Levi Haines accepts 79-kilogram Final X spot as Penn State wrestling star readies for fulltime freestyle focus
Penn State two-time NCAA champ has officially accepted his bid for Final X, where a spot on the U.S. Senior team is on the line.
Levi Haines accepts 79-kilogram Final X spot as Penn State wrestling star readies for fulltime freestyle focus
- Thread starter GregPickel
- Start date
That means packing another 15lbs of muscle on that frame. Or lose 11 lbs. Tough call.
They need to get it back to 10 weights. And, they need to get rid of Greco-Roman and add folk style.
They add all the stupid **** like BMX biking, hip hop dancing, 3-3 basketball, flag football and rhythmic gymnastics. F that.
Considering the Olympics is an international competition the chances American folkstyle will replace internationally recognized GR is non-existent.
But, yes the Olympics needs to have 10 weight classes.
Levi wrestles 79 this year while looking to add 4 or 5 pounds of muscle to his walking around weight. That will put his walking around weight at around 185 at the start of next years cycle. Add 6 pounds during the 27 cycle and he isn't a big 86kg but he isn't small either. But picture Levi with 10 or 11 more pounds of muscle, we are talking Trent Hidlay strong. Now for the 28 Olympic cycle, add 4 or 5 more pounds of muscle onto Levi's body. 14 to 16 pounds of muscle growth puts him at a very lean 198 to 200 pounds. Levi will be a physical beast by 2028, cutting maybe 10 pounds for his competition weight of 86kg (189#).
Just saying.
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I’m a traditionalist… I roll my eyes when I hear about skateboarding and other pop culture stuff(not that they aren’t challenging to do well) added to the Olympics…
… but I really don’t like when traditional Olympic sports are removed or cut back…
So I want the full ten weight classes restored for freestyle, but I want them to continue Greco… even if Americans aren’t very good at it… and for folkstyle, let the NCAA tournament be the ultimate competition!
IMO the better strategy is to go 79 kg thru 2027, keep medaling, and then get the 2028 Trials bye into the semis.
He'd have to start eating and lifting hard the day after 2027 Worlds, but Barr proved it's doable.
Risk/reward. 86 kg is a much more crowded field domestically even with Marsteller dropping.
We'll see. There is an argument to be made for either route. I just think he wants a competitive feel for the bigger weight. Plus, he still isn't 22. At this point in his life with a dedicated strength program he can add more than average muscle growth. He might just be a full grown beast at 189 by next year.
With only 7 days until the U.S. open the only PSU guys that have a spot at final X are listed. I know penn state always waits until late to put their names in but holy smokes isnt a week away close enough. How much longer do we have to wait when is the deadline for sign up.
Haha, the deadline is Sunday. Based on past history, that means the PSU guys will likely appear Thursday or Friday.
Greco bores me to tears, but it is the historic style, right?
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Yeah. but so is ulama. Doesn't mean it deserves to be an olympic sport. Especially not at the expense of real wrestling.
Buncha half wrestlers.
Ulama is the "soccer" game of the Aztecs.
it's 2026. and greco is an unwatchable product. If greco fell screaming and died in the woods, did it make a sound?
so there won't be a world team trials challenge tournament bracket for 79kg (or any other of these final x automatic qualifier weights)? it's just haines vs the winner of the open? kinda stinks if you'd qualify for the challenge tournament but are banged up this week.
No, but depending on the height of the fall there might be points awarded for Grand Amplitude.
Correct.
And oh well. Same could be said for any week of the year honestly. I'm glad we've condensed the trials process. It was ridiculously elongated.
Well that's some weird convergence. The Ulama in Islam is it's its scholars and judges of Islamic doctrine and law.
Is that because it is inherently deficient or because it's been screwed with by the same sort of transnational sports bureaucrats that think "par terre" is exciting and leg laces prove something and six weight classes was a good idea.
That is not sarcasm. I really don't know. I rarely watch Greco and don't follow it. As a proxy for combat it seems artificially constrained. In the real world you are going to get attacked and have some agreement upper body only.
I'd bring on Mongolian wrestling.
I hate greco myself but in many countries it’s their main style. It’s huge in Iran, Sweden, Finland, Cuba, as well as many of the old Russian republics. I watch a TON of wrestling but never greco. I even watch a lot of women’s wrestling. All that said I’m good with it being an Olympic sport. It’s been an Olympic sport from the beginning and I would hate to see it disappear.
