The U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials are in the books, and it's now clear who will be representing the United States at the Tokyo Olympics. Many of the wrestlers set to head to Tokyo were expected to be making the trip, but there will be some notable absences this summer when the games begin in Japan.
Men's freestyle, 57kg: Thomas Gilman swept Vitali Arujau to punch his ticket to Tokyo, though it didn't come easy. Arujau very nearly forced a third bout with a late frantic effort to take the lead in the second match, but he couldn't beat the clock.
Men's freestyle, 65kg: Jordan Oliver shut out Joseph McKenna in their first match. After a 1-0 first period, Oliver extended his lead to 3-0 with a crucial two-point takedown while on the shot clock. Oliver followed up his strong performance in the first bout and took another W in the second leg of his series against McKenna. He's an Olympic Trials champion, but still needs to qualify the weight for Tokyo.
Men's freestyle, 74kg: After years of falling to Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Dake finally got the better of his fiercest rival and punched his ticket to the Olympics. Dake not only beat Burroughs in the best-of-three series, but swept him. After shutting out Burroughs in the first bout, Dake put his stingy defense on display yet again in the second match to earn a 3-2 victory. At 30 years old, Dake's Olympic dream is finally a reality.
Men's freestyle, 86kg: David Taylor took down Bo Nickal 4-0 in their first meeting, and he wound up keeping Nickal off the scoresheet the whole night to cement his spot in the Olympics.
Men's freestyle, 97kg: Kyle Snyder had complete control of Kollin Moore from the start of their first bout, and it didn't take long for Snyder to punch his ticket to Tokyo. Following his 10-0 in the first match, Snyder sealed the deal with another convincing win in the second bout. As expected, Snyder will indeed try to defend his gold medal in Japan.
Men's freestyle, 125kg: After dominating Nick Gwiazdowski in his first bout, Gable Steveson once again got the better of Gwiazdowski in their second match with a 10-4 win to earn a trip to Tokyo. The 20-year-old appears to be one of the most exciting young wrestlers to represent the United States in Japan (especially after the 275-pounder pulled off a back handspring in celebration following the Olympic-clinching bout).
Women's freestyle, 50kg: Sarah Hildebrandt beat Victoria Anthony 12-2 in their first match. It was close until the second period, when Hildebrandt pulled away with several gut wrenches and won via technical superiority. The second bout, however, was far more lopsided as Hildebrandt put up a 10-0 tech fall to win a trip to the Olympics.
Women's freestyle, 53kg: Jacarra Winchester beat Ronna Heaton in the first bout 7-4 after pulling off an impressive slam in the first period. Heaton made a nice push in the second period, but Winchester managed to pad her lead and take the victory. Winchester didn't allow the second bout to be nearly as close, though. With a 12-2 victory via technical superiority, Winchester earned her spot in Tokyo in convincing fashion.
Women's freestyle, 57kg: Helen Maroulis took down Jenna Burkert 5-3 in their first bout after initially falling into an early 2-0 hole, but Burkert came right back in the second match to force a third tilt. The third bout didn't last long, though. Maroulis won via pin just 23 seconds into the first period. After dealing with concussion issues and at times even contemplating retirement since Rio, Maroulis will be returning to the Olympics with hopes of defending her title.
Women's freestyle, 62kg: Kayla Miracle beat Macey Kilty in their first bout by a score of 8-4. Unfortunately for Kilty, after what appeared to be an exciting start to their second bout, she suffered an injury to her shoulder that kept her from being able to compete any further, giving Miracle the two-out-of-three advantage. It wasn't the way she wanted to earn it, but Miracle is headed to Tokyo.
Women's freestyle, 68kg: Tamyra Mensah-Stock swept Kennedy Blades in both of their bouts. Blades came out strong to start the second bout, but Mensah-Stock rebounded in a big way after giving up the first point to win 8-1. At 28, Mensah-Stock will finally be competing for gold at the Olympics.
Women's freestyle, 76kg: Adeline Gray had no issues beating 17-year-old Kylie Welker. She won by technical superiority in the first bout and then did it once again in the second tilt. Gray underperformed in Rio, but now she has a chance to redeem herself in Japan.
Greco-Roman, 60kg: Ildar Hafizov beat Ryan Mango 7-0 in their first bout and held him off the scoresheet again in their second match. At 33 years old, Hafizov is set to make his Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Greco-Roman, 67kg: Alejandro Sancho got the better of Ellis Coleman in their first match, though it was a low-scoring affair that ended 2-0 in Sancho's favor. Their second bout ended with the same result -- a low score and another victory for Sancho, giving him a trip to the Olympics.
Greco-Roman, 77kg: Jesse Porter defeated Peyton Walsh fairly comfortably with an 8-1 score in their first bout, but the second leg of their series was much closer. Porter won 7-7 on criteria in the second bout, making him the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials winner as a No. 10 seed. He will still need to qualify the weight in order to take part in the Tokyo Games.
Greco-Roman, 87kg: John Stefanowicz is Tokyo bound after sweeping Joe Rau. But just as important as Stefanowicz's Olympic berth were the shoes Rau left on the mat after his loss to Stefanowicz, signifying his retirement. The 30-year-old received a standing ovation from all those in attendance.
Greco-Roman, 97kg: G'Angelo Hancock had no issues with Braxton Amos. Hancock was perfect in the first period, beating Amos by a score of 5-0 after three minutes. It was more of the same in the second period, with Hancock taking the first bout via technical superiority 8-0. In bout No. 2, Hancock won by a score of 8-0 again to cement his title as an Olympian.
Greco-Roman, 130kg: Adam Coon defeated Cohlton Schultz on criteria in their second tilt to complete the sweep. But like Porter, Coon will need to qualify the weight to participate in Tokyo.