Jordan Burroughs powers in for a double-leg takedown in his finals win over David Taylor. Tony Rotundo photo. Continued from page 6
The two wrestlers hugged after treating fans to an entertain- ing display in 12 tough minutes on the mat. “It’s all about being competitive out on the mat,” Burroughs said. “David and I are great friends and we Tweet each other all the time. We do photo shoots with Flips together. My wife and his girlfriend are good friends. It’s always a bitter rivalry when we’re on the mat. We both want to win. Unfortunately for me to fulfill my dreams I have to kill his.”
Burroughs fought back from a 3-2 deficit in the second match, scoring two takedowns on leg attacks before holding off Taylor in the closing seconds. Burroughs rallied to beat Taylor 7-6 in the U.S. Open finals.
“I obviously wanted to make it a brawl,” Burroughs said. “It was a lot more physical than it was at the U.S. Open. I wanted to fight and see if he wanted to fight back.” Burroughs will seek his third straight title at the World Championships after winning the event in 2011 and 2013. Brent Metcalf made his second straight World Team and third overall by sweeping past Junior World medalist Jordan Oliver in the freestyle finals at 65 kg/143 lbs. Metcalf has been on a roll after going unbeaten at the World Cup, winning the U.S. Open and beating World No. 1 ranked Magomed Kurbanaliev of Russia in the Beat the Streets Dual this year.
“I’ve got a lot of experience on the international scene,” Metcalf said. “We all know that and I know that, and it’s time to put it all together and get what I want. If I wrestle the way I can wrestle and get to guys early and score early, that will help me to be a World champion. I’m fired up about the future.” World champion Elena Pirozhkova made her seventh straight
World Team by outlasting Erin Clodgo in three matches at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. Pirozhkova has finished first, second and third in
“It’s always a bitter rivalry when we’re on the mat. We both want to win. Unfortunately for me to fulfill my dreams I have to kill his.”
- Jordan Burroughs the World.
“I always expect myself to dominate,” Pirozhkova said. “I defi- nitely had a tough time this tournament. We have trained togeth- er a lot and she knows me well. It’s great to make another World Team. It’s taken me a lot of hard work to get to this point.” World champion Adeline Gray made her fifth World Team by
taking two straight matches from Jackie Cataline in the finals at 75 kg/165 lbs. Gray won by technical fall in the first match before coming back to win 7-5 in the second bout. Gray has finished first, third, third and fifth in her previous
trips to Worlds. She is ranked No. 1 in the World by FILA. “It’s all about getting the job done and it’s all about focus,” Gray said. “If I keep focused through the World Championships I’m going to be unstoppable.” Three-time NCAA champion Ed Ruth came back after losing the first bout to take the next two matches over Keith Gavin to make the World Team at 86 kg/189 lbs. Ruth fell behind 4-0 in the third and deciding bout before storming back to win 11-7. Whitney Conder made her second World Team by taking two straight from Katherine Fulp-Allen in the women’s freestyle finals at 53 kg/116.5 lbs. Conder pitched a pair of shutouts in the final-round series, winning 3-0 and 5-0.
USA Wrestler 7
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