Crafty Keith Gavin Out Of Retirement To Run the 195 lbs Gauntlet
Crafty Keith Gavin Out Of Retirement To Run the 195 lbs Gauntlet
Keith Gavin has remarkable wins during his career, but he hasn't competed since 2016. Can the savvy veteran run the gauntlet at 195 lbs?
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There's a mystique around Keith Gavin heading into the 195 lb 8-man challenge. He hasn't wrestled a match since 2016, and he has never wrestled a match against anyone in this field. So why is the Pitt Head Coach dusting off the singlet for the first time in a long time, and how well does he expect to do?
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On a recent episode of The Bader Show, Keith Gavin explained that this quarantine season, while frustrating, has given him plenty of time to wrestle since recruiting, traveling to events, and most on-campus activities have been shut down.
When the 195 lb bracket was announced, Gavin's staff and athletes encouraged him to consider competing, and he decided that this unique time would give him the flexibility to wrestle competitively for probably the last time.
While Gavin will enter this ultra-tough bracket as its senior-most member and will not have competed in years, he's no stranger to stiff competition. As outlined by JD Rader, he has wins over three world medalists, 11 NCAA Champs, at least a couple dozen All-Americans.
Gavin's last tournament was the 2016 Olympic Trials where he beat Ed Ruth but lost to J'den Cox and David Taylor. Gavin explained just how loaded those trials were.
In addition to being highly seasoned, Gavin presents a slick style. His arm drags regularly make attacking wrestlers feel like they've just walked into a trap. Gavin knows that the competition will be strong, but he believes he can win this whole thing.
If Gavin beats Shakur Rasheed in the first round, many fans predict that he'll see two-time NCAA champ Gabe Dean in the semifinals. Mike Mal talked with Keith Gavin in the sauna recently where he outlined how he expects the bottom half of the bracket to go.
The question of Gavin's conditioning remains a big question mark, but if he has his motor under him, he presents perhaps more danger than any other wrestler in this field.
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