Can Molinaro wrestle like this 2 or 3 more times?

[maligned 529]

At the Pan Am Olympic qualifier, we saw Metcalf lose a heartbreaker to Franklin Gomez.  Gomez would then get handled rather easily by world-ranked Valdes of Cuba.  

 

The week prior to those matches, at the Pan Am championships, Molinaro used his now-familiar recipe of defend, defend, defend--then high crotch to a lift and 4--to beat Valdes in a low-scoring match.  Here's the video evidence:

 

 

 

We now know he can do the same against world-caliber guys like Metcalf, Pico, and Stieber.

 

Looking through the entered nations for this week, I've mentioned already that there are going to be around 36 or 38 guys in Frank's bracket; but that there is a clear delineation between top wrestling nations and bottom feeding sort-of wrestling nations.  With this in mind, we can discern that there are only 10 "real" wrestling nations that have entries, plus Habat wrestling for Slovenia, that could realistically win a match against Molinaro.  This means, he'll need 2 or 3 "real" wins to get through his bracket and arrive in the finals to guarantee advancement to the Olympics.

 

So the question is...can Molinaro replicate the above-evidenced formula 2 or 3 more times?

[2td3nf 586]

Yes, I think Molinaro can make it to the finals.

[Housebuye 2,437]

At his best he can, but it will depend on match ups and seeding. He isn't the best guy in the bracket

[LJB 2,093]

to be fair, he wasn't the best guy at team trials either...

[boconnell 1,625]

to be fair, he wasn't the best guy at team trials either...

What is your thinking in this? Who was better than him?  Not only did he beat everyone he wrestled, he was actually the only guy who didn't lose that day.

Edited May 4, 2016 by boconnell

[LJB 2,093]

not going in he wasn't...

 

that was kinda the point...

 

duh

[GoNotQuietly 1,175]

Completely depends on his draw.  With a 64-man bracket he could have 5 matches to make the finals, and with random draw 4-5 of those top 6-7 guys could all be in his path, although that is unlikely.  That said, I don't think there is one person in the tournament that Frank can't beat.

[headache 149]

Completely depends on his draw.  With a 64-man bracket he could have 5 matches to make the finals, and with random draw 4-5 of those top 6-7 guys could all be in his path, although that is unlikely.  That said, I don't think there is one person in the tournament that Frank can't beat.

 

Absolutely true, but Frank's biggest obstacle is that there are very few in the tournament that can't beat him. It's razor thin both ways.

 

As for the comment the Molinaro is not our best - IMO that's nonsense. He beat all the supposed studs.

[Jaroslav Hasek 2,050]

What is your thinking in this? Who was better than him?  Not only did he beat everyone he wrestled, he was actually the only guy who didn't lose that day.

Frank lost one of his matches to Pico in the best of 3 series. 

 

I don't think the point of LJB's post was to try and argue that Molinaro isn't the best wrestler at 65kg in the US right now, only that he was a 9th seed and no one's pick as the best wrestler at the weight before the trials started. so to say he's not the best wrestler at the OGQ in Turkey doesn't matter, he can still win. 

[GoNotQuietly 1,175]

Absolutely true, but Frank's biggest obstacle is that there are very few in the tournament that can't beat him. It's razor thin both ways.

 

As for the comment the Molinaro is not our best - IMO that's nonsense. He beat all the supposed studs.

 

I think there are probably ~20 guys in there who don't have a  realistically shot to beat Frank, he is just too hard to score on.  That leaves 10-15 guys who are in the 40%-60% matchup range either way.  Your point remains salient though; He will have to perform as well or better than the OTT in order to become an Olympian.

[VakAttack 4,014]

He can do this.  Lets go USA!

[DuckFor2 216]

when was the last time the US didn't qualify a weight for the Olympics?

 

let's do this TANK! get the high C going early and often.

[mspart 270]

That is the key.  Do it early and often.  At Mongolia, I didn't see the early or often from him.  I think he would have been way more successful if he had.

 

mspart

[boconnell 1,625]

not going in he wasn't...

 

that was kinda the point...

 

duh

I terribly misread it as you saying he was undeserving.  

[RetiredPoster 87]

What is your thinking in this? Who was better than him?  Not only did he beat everyone he wrestled, he was actually the only guy who didn't lose that day.

 

Who was then?  Pico?  

[cm_111 77]

I hope I am wrong and truly hope Frank medals but I just can't see how turtling up in every match is going to work over the course of that tournament when his opponents will be well prepared for the tactic. Nothing would please me more than eating a can of donkey shlt for being wrong but it really would surprise me. 

[TripNSweep 762]

when was the last time the US didn't qualify a weight for the Olympics?

 

let's do this TANK! get the high C going early and often.

 

2008 when we didn't qualify 60kg in freestyle but got in due to injury with He Who Will Not Be Named.  Same Olympics we also didn't qualify 74kg in Greco and I think TC Dantzler had to sit that one out even though he won the trials. 

[ArmDrag14 64]

2008 when we didn't qualify 60kg in freestyle but got in due to injury with He Who Will Not Be Named. Same Olympics we also didn't qualify 74kg in Greco and I think TC Dantzler had to sit that one out even though he won the trials.

I'm new to the senior level scene. Can someone explain to me the he who will not be named scenario. You can dm me or something. New to this

[goldlover 28]

Who is "Mark Allen MC KNIGHT" the name in USA 65 entry list with Molinaro?

[gimpeltf 2,069]

Mark McKnight- started at U Buffalo transferred to PSU AA seniot year as I recall

 

http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/mark_mcknight_296033.html

[LJB 2,093]

I terribly misread it as you saying he was undeserving.  

nobody who goes through a tournament format is undeserving... he won it... he deserves to be there...

 

i just hope he deserves to be at rio

[Gantry 1,872]

The McKnight thing is a total guess but maybe he's Franks training partner and going with him?  They sign him up in case something crazy happens (injury, weight) and Frank can't go.  99.5% likely he doesn't but one of those better safe than sorry things since he'll be there, even though he's a 57kg guy. 

Edited May 5, 2016 by Gantry

[VakAttack 4,014]

Tough draw but not unmanageable.

 

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

[Abdullahgadzhi Khuzin 1,466]

Malinaro will face with Safaryan, if he bet Safaryan he can wrestle with Novachkov in Quartefinals and with Azamat Nurikov in semifinals :c

[DuckFor2 216]

am i correct in saying Nurikov is a Russian from Dagestan representing Belarus?