Sept 13 World Championships Preview

The heaviest American wrestlers in all three styles — Nick Gwiazdowski in men’s freestyle, Adam Coon in Greco-Roman and Adeline Gray in women’s freestyle — have all won World medals in the past.

And all three will return to the 2019 UWW World Championships, Sept. 14-22 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, especially Gray who hopes to become the first American in any style to win five World gold medals. “Gwiz” and Coon, meanwhile, will try to improve on last year’s bronze- and silver-medal performances from 2018.

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Men’s Freestyle

125 K / 275 pounds

Nick Gwiazdowski

Competing Sept. 20-21

Nick Gwiazdowski captured his second straight World bronze medal last year in Hungary. (Justin Hoch photo)

Bio:Age 26 (born Dec. 30, 1992); native of Duanesburg, N.Y.; resident of Raleigh, N.C.; Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack WC; 2-time NCAA champ at NC State (2014-15), 4-time AA (2^ndin 2016, 8^thin 2013 at Binghamton).

International Experience: two-time World bronze medalist in 2017 (3-1) and ’18 (3-1)

2019 Final X: defeated Minnesota All-American Gable Steveson in best-of-three matches, 4-4 and 3-3, at Rutgers.

Projected Top 4 Seeds by UWW:1. Geno Petriashvili (Georgia), ’17 and ’18 World gold, ’16 Olympic bronze; 2. Zhiwei Deng (China), ’18 World silver; 3. Taha Akgul (Turkey), ’17 World silver, ’16 Olympic gold, ’15 World gold; 4. Nick Gwiazdowski (USA).

Greco-Roman

130 K / 286 pounds

Adam Coon

Competing Sept. 16-17

Adam Coon (left) beat Cohlton Schultz at Final X Lincoln to make his second World Team. (Tim Tushla photo)

Bio:Age 24 (born Nov. 11, 1994); native of Fowlerville, Mich.; resident of Ann Arbor, Mich.; New York AC/Cliff Keen WC; 3-time All-American at Michigan (2015-18).

 International Experience:Won a silver medal in the 2018 Worlds, going 4-1; Also competed in two Cadet Worlds; 2011(gold in freestyle and dnp in Greco); Competed in two Junior Worlds; 2014, bronze in both freestyle and Greco.

2019 Final X: defeated Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist Kids/EAP) in best-of-three matches 8-0, 5-1, in Lincoln, Neb.

Projected Top 4 Seeds by UWW: 1. Sergey Semenov (Russia), ’18 World gold, ’16 Olympic bronze; 2. Adam Coon (USA); 3. Minseok Kim (Korea), ’18 World bronze; 4. Heiki Nabi (Estonia), ’17 World silver.

Women’s Freestyle

76 K / 167.5 pounds

Adeline Gray

Competing Sept. 18-19

 Bio: Age 28 (born Jan. 15, 1991); native of Denver, Colo.; resident of Denver, Colo.; New York AC; attended DeVry/U. of Colo.-Colo. Springs.

Adeline Gray will be shooting for a fifth World title in Kazakhstan. (Tim Tushla photo)

 International Experience:defending national champion has won four World championships with the other gold medals coming in 2012 (4-0), ’14 (5-0) and ’15 (5-0). She has won six World medals, including a silver in 2011 (4-1) and bronze in 2013 (3-1); also competed in ‘16 Olympics (7th, 1-1 record); Competed in ‘08 (gold), ‘09 (9th), and ‘11 (silver) in Junior Worlds; 2012 University Worlds (silver).

2019 Final X: defeated Precious Bell (Titan Mercury WC) in best-of-three matches, pin (1:04) and 10-0, in Lincoln, Neb.

Projected Top 4 Seeds at UWW: 1. Yasemin Adar (Turkey), ’18 World silver, ’17 World gold; 2. Adeline Gray (United States); 3. Aline Focken (Germany), ’17 World silver; 4. Erica Wiebe (Canada), ’18 World bronze.

Below are WIN’s daily previews of USA at the Worlds. Click on the date to read the previews of the wrestlers located on that date.