2016 Olympic Games

J'Den Wins Bronze!

J'Den Wins Bronze!

J'Den Cox of Missouri wins the first men's freestyle medal for Team USA with his bronze at 86kg.

Aug 20, 2016 by Wrestling Nomad
J'Den Wins Bronze!
Team USA’s second medal of these Games went to the rookie. At 86kg, 21-year-old J’Den Cox won a bronze medal on a ludicrous scramble with Reineris Salas Perez of Cuba. 

Four minutes and fifty-five seconds into the match, Cox was leading 1-0 on a shot clock point when he in turn was put on the clock. As it was set to expire, the two-time NCAA champ from Missouri went after a last ditch leg attempt. It turned into a minute long scramble that was blown dead with four seconds remaining.

But the American coaches challenged it, and won. It appeared there was a point when Cox dropped Salas to his hip with both hands locked. The Cuban coaches were so upset they ran on the mat, got yellow carded and Salas refused to finish the match.

In four matches, Cox was not taken down and gave up only three points. Two of those were stepouts and one was a shot clock point.

The other American competing today got fifth. Tervel Dlagnev had a furious comeback in his first match and controlled the second match, but got hurt right at the end. That appeared to be the injury that set Dlagnev back in his semis and bronze match.

Both times, he was taken down and gut wrenched in thirty seconds. The 30-year-old former D2 star completes a great career in which he wrestled for a bronze medal every year he made a world or Olympic team.