Burroughs has said he plans to compete through the Olympic Games Paris 2024, though his 79 kg. weight class is not included in the Olympic program, meaning he’d likely have to drop back down to 74 kg.
Burroughs was one of three U.S. wrestlers to win medals on the first day of finals in men’s freestyle. David Taylor won the gold medal at 86 kg. in a rematch of last year’s Olympic final, and Zain Retherford won the silver medal at 70 kg.
Three more Americans with a combined six world titles to their names won in the semifinals Friday and reached the Saturday finals in their respective weight classes. Kyle Dake, a three-time world champion, is in the 74 kg. final. J’den Cox, a two-time world champ, is in the 92 kg. final, and Thomas Gilman defends his 2021 world title at 57 kg.
Taylor, the 2020 Olympic champion, reclaimed the world’s top ranking at 86 kg. with yet another battle against 2021 world champion Hassan Yazdani of Iran. Taylor defeated Yazdani in the Olympic final last year in Tokyo, then lost to Yazdani in the 2021 world championships final.
Taylor dominated Friday’s match, winning 7-1.
Retherford, a former NCAA champion at Penn State and the No. 6 seed at 70 kg., won his first world championships medal. He lost the title match to Japan’s Taishi Narikuni by technical fall to capture the silver medal. Retherford reached the final with a 7-0 win over 2017 world champion Zurabi Iakobishvili of Georgia.
Dake, a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, will go after his fourth world title Saturday in the 74 kg. final against Slovakia’s Tajmuraz Salkazanov for the second year in a row. Dake won last year’s gold-medal final 7-3.
Cox, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, goes after his third world title against 2021 world champion Kamran Ghasempour of Iran in the 92 kg. final. Cox was third last year. Gilman, a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, will defend his 2021 world title at 57 kg. against Mediterranean Games champion Zelimkhan Abakarov of Albania.
