Cox qualifies for the Olympics
Mizzou wrestler and Columbia native J’den Cox is headed to the Olympics after finishing first in the freestyle 86 kg weight class at the World Games Qualifying Tournament in Mongolia onSunday. Cox dominated en route to the championship, outscoring the opposition, 36-3, in five matches.
The top-three placers at each weight class from the Qualifying Tournament in Mongolia locked up spots at the Summer Olympic Games, which take placeAugust 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cox will be the second wrestler in program history to compete in the Olympics after Ben Askren wrestled in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.
Cox cruised to victory in his first two bouts, recording an 11-0 technical fall over Shamir Atyan (Armenia) in the first round and a 10-0 technical fall over Timofel Xenidis (Greece) in the second round. The hometown Tiger needed just 1:27 to put away Xenidis, as Cox advanced to the quarterfinals, where he would face Zbigniew Mateusz Baranowski (Poland). Cox led, 2-1, after the first three minutes of the match and scored a late takedown in the second period to ensure the victory, 4-1.
In the semifinals, Cox defeated Umidjon Ismanov (Uzbekistan), 5-2, to officially punch his ticket to Rio de Janeiro. Cox led, 2-1, after the first period, then added a push-out point and a takedown in the second to put the match away.
Cox jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period against Pedro Francisco Ceballos Fuentes (Venezuela) in the finals. Cox scored a point after Ceballos Fuentes failed to score after being put on the shot clock, then Cox added another point for pushing out the Venezuelan. The Tiger junior and Team USA representative added two more takedowns in the second period to capture the championship and finish the day a perfect 5-0.
Cox, a junior, is a two time NCAA champion at Mizzou. He also went to Hickman High School in Columbia, where he won four state wrestling titles.
Match-by-Match Results
Freestyle 86 kg/189 lbs:
First Round: J’den Cox (USA) def. Shamir Atyan (Armenia) by 11-0 technical fall
Second Round: J’den Cox (USA) def. Timofel Xenidis (Greece) by 10-0 technical fall
Quarterfinals: J’den Cox (USA) def. Zbigniew Mateusz Baranowski (Poland) by 4-1 decision
Semifinals: J’den Cox (USA) def. Umidjon Ismanov (Uzbekistan) by 5-2 decision
Finals: J’den Cox (USA) def. Pedro Francisco Ceballos Fuentes (Venezuela) by 6-0 decision
