Brooks upsets top seed, RBY eliminated as Penn State wrestling stars make Olympic debuts

We’re off and running from Paris as multiple former Penn State wrestling standouts hit the mats Thursday to make their debuts at the 2024 Summer Olympics. While ex-Nittany Lion Roman Bravo-Young fell in his first Olympic dual, Aaron Brooks made a statement on the international stage. The four-time NCAA Champion won his first two matches, including an upset of the No. 1 seed at 86 kg.

Brooks wasted little time establishing himself in his first Olympic Games. Entering the tournament unseeded at 86 kg, the former Nittany Lion took down the No. 1 seed Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan in Thursday’s opening round. Brooks used a pair of takedowns to secure the 4-3 win.

An hour later, the Penn State wrestling star rolled through Japan’s Hayato Ishiguro in the quarterfinals, winning by 11-1 technical superiority. Brooks advances to the semifinals at 86 kg, which begins at 12:15 p.m. ET Thursday. With the quarterfinal victory, Aaron Brooks is guaranteed a medal bout and a shot at the podium for Team USA.

In the 57 kg weight class, Roman Bravo-Young did not experience the same success. Representing Mexico, Bravo-Young dropped his first match to Armenia’s Arsen Harutyunyan 13-3. Harutyunyan went on to lose his quarterfinal matchup, eliminating the two-time National Champion from medal competition.

Penn State wrestling, NLWC begin quests for Gold in Paris

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Brooks and Roman-Bravo Young were the first wave of what could become a Happy Valley takeover on the mats in Paris in the coming days.

The third and final Penn State wrestling alumni, three-time National Champion Zain Retherford, will make his Olympic debut in the 65 kg preliminary round on Saturday morning. Retherford punched his ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics by rallying through a last-chance qualifier in Turkey in May. Like Brooks and Bravo-Young, Retherford enters the bracket unseeded.

From the NLWC, Kyle Dake and Kyle Snyder both look to once again return to the United States with some Olympic hardware.

Dake begins his Olympics Friday morning as the No. 1 overall seed at 74 kg. He is eyeing his first Olympic Gold medal after winning Bronze in Tokyo during the 2020 Games.

Snyder is looking to cement his legacy as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in American history. With a successful weekend in Paris, the former Ohio State Buckeye can win his second Gold Medal and become one of the few American wrestlers to medal at three Olympic Games. Snyder enters Saturday’s preliminary round for the 97 kg weight class as the No. 3 seed.

All matches for the 2024 Summer Olympics can be streamed live on Peacock.

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