Jordan Burroughs Wins World Gold

September 18, 2013 · No Comments

American Jordan Burroughs continues his win streak in the world of international freestyle wrestling winning the 74 kg/163 lbs weight class Wednesday at the World Championships in Budapest Hungary. Jordan Burroughs is now a perfect 65-0 on the Senior level since starting his international career in 2011.

Burroughs, wrestling on an ankle he broke less than one month ago defeated Iran’s Ezzatollah Akbarizarinkolaei 4-0 in the finals at the Papp Laszlo Sports Arena. It was his third straight gold medal after striking gold at the 2011 Worlds and the 2012 Olympics.

Jordan Burroughs broke his ankle while training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in August and had surgery the next day. Unable to properly train until arriving in Budapest less than a week ago, Burroughs was able to find the stamina to pull out the Gold medal.

“The doctor put five screws in my left ankle,” Burroughs said. “I’m like Iron Man now. I was running sprints at the OTC and tried to jump off the wall to stop my momentum and snapped it. The doctor made it extra stable for me to be able to compete. He said he could do the type of surgery that would guarantee I would be able to compete. I was on crutches and I couldn’t walk for a couple weeks. I rode the bike and lifted and stayed in great shape when I couldn’t wrestle. I have only wrestled live once in the last four weeks and that was here. It’s definitely the biggest win of my career. It’s special, real special.”

“My ankle felt good,” he said. “I don’t have the full range of motion. I was about 75-80 percent. I tried to compete hard and give my all. I believed I could do this. It’s a testament to my willpower. I knew I could compete at a high level.”

Burroughs beat the Iranian for the second time this year after defeating him in the 2013 World Cup in Tehran, Iran.

The U.S. finished fifth in the men’s freestyle standings with 25 points. Iran edged Russia 46-44 for the team title.

Filed under: National