Our men are weighed in and ready to battle at Midnight EST tonight! Here's a look at their round 1 matchups, their accomplishments as well as a peek down the bracket to see who could be in our path.
61KG - Jimmy Kennedy vs. Giorgi Kaliev (BLR)
Kaliev was a 2013 JR European Champion and was 5th at Ziolkowski and 12th at Europeans in 2014. If Kennedy wins he will likely face World #1 Aliev. His quarterfinal looks a bit more manageable as he will likely face either Jaehoon Hang of Korea, who was 2nd in the Asian Championships in 2013 or Andrei Perpelita who was 3rd in Europeans and 11th in the 2013 Worlds. Should Kennedy navigate that far, he will likely face a familliar opponent: Alexandr Bogomoev of Russia. Bogomoev will be challenged by 6th ranked Shuptar along the way. Bogomoev teched Kennedy in 2013, but Jimmy won at Beat the Streets.
The top half is absolutely loaded here. Dubov (2013 World Silver) and Esmailpoor (2013 World Bronze) Hit in round 1! It's a long road for Jimmy, but one he surely can navigate if he's on!
65KG - Brent Metcalf vs. Seourgun Park (KOR)
Couldn't find one piece of information on Park. So... #Wildcard
Looking forward in Metcalf's bracket, he will likely face in rd 2 Kaya who is ranked 16th. Following that he could face #12 Muslimov of Azerbaijan then Iran's Mohammadi likely waits in the semi's.
Up top is quite tough with Ganzorig, Novachkov, Gomez, Takatani, and Ramonov ALL on the same side of the bracket. A fairly solid draw for Metcalf. Certainly more fortuituous than his previous World draws.
74KG - Jordan Burroughs vs. Augusto Midan (GBS)
Not much in JB's way early, Tsargush and he seem poised to reunite in the semi's. He could face 2013 World Bronze Kurbanov in the quarterfinals as well. Not sure who waits opposite JB on the other side. Could very well be a familiar opponent in World Silver medalist Lopez of Cuba.
97KG - Jake Varner vs. William Harth (GER)
Varner opens with a fair test early against Harth of Germany who is ranked 11th currently. In round two things HEAT UP when Jake will likely have an Olympic finals rematch with Andriitsev of Ukraine! His quarter will be far more manageable and his potential semi match up is Gazyumov who beat him in July. With Yazdani and Gadisov both on the top side and not hitting Gazyumov til the semi's, you couldn't draw a much better path without throwing Gazyumov up top as well. Varner should be in the mix here late for a medal.
All in all you can't gripe too much about these. Kennedy's isn't ideal but not otherworldly. I'm a glass half full kinda guy, especially when it comes to Team USA. I think medals are there to be taken if we are clicking!
61KG - Jimmy Kennedy vs. Giorgi Kaliev (BLR)
Kaliev was a 2013 JR European Champion and was 5th at Ziolkowski and 12th at Europeans in 2014. If Kennedy wins he will likely face World #1 Aliev. His quarterfinal looks a bit more manageable as he will likely face either Jaehoon Hang of Korea, who was 2nd in the Asian Championships in 2013 or Andrei Perpelita who was 3rd in Europeans and 11th in the 2013 Worlds. Should Kennedy navigate that far, he will likely face a familliar opponent: Alexandr Bogomoev of Russia. Bogomoev will be challenged by 6th ranked Shuptar along the way. Bogomoev teched Kennedy in 2013, but Jimmy won at Beat the Streets.
The top half is absolutely loaded here. Dubov (2013 World Silver) and Esmailpoor (2013 World Bronze) Hit in round 1! It's a long road for Jimmy, but one he surely can navigate if he's on!
65KG - Brent Metcalf vs. Seourgun Park (KOR)
Couldn't find one piece of information on Park. So... #Wildcard
Looking forward in Metcalf's bracket, he will likely face in rd 2 Kaya who is ranked 16th. Following that he could face #12 Muslimov of Azerbaijan then Iran's Mohammadi likely waits in the semi's.
Up top is quite tough with Ganzorig, Novachkov, Gomez, Takatani, and Ramonov ALL on the same side of the bracket. A fairly solid draw for Metcalf. Certainly more fortuituous than his previous World draws.
74KG - Jordan Burroughs vs. Augusto Midan (GBS)
Not much in JB's way early, Tsargush and he seem poised to reunite in the semi's. He could face 2013 World Bronze Kurbanov in the quarterfinals as well. Not sure who waits opposite JB on the other side. Could very well be a familiar opponent in World Silver medalist Lopez of Cuba.
97KG - Jake Varner vs. William Harth (GER)
Varner opens with a fair test early against Harth of Germany who is ranked 11th currently. In round two things HEAT UP when Jake will likely have an Olympic finals rematch with Andriitsev of Ukraine! His quarter will be far more manageable and his potential semi match up is Gazyumov who beat him in July. With Yazdani and Gadisov both on the top side and not hitting Gazyumov til the semi's, you couldn't draw a much better path without throwing Gazyumov up top as well. Varner should be in the mix here late for a medal.
All in all you can't gripe too much about these. Kennedy's isn't ideal but not otherworldly. I'm a glass half full kinda guy, especially when it comes to Team USA. I think medals are there to be taken if we are clicking!