by KJ Gould
The 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion for Nebraska Jordan Burroughs became World Champion in Freestyle Wrestling in Instanbul, Turkey. Competing at 74 kg / 163 lbs, the one day event saw Burroughs wrestle four times to get to the finals, with a win over former champion Denis Tsargush of Russia in his second match.
Burroughs met Iranian Sadegh Goudarzi in the final and won 2 straight periods to win Gold. In the first period Burroughs scored the first point early with a takedown to out of bounds but Goudarzi promptly returned the favor with his own and got control giving him 2 points. Two more takedowns for Burroughs edged him in the first period 3-2 with Goudarzi out of time before he could get a takedown of his own.
The second period saw a lot of feeling out by both men from a tie-up for the first minute, until Burroughs scored a takedown to out of bounds for 1 point. What happened next is a little unclear. Goudarzi tries for a takedown, Burroughs defends and counters in a great scramble getting two points but during the reset Goudarzi gets a point as well. It may be the referee called for something illegal on Burroughs part who was controlling from the back with an ankle pick that could be seen as cranking a toehold. After a long pause with 12 seconds left on the clock Burroughs gets a takedown and with 6 seconds left maintains his 4-1 point advantage to win the match.
Burroughs is the first World Champion for Team USA since 2006 with Bill Zadick and joins a short list of USA’s World and Olympic Champions in the last decade which only additionally includes Brandon Slay, Cael Sanderson and Henry Cejudo.
Wrestling Gear
