrestling competitions in various weight classes, which feature Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling, produce an exciting environment for both spectators and competitors. Meanwhile, the two-time Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association champion specializes in freestyle weighted 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg, and 125kg, and will be challenged by the same provided he qualifies.
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The 2024 Olympic wrestling selection process
A three-phase procedure lays out the route to earning an Olympic berth. At the 2023 Senior World Championships, 90 quotas will be distributed in phase one. The next phase of the 2024 Olympic Qualification Tournaments establishes 144 quotas in various Olympic weight divisions.
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The last 54 quotas are determined in Phase 3, which is the 2024 World Qualification Tournament. Can Flynn make it past these stages and go into the elite Paris Olympics in the face of intense competition? The ride is exciting and full of surprises.
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