Olympic Wrestling: Bitter-Sweet

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I never had any doubt that the International Olympic Committee would reinstate wrestling.  The commotion simply gave wrestling a kick in the pants to really think about generating interest, revenue and social frenzy.  No other sport in the world is more supported for the Olympics than wrestling and when asked to prove that…I believe we did.  Let's not get complacent now that we've won...we can be greater! 

I am most interested in the adjustment of the weight classes.  As I continue my postpartum recovery and weight loss, I’m also reviewing a smarter place to compete.  In college, I was a skeleton in an article published to the former Women’s Sports Illustrated (2000).  The article mention of me was equally as unflattering as the photo.  #strongisthenewbeautiful

Women’s Wrestling is rooting to obtain two more weight classes for the 2016 Olympic games and hopefully closer to a weight category where I will be healthy and can train consistently.  Cutting to 55kg for years took its toll on my body.  Though I rebounded to make two world teams at 59kg, I felt burnt out by the time I took the mat in Canada last year.  Watch my match vs Mongolia:  http://youtu.be/4oYixN3ZUPc

The new weight categories for women’s wrestling may unfortunately be at the loss of two men’s weight classes.  Under the new proposal, each style:  Men’s Freestyle, Men’s Greco-Roman, & Women’s Freestyle, will all have six weights.  Unfortunately for the men, their weight ranges are far vaster leaving large spans between the weight categories.  I feel for them and wish that a triumph us were not at thier expense.  It's wrestling though and I want to win.  We've struggled with too few weight classes for 3 Olympic Games covering the past twelve years.  It is not fun.  

Proposed New Weight Classes to be voted on at the 2013 World Championships:

Men's Freestyle

55kg - 121lbs

65kg - 143lbs

75kg - 165lbs

85kg - 187lbs

95kg - 209lbs

125kg - 275lbs

 

Women's Freestyle

48kg - 105.6lbs

52kg - 114.4lbs

56kg - 123.2lbs

61kg - 134.2lbs

66kg - 145.2lbs

72kg - 158.4lbs

 

Men's Greco Roman

57kg - 125.4lb

67kg - 147.4lbs

77kg - 169.4 lbs

87kg - 191.4lbs

97kg - 213.4lbs

130kg - 286lbs

 

Follow the 2013 World Championships in Budapest:  http://www.wrestling2013.com/en/ 

Twitter:  @Chick_Wrestler (https://twitter.com/Chick_Wrestler)

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/leigh.jaynes.1

 



About the author

Chick_Wrestler

Olympic Wrestler headed to Rio DE Janeiro in Women's Freestyle. Mom to the most beautiful girl in the world and owner of the trademark Chick Wrestler, represent female wrestlers all over the globe.

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