Continued from page 6 Burroughs fired in for a double-leg
takedown with 31 seconds left in the third and decisive period. While Tsargush tried to defend, Burroughs followed with a one- point pushout with 13 seconds left to lead 2-0. Tsargush added a late takedown before time ran out.
“That was obviously a huge win for me,” Burroughs said. “I think some peo- ple maybe thought it was a fluke when I won Worlds last year. I wanted to show them I am here to stay.”
Burroughs opened the Olympics with a dominating 4-0, 6-0 win over Francisco Soler of Puerto Rico. Burroughs showed off his full arsenal of leg attacks, finishing the match with a textbook ankle pick. Burroughs followed with a hard-fought 2-1, 1-1 win over Canada’s Matt Gentry in the quarterfinals. Gentry, an NCAA champion for
Stanford who grew up in the U.S., took the lead with a second-period takedown before Burroughs rebounded to spin behind Gentry for a takedown after lock- ing up a cradle with 25 seconds left. Burroughs won the second period by virtue of scoring last.
Burroughs actually lost his first wrestle-
off match at Nebraska to a walk-on at 141 pounds, but he was a fast learner. He was pulled out of his redshirt and inserted into the Husker lineup at 149 as a true freshman.
Burroughs was just 16-13 his freshman year at Nebraska, but did qualify for the NCAA tournament. He drew No. 1 seed Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota in the first round and went 1-2.
Burroughs made major gains as a sophomore, placing third at the 2008 NCAAs at 149 pounds. “Jordan had never really lifted weights when he came here,” Manning said. “He just kept getting bigger and stronger, and more powerful. He’s an explosive athlete who is very strong and very fast.” Burroughs followed by breaking through to win an NCAA title at 157 pounds in 2009.
He was on course to become NU’s first two-time NCAA champion in 2010 before he suffered a serious knee injury in a home dual meet against Central Michigan.
“It was pretty bad and pretty scary – I tore the PCL and LCL in my left knee,” Burroughs said. “I still remember the day, Dec. 19, 2009, against Steve Brown from Central Michigan. It was an extremely tough injury. I didn’t know how I would feel coming back from that injury. A lot of people told me I wouldn’t be as strong, as fast or as quick. It was definitely a low
Burroughs now owns Olympic and World gold medals. Larry Slater photo.
point in my wrestling career. "I had been an NCAA champion in 2009, so I was kind of complacent and thought everything would come easy. Taking the year off, it gave me the hunger and fire and desire to be the best guy in the World. It just shows how swiftly and easily something I love so much and have done for so long can be taken away from me.”
Fortunately for Burroughs, he was granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA. Just days after undergoing surgery, he was in the weight room beginning the long back.
Burroughs bumped up to 165 pounds his senior season during the 2010-11 school year. He went undefeated and captured the Hodge Trophy as college wrestler of the year.
He continues to train at the University of Nebraska, where he works closely with Manning along with Husker assistant coaches Tony Ersland and Bryan Snyder. He trains with Snyder, who was a four- time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up for Nebraska.
“I love Nebraska and I love Lincoln,” he said. “It feels like home to me. The peo- ple are great, and I have a great training
situation and great coaches there.” Burroughs jumped right into freestyle wrestling immediately after finishing his college career.
He delivered a huge statement by win- ning the U.S. Open and the U.S. World Team Trials before capturing a World title in 2011.
Manning credited the job Burroughs has done.
“Jordan has a lot of heart and desire, and I knew he wasn’t going to be denied,” Manning said. “He’s like part of my family. It’s just a privilege to be able to help him develop. It’s why you coach. It’s been great for the University of Nebraska.
“Jordan is a hard worker. He is a spe- cial, special guy. We’ve had a lot of great moments together, and hopefully we will have a lot more in the future. He repre- sents his country in a first-class manner.” Burroughs plans to take some time off before beginning his quest for the 2013 World title.
“I am going to be ready to make anoth- er run at gold next year,” he said. “I never enter a tournament thinking that I can’t win it. The only medal that matters is the one that’s gold.”
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