Greco Roman Wrap Up
The past few days were spent getting Zac down to weight and getting completely recovered for one of the hardest brackets in the entire world championships. There were 9 returning World and Olympic medalists in the largest pool of athletes in Belgrade. A few final practices this week with the chiropractor, and former USA Wrestling National Team Member, Jake Fisher were a great tune up for the task ahead.
As the draws came out Zac, like Zane, drew into the toughest quarter. If Zac was able to get past his first-round opponent from Turkmenistan he would meet up with the World and Olympic Champion from Ukraine and the winner of that would feed directly into the current number one wrestler in the world from Turkey. But hey they are all tough and Zac proved equal to the task.
Weigh-ins went off without a hitch and Zac had a great warm up with the Dr. Fisher. Stepping onto the mat for match one he brought a great pace. Snapping and getting big reactions from the TKM rep. After a tactical error Zac found himself down 3-1 coming into the break. But if you know Zac, he is bringing the heat in the second part of any match and this match did not disappoint. Chipping away Zac ended up tying the match 3-3 before scoring the 4 point throw on the edge to seal the 7-3 win.
After cooling down he was up in the warmup area 15 minutes later and ready for Round 2. The Ukrainian had a bye first round so this would be his first match - Zac didn’t mind the warm up match so here we go. Zac started off pushing the pace in the first period and took a 1-0 lead into the second period. But shortly after the second period started, they put Zac down. Even though the Ukrainian was backing up and didn’t have much movement at all. I guess it does with the territory when your are wrestling a modern wrestling icon. Zac gave up a couple turns and had about a minute or so to close the gap. It would not be enough as he fell to the Ukrainian and would have to hope he had enough in the tank to make the finals. It would not be in the cards, as Zac had gotten the Ukrainian too tired as was evident in the beginning of his match with the Turk. The Turk won the world championships and the Ukrainian took bronze.
All in all, this was a great experience for Zac. Competing for a senior world title and being right there with the best in the world is only going to grow his confidence as an athlete. He is only beginning this phase, and its exciting to think about where he is going to be when he puts these pieces together.
What’s next for our world team athletes? All of them will undergo evaluations and rehab over the next couple weeks to identify factors that could be optimized before the next major competition. Both will then head to Colorado Springs and the OTC for the Pan American Games camp and the Pan American Games at the end of the October. This should be a great chance to immediately improve on some of the hurdles from the past week. Zac will then need to compete in the US Open in Texas and the final decision on Zane competing in the open will take place later. There are still a few steps we can take in the 2023 ladder and hope to put each one of these guys in the best spot possible to make a great run at Olympic Gold in Paris.
The past few days were spent getting Zac down to weight and getting completely recovered for one of the hardest brackets in the entire world championships. There were 9 returning World and Olympic medalists in the largest pool of athletes in Belgrade. A few final practices this week with the chiropractor, and former USA Wrestling National Team Member, Jake Fisher were a great tune up for the task ahead.
As the draws came out Zac, like Zane, drew into the toughest quarter. If Zac was able to get past his first-round opponent from Turkmenistan he would meet up with the World and Olympic Champion from Ukraine and the winner of that would feed directly into the current number one wrestler in the world from Turkey. But hey they are all tough and Zac proved equal to the task.
Weigh-ins went off without a hitch and Zac had a great warm up with the Dr. Fisher. Stepping onto the mat for match one he brought a great pace. Snapping and getting big reactions from the TKM rep. After a tactical error Zac found himself down 3-1 coming into the break. But if you know Zac, he is bringing the heat in the second part of any match and this match did not disappoint. Chipping away Zac ended up tying the match 3-3 before scoring the 4 point throw on the edge to seal the 7-3 win.
After cooling down he was up in the warmup area 15 minutes later and ready for Round 2. The Ukrainian had a bye first round so this would be his first match - Zac didn’t mind the warm up match so here we go. Zac started off pushing the pace in the first period and took a 1-0 lead into the second period. But shortly after the second period started, they put Zac down. Even though the Ukrainian was backing up and didn’t have much movement at all. I guess it does with the territory when your are wrestling a modern wrestling icon. Zac gave up a couple turns and had about a minute or so to close the gap. It would not be enough as he fell to the Ukrainian and would have to hope he had enough in the tank to make the finals. It would not be in the cards, as Zac had gotten the Ukrainian too tired as was evident in the beginning of his match with the Turk. The Turk won the world championships and the Ukrainian took bronze.
All in all, this was a great experience for Zac. Competing for a senior world title and being right there with the best in the world is only going to grow his confidence as an athlete. He is only beginning this phase, and its exciting to think about where he is going to be when he puts these pieces together.
What’s next for our world team athletes? All of them will undergo evaluations and rehab over the next couple weeks to identify factors that could be optimized before the next major competition. Both will then head to Colorado Springs and the OTC for the Pan American Games camp and the Pan American Games at the end of the October. This should be a great chance to immediately improve on some of the hurdles from the past week. Zac will then need to compete in the US Open in Texas and the final decision on Zane competing in the open will take place later. There are still a few steps we can take in the 2023 ladder and hope to put each one of these guys in the best spot possible to make a great run at Olympic Gold in Paris.
FS Recap
Yesterday was a tough day. Full of effort and emotion - more on that in a moment – first the recap leading up to it.
As we arrived in Serbia the accommodations were perfect. They are walking distance to the arena, all of the weight cutting needs, and good food. Beke, Zane’s training partner, met us at the airport. We were very excited to have him back and with us for the final push. After arriving we had a couple days of light workouts, recovering, and getting Zane’s weight down and Ermak’s weight up.
The draws came out on Friday and Zane drew European Champion Rzazade from Azerbaijan. It was a tough first round but a winnable one and that is all you could ask for. The day of competition was finally here. Zane didn’t struggle too much with his weight, he is as professional as they come at this point. The warmup was good, and the game plan was as well, mainly keep him out of the right side underhook as much as we could and capitalize on Zane’s offense. Zane did a pretty good job in the first period and was leading going into the break. The second period had its obstacles and Zane ended up dropping a close 3-2 match. The way international wrestling goes is that if you lose to a guy then your guy has to make the finals or your out. The fact that the Azerbaijani had to wrestle so hard really played into him losing his next match to the Iranian (who Zane teched in July). And with that Zane’s most memorable year ended.
It is not death, but it is only a few steps down. Typically, large scale losses go like this for athletes and coaches – depression followed by second guessing followed by more depression followed finally by acceptance and regeneration. And so it started to go with Zane but then something paused the cycle. It was gratitude. He was grateful for so many things and sadder that he let those around him down, which is ridiculous even typing it! He gave us a great year. So many uplifting memories and the way he navigated the obstacles thrown in his way was inspiring to all that were paying attention. He showed people what could happen if you have faith and dedication. He showed that a 7th place NCAA All-American can still live his dream of competing for a senior world title if he fails forward. So let the social media warriors talk about the what ifs and bury him in a mound of people that will for sure destroy him this time – he seems to do better that way… The march to Paris begins for Zane Richards.
Just some insider information for Ermak: he weighs 81kg on a good day. Back in the spring, the Slovakian coaching staff asked if he could wrestle 92kg at the European Championships as favor for them (their best guy was hurt) and in return he would be able to wrestle at the World Championships at 79kg. He agreed and went and won a bronze medal for them. As the deadline got closer to entries, they told him that there would be no 79kg spot open. It is amazing how quickly some people are to break their character when just a little bit of pressure is applied. So Ermak wrestled a match against a small house from India that was 30lb bigger than him in the first round of the world championships. The match went almost as expected with no real wrestling moves. There were some moments where he lost his composure, and he has apologized profusely for them. It was not the match that was getting to him or the subtle headbutts from the Indian. It was unfairly having wrestle someone two weights up from you for a country that has promised you the moon but delivered an ant hill. He has been forced from his home country by a war that he despises, and he typically does anything asked of him with a huge smile on his face. But this time the negatives got the best of him, and he reacted out of character. We are all still very proud of him and hope one day he will be given his opportunity to show that he is one of the best 79kg in the world.
This is what I love about this program. The collective donors of the IRTC have changed the lives of so many with their contributions. It is amazes me to think about Bekhbayar's and Ermak's children and their children's children living a life that is not possible in their home country as they work through the US citizenship process funded by wrestlers and those that care about Illinois Wrestling. Truly inspiring!
The show goes on…. Zac Braunagel will be in Serbia tomorrow! The Greco team has finished their acclimation camp and he is ready to take on the world. We are very excited for Zac as he is dangerous in ways that is uncommon for current American Greco athletes. He is healthy, excited and ready to lay it all on the line. Excited for the next few days...
Yesterday was a tough day. Full of effort and emotion - more on that in a moment – first the recap leading up to it.
As we arrived in Serbia the accommodations were perfect. They are walking distance to the arena, all of the weight cutting needs, and good food. Beke, Zane’s training partner, met us at the airport. We were very excited to have him back and with us for the final push. After arriving we had a couple days of light workouts, recovering, and getting Zane’s weight down and Ermak’s weight up.
The draws came out on Friday and Zane drew European Champion Rzazade from Azerbaijan. It was a tough first round but a winnable one and that is all you could ask for. The day of competition was finally here. Zane didn’t struggle too much with his weight, he is as professional as they come at this point. The warmup was good, and the game plan was as well, mainly keep him out of the right side underhook as much as we could and capitalize on Zane’s offense. Zane did a pretty good job in the first period and was leading going into the break. The second period had its obstacles and Zane ended up dropping a close 3-2 match. The way international wrestling goes is that if you lose to a guy then your guy has to make the finals or your out. The fact that the Azerbaijani had to wrestle so hard really played into him losing his next match to the Iranian (who Zane teched in July). And with that Zane’s most memorable year ended.
It is not death, but it is only a few steps down. Typically, large scale losses go like this for athletes and coaches – depression followed by second guessing followed by more depression followed finally by acceptance and regeneration. And so it started to go with Zane but then something paused the cycle. It was gratitude. He was grateful for so many things and sadder that he let those around him down, which is ridiculous even typing it! He gave us a great year. So many uplifting memories and the way he navigated the obstacles thrown in his way was inspiring to all that were paying attention. He showed people what could happen if you have faith and dedication. He showed that a 7th place NCAA All-American can still live his dream of competing for a senior world title if he fails forward. So let the social media warriors talk about the what ifs and bury him in a mound of people that will for sure destroy him this time – he seems to do better that way… The march to Paris begins for Zane Richards.
Just some insider information for Ermak: he weighs 81kg on a good day. Back in the spring, the Slovakian coaching staff asked if he could wrestle 92kg at the European Championships as favor for them (their best guy was hurt) and in return he would be able to wrestle at the World Championships at 79kg. He agreed and went and won a bronze medal for them. As the deadline got closer to entries, they told him that there would be no 79kg spot open. It is amazing how quickly some people are to break their character when just a little bit of pressure is applied. So Ermak wrestled a match against a small house from India that was 30lb bigger than him in the first round of the world championships. The match went almost as expected with no real wrestling moves. There were some moments where he lost his composure, and he has apologized profusely for them. It was not the match that was getting to him or the subtle headbutts from the Indian. It was unfairly having wrestle someone two weights up from you for a country that has promised you the moon but delivered an ant hill. He has been forced from his home country by a war that he despises, and he typically does anything asked of him with a huge smile on his face. But this time the negatives got the best of him, and he reacted out of character. We are all still very proud of him and hope one day he will be given his opportunity to show that he is one of the best 79kg in the world.
This is what I love about this program. The collective donors of the IRTC have changed the lives of so many with their contributions. It is amazes me to think about Bekhbayar's and Ermak's children and their children's children living a life that is not possible in their home country as they work through the US citizenship process funded by wrestlers and those that care about Illinois Wrestling. Truly inspiring!
The show goes on…. Zac Braunagel will be in Serbia tomorrow! The Greco team has finished their acclimation camp and he is ready to take on the world. We are very excited for Zac as he is dangerous in ways that is uncommon for current American Greco athletes. He is healthy, excited and ready to lay it all on the line. Excited for the next few days...
Acclimation Camp
Zane and I started the journey to the world championships with a direct flight from Chicago to Frankfurt. After landing in Frankfurt, we met up with most of Team USA. While we waited the next few hours for the rest of the athletes to meet, we were able to stretch out on the floor and get some sleep. After the PSU crew arrived, we took a 2 hour-long bus trip to Ramstein Airforce Base that will be our home for the next 6 days.
The facilities and the accommodations for the base are amazing. We have good mat space, great saunas and even a dunk tank they fill with ice for cold plunges. The reason we are using Ramstein is because of their hospitality in the past and the great thing is they are in the same time zone as Serbia. So when we leave tomorrow, we should be acclimated and back on a great sleep cycle.
Acclimatization to the new time zone is very important to optimal performance. Changing time zones doesn’t just mess with your clock but also causes levels of dehydration as well as digestive issues. The Team USA staff and the research our group has done has aided tremendously in the process. Things like only napping in the morning hours and getting plenty of sunlight in the evening are tricks to help your body adjust quicker and Zane was in a really good place by day 4.
We have continued with the training plan that we first incorporated in the fall of 2022. It is Zane's final phase of his periodization and we could not be happier with the way he looks. His normal training partner, 2x World Medalist Bekhbayar Erdenebat, wasn’t able to travel with us due to visa issues between Mongolia and Germany. We did all the paperwork needed and worked extremely hard to get him here, but Germans just won’t let Mongolians in their country for some reason. Genghis Khan probably did something hundreds of years ago that they are still holding some secret grudge about. While Beke will meet us in Serbia (Serbians apparently do not have the same disdain for Mongolians), we were lucky enough to be able to get someone last minute to train with us in Germany, U20 Silver Medalist Luke Lilledahl. Luke is a great kid that wrestles with a lot of speed, so he has been perfect for Zane.
Zane had three mat practices here and has gained speed and precision with each one. We have finished our heart rate based conditioning plan in the final taper and he is incredible condition. The USOTC strength coach has been tracking Zane's explosive power since last year using a jump mat and an advanced algorithm and we were please to see he hit significantly record setting numbers this morning.
I cannot say enough about the hospitality of the base. Last night we were able to have a cookout; the strength coach and nutritionist grilled some awesome steaks. We have been visited by Colonels and Generals almost daily and their support for the team has been phenomenal. The fact that these service men who lay their lives on the line everyday for our freedom have gone out of their way to support Team USA has helped the athletes and coaches see the bigger picture. This morning General Patterson, who oversees the entire US Special Operations, gave us a heck of speech. “When the going gets tough boys…. FIGHT and get the job done.”
All in all, this has been exactly what Zane and the rest of Team USA has needed. We are excited to travel to Serbia tomorrow and complete the last micro training cycle and finish getting down to weight. At the same time, IRTC athlete Zac Braunagel will be leaving for his acclimation camp in France and will meet the rest of the IRTC in Serbia. Zac's training has been going great! Right before leaving for Germany, we were at the OTC in Colorado Springs for two weeks for his final camp and he keeps jumping levels every time he steps on the mat. Zac has trained in three different countries with confidence growing after each camp. A confident and in shape Zac Braunagel is going to be a force to reckon when it comes time to let it fly. Our third athlete, Ermak Kardanov (Slovakia 92KG), leaves for Belgrade on Wednesday as well.
All three of these guys are wrestling in their first world championships but I could not be prouder of the way they are heading into it. All three are healthy, excited and ready to fight for those that have made this possible back home in Illinois.
Onto Serbia!