2016 U.S. OLYMPIAN - 86 kg FS Cox builds on his amazing season
by Gary Abbott J’den Cox’s dream wrestling season is continuing. A big feature in the May issue of USA Wrestler chronicled his
huge back-to-back wins, claiming his second career NCAA title for Missouri in Madison Square Garden in New York City in March, followed by his unexpected and impressive win at 86 kg at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City in April. For Cox to achieve his Olympic goals, he needed his exciting
run of success to continue after Iowa City. Although he was an Olympic Trials champion, his new weight class had not yet been qualified for the Olympic Games. In order to get the job done, Cox, who had never competed overseas and did not have a passport until after the Trials, would have to travel to Mongolia for the 1st World Olympic Games Qualifier. To make the Olympic field, Cox had to place in the top three. Like his previous performances this year, Cox just blew that away. Cox won five straight bouts on the day, showing extreme
poise, power and presence on the mat for such a young athlete competing under extreme pressure to take gold. To reach the semifinals, Cox won three straight matches, firm-
ly in control of them all. He opened with a pair of technical falls, defeating Shamir Atyan of Armenia, 11-0 and Timofei Xenidis of Greece, 10-0. In the quarterfinals, he led Zbigniew Baranowski of Poland 2-1 until the last few seconds, getting an ankle pick for a 4-1 win. In the semifinals, Cox clinched his Olympic berth by stopping
2013 Asian champion Umidjon Ismanov of Uzbekistan, 5-2. Cox scored a first-period takedown but gave up a point on the shot clock, and led at the break, 2-1. Cox got a pushout and Ismanov scored again on the shot clock to make it 3-2 . A single leg late in the period gave Cox his final 5-2 margin of victory. Although the finals did not have any impact on his Olympic qualification, Cox continued to impress, beating Pedro Ceballos Fuentes of Venezuela, 6-0. Leading 2-0 at the break, Cox scored a pair of takedowns for a dominant win. “I feel alive right now. Words can’t describe how I feel, but I
know there is more to do,” said Cox in Mongolia. Fast forward to May 19 and Cox was on display at the Beat
the Streets “United in the Square” dual meet in Times Square with four other Olympians on the card. He and Olympic champi- on Jordan Burroughs drew tough Iranian opponents. Cox was dominant on his feet in the second period to defeat
Asian Games champion Meisam Mostafa Joukar of Iran, 10-5. The match was 1-1 at the break, but Cox scored four second- period takedowns and added a stepout for a rousing victory. “The big thing was I did not give up position. I got going, got
my movement going. He had some pretty good athletic strength. Overall, it was a good match. It was so much fun. Holy cow, this was fun. I may not be smiling, but in my heart, I was all into it. I am going to take this match and learn a lot from it,” said Cox. After his win, Cox was given the microphone by emcee Robby
Smith and he thanked the fans for their support. “They make what you do a whole lot easier, just showing up
and cheering you on. That is what happens with anything you do. If you have good support, it makes it a lot easier in the fight,” he said. Cox will now focus on the challenge ahead, getting ready for Rio. He will have an extreme test at the Freestyle World Cup in
8 USA Wrestler
J’den Cox celebrates after big win over Iran at the Beat the Streets United in the Square Dual meet. Robbert Wijtman photo.
Los Angeles. Then there should be some matches at the German Grand Prix in July. Throughout the summer, he will be training with his Olympic teammates and the Olympic coaching staff, all working on getting ready for the biggest challenge ever. “I am going to get better in everything that I can. That is how
it is going to be. It will involve learning, how not to think like a folkstyler but like a freestyler. It will be learning to keep on wrestling, wrestling in positions. Nothing will be left alone. Everything has room to improve. That is what I have been say- ing this whole time. This is not about the wins and the losses right here. It is about getting better to reach my ultimate goal in August in Rio,” said Cox. Cox is getting rave reviews, not only from the major national
media including Sports Illustrated, but also from his teammates on the Olympic team. “He has almost like a childlike approach. You need that fear- lessness that he has, you can’t be stymied by the magnitude of the event. He’s just out here like, ‘Listen, I’m going to go out here and wrestle my best, and I’ll see what happens.’ Usually when you do that, good things do happen,” Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs told Sports Illustrated. Mike Eierman, who helps coach Cox in Missouri and has
known him for a long time as a friend and mentor, told Sports Illustrated what he expects from Cox in Rio. “Reporters always ask me what do you think’s going to hap-
pen in Rio. And I say ‘he could always lose but I don’t think that’s going to happen.’ We’re going to have some fun, and these guys are going to feel something they’ve never felt before,” said Eierman.
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