After a highly-successful showing at the Tokyo Olympics, the U.S. wrestling team remains in strong position to win multiple medals in Paris despite the retirement of at least one reigning gold medalist. Meanwhile on the international side, one of the sport's most successful athletes ever hopes to return for one more Olympics, and a new star may be on the verge of a takeover.
Below are some of the biggest storylines from the world of wrestling that will have an impact on the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games.
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Steveson, Mensah-Stock join WWE
Of the three U.S. wrestlers to win gold in Tokyo, two of them — Gable Steveson and Tamyra Mensah-Stock — have signed contracts with WWE. Steveson joined WWE shortly after the last Olympics, while Mensah-Stock won a 2022 world title before inking her deal in May 2023.
Although both athletes originally planned to retire from competitive wrestling, one has since changed their mind. In April 2023, Steveson announced that he was coming out of retirement to make a run at the Paris Olympics. After winning a U.S. Open title, Steveson ultimately earned a spot on the 2023 World Championships team but withdrew from the competition shortly ahead of time. Mason Parris, a 2023 NCAA champion, won a bronze medal in men's 125kg freestyle after taking Steveson's place.
Taylor continues rivalry with Yazdani
As for the other reigning U.S. Olympic champion, David Taylor, he remains the gold-medal favorite in men's 86kg freestyle despite his continued rivalry with Iran's Hassan Yazdani.
Since 2017, every world or Olympic title at 86kg has been won by either Taylor or Yazdani. Ever since Taylor defeated Yazdani to win gold in Tokyo, the two wrestlers have faced off in the finals at three consecutive world championships. Yazdani got the better of Taylor in 2021, but the last two rematches have gone in favor of Taylor.
Amit Elor shows star potential for Team USA
Mensah-Stock's retirement has opened the door for new U.S. talent to emerge in the women's 68kg freestyle division. One athlete who looks ready to take advantage of that opportunity is Amit Elor.
Elor, 20, has won back-to-back world titles at 72kg, which is a non-Olympic weight class. In order to compete in Paris, she will have to drop down to 68kg and make her way through U.S. Olympic Trials. Elor's success at both the junior and senior levels signals a bright future though. Across the last two world championships, she outscored her opponents by a combined score of 60-6.
Snyder, Sadulaev rivalry interrupted by new challenger
Prior to the last Olympics, the world's most anticipated matchup was arguably a showdown between American Kyle Snyder and Russian Abdulrashid Sadulaev. The pair had combined to win every world title in men's 97kg freestyle since 2015, and they had several captivating matches at the world championships in the years leading up to the Tokyo Games.
That rivalry was set to be reignited at the 2023 World Championships, but something unexpected happened: Akhmed Tazhudinov, a Russian-born wrestler competing for Bahrain, dominated both athletes on his way to the world title. Tazhudinov beat Snyder by technical fall (11-0) in the quarterfinals, then built up a 9-2 lead over Sadulaev in the semifinals before Sadulaev withdrew due to injury. In the process, the 21-year-old Tazhudinov may have usurped both wrestlers as the favorite for gold in Paris.
Mijain Lopez returns for a shot at history
No wrestler has ever won five Olympic gold medals. No athlete has ever won gold medals in the same individual event at five consecutive Olympic Games. Cuban legend Mijain Lopez, now 41, has a chance to make history in both categories this summer.
Lopez is the four-time reigning Olympic champion of Greco-Roman's super heavyweight division. In May 2023, he announced his intention to return to the mat for the Paris Olympics. Lopez has since resumed training, and if he is selected for the Cuban Olympic team — not a given, considering the success of countryman Oscar Pino in the same weight class — it could set up a showdown with his longtime nemsis, Turkey's Riza Kayaalp, in Paris. Lopez has defeated Kayaalp head-to-head at each of the last three Olympic Games.