CORALVILLE, Ia. — Let’s be honest, this thing felt a little weird.
Weird, because Xtream Arena hosted the 2021 U.S. Senior men’s freestyle national championships this weekend, one month after the U.S. Olympic Trials in Fort Worth. Weird, because the main draw this weekend is the UWW Junior world team trials, which will conclude Sunday.
Weird, because the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced this overload of high-level wrestling events this year after a summer where the pandemic wiped out virtually every wrestling event at any level.
The timing of this event — exactly 28 days after USA Wrestling decided its 2021 Olympic Teams — meant that the field wasn’t exactly loaded with the nation’s most talented Senior-level wrestlers.