J’DEN COX from page 24
In the opening round Cox edged a game Clayton Foster on criteria, 7-7, courtesy of a clutch last minute takedown. He was pitted against 2012 Olympian Jake Herbert in the quarterfinals and dominated, 8-1. In the semifinals, Cox won a tactical 3-1 decision over past U.S. World Team member Keith Gavin to set up the monumental showdown against four-time NCAA champi- on Kyle Dake in the championship series. The series against Dake went the distance with Cox claiming match one, 8-1, and Dake returning strong in match two, 5-3. In the end, Cox triumphed over one of his admittedly all-time favorite wrestlers in stunning fashion, 5-3.
“In match three I went out there with confidence. I knew I could do it. I have done so much and been through so much, I knew I could go out there and put my full heart into it,” said Cox. It was a time to celebrate, but also a time to prepare for the Senior-level upstart who just shocked the wrestling community. With 86 kg still not qualified for the U.S. to compete at the Olympic Games, Cox had less than two weeks to prepare for a trip to the 1st World Olympic Games Qualifier in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
He had never been out of the country. He didn’t have a pass-
port. And let’s not forget he is nearing the end of his spring semester at Missouri. Traveling overseas wasn’t exactly an easy task. On April 23, Cox wrestled as good as ever. He stormed to a gold medal in Mongolia and solidified his place at the Olympic Games.
Moving forward, Cox will have about four months to fully pre-
pare for the freestyle game and the challenge that awaits in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this August. “I am a wrestler. That’s what I do. I go in the room and prac- tice every day. The rules are different but it is still wrestling,” said Cox.
J’Den Cox celebrates after winning the title at 86 kg in freestyle at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa. John Sachs photo.
25 USA Wrestler
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