Preview: 1st ‘Last Chance’ Olympic Wrestling Qualifying Tournament

The first of two final qualifying tournaments for wrestling at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games will be held this weekend in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Team USA sent nine athletes to the far side of the globe so each could earn a coveted spot at the Games.

Ulaanbaatar is thirteen hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so action starts Thursday night at 8:00 pm, or earlier, for any American viewers. Fun Ulaanbaatar, Wikipedia-verified trivia: Mongolia has the coldest capital city in the world!

Only countries that still need to qualify a weight class for Rio can enter that division’s tournament; one entry allowed per country. The two finalists qualify (so the semis are much more important than the finals), as will the third place finisher. Consolation rounds are held via repechage, meaning anyone who loses to a finalist gets to wrestle for third. Normally there are two third place finishers (and two bronze medals), but for this tournament, a wrestle-off for “true third” will take place.

Here’s is the handy dandy Wikipedia entry with more details on the qualification process.

The below list of wrestlers won the USA Olympic Team Trials two weeks ago and will be fighting for the opportunity to represent …

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