Gwiazdowski Moves Closer to Olympic Selection
Not all sports events in the world have been canceled or postponed in response to the coronavirus crisis, And there's still at least one athlete with ties to NC State making headlines.
Nick Gwiazdowski, who won back-to-back national championships for the Wolfpack in 2014-15, earned the gold medal at 125 kilograms (275 pounds) on Sunday at the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
By advancing to the finals, Gwaizdowski also qualified the U.S. for a spot at his weight class for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in August (assuming the Olympics are still held).
The former Wolfpack star was dominant in his two contested matches, winning both of his contested matched by shutouts. He beat Charles Merrill on technical superiority with a 10-0 decision in the opeining round then after getting a walkover when second round opponent Angel Ernesto Pacheco Romero of Cuba defaulted because of injury, he posted another 10-0 victory against Vanezuela's Luis Filipe Vivenes Urbaenja.
And a gold for Gwiz! pic.twitter.com/dHwNcxBKtE
— The Wrestling Nomad (@wrestlingnomad) March 15, 2020
Gwiazdowski's championship round opponent, Canada's Amarveer Dhesi, also defaulted because of injury.
A two-time World Championship bronze medalist and two-time Pan Am Games champion, Gwiazdowski still must qualify for the Olympic spot he helped the U.S. secure this weekend.
There's no word as to when that might happen, since the U.S. Olympic Trials, which were supposed to be held next month, have been postponed.
This weekend's event was held without spectators inside the competition venue to reduce the risk of the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
