A college wrestling's fan guide to the 2024 Olympics

The 2024 Olympic Games start this month in Paris, France, and while the 16 Team USA wrestlers won't be competing until the second week of the Games, the countdown is on.

Here's everything you need to know about Olympic wrestling, the athletes representing the Red, White and Blue on this international stage and what their past collegiate and world accomplishments tell us about their potential to bring home a medal at the Olympics.

The schedule: 

The first wrestling matches of the 2024 Games start on August 5, and the final matches conclude on August 11.

This is the full breakdown of which weights to expect on which days. All times are in Paris local time.

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What are the different styles of wrestling in the Olympics? 

While the men's college wrestling season is contested in folkstyle, the Olympics feature two different styles for athletes: Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Both styles include two three-minute periods instead of the three folkstyle college periods of three minutes, two minutes and two minutes. Women's wrestling is contested in freestyle at the collegiate level. 

Watch 2012 Olympian and two-time Northwestern NCAA champion Jake Herbert explain the rules of freestyle wrestling: 

The biggest difference between freestyle and folkstyle is that the majority of a freestyle match in wrestled from the neutral position, with both athletes on their feet, whereas in folkstyle, athletes choose to start the second or third period in either the top or bottom position.

Athletes earn two points for a takedown in freestyle, much like they used to in college folkstyle wrestling before the rules changed in 2023 to make takedowns worth three points. In freestyle wrestling, athletes can also earn a point for pushing their opponent out of the circle of the mat. Athletes can additionally earn a "passivity" point if an opponent is identified by the referee for not creating any action. This is similar to a "stalling" point in folkstyle wrestling.

Another notable difference in folkstyle and freestyle is that if one athlete exposes another athlete's back during a scramble or after a takedown, the scoring athlete earns two points, whereas in folkstyle, the scoring athlete only earns those points if their opponent is held in this position. This means that freestyle matches can end quickly if an athlete secures moves known as a "leg lace" or "gut wrench" and rolls the athlete over five times, scoring ten points and ending the match on technical superiority.

Watch two-time Olympian Sarah Hildebrandt demonstrate the leg lace: 

Watch two-time NCAA champion and current Navy head wrestling coach Cary Kolat demonstrate the gut wrench: 

Wrestlers can also earn four points for taking an opponent from "feet to back" and exposing the opponent's back in the process. Some wrestlers have attempted to convert these upper body skills into folkstyle scoring positions, as you can see from Austin Gomez here and Chance Rich here, but the different scoring systems don't reward wrestlers for these moves in folkstyle like they do in freestyle. 

Another key difference between folkstyle and freestyle is that there is no overtime. Athletes will never be tied in a match. Even both athletes have the same number of points in a match, one athlete will also be winning on "criteria."The athlete who scored the biggest move will have the advantage on criteria. For example, if one athlete has a takedown (worth two points) and another athlete has two pushout points (one point each), the athlete with the takedown wins on criteria. 

Folkstyle and freestyle have a number of differences, but freestyle is more similar to collegiate folkstyle wrestling than the original style of wrestling: Greco Roman. First debuting in 1896, Greco Roman is contested almost entirely from the upper body position. Wrestlers cannot grab legs and instead must focus on throwing opponents in the mat. The Olympics only offers Greco Roman for men right now, though there are opportunities for women to compete in this style outside the Games and there have been calls to add women's Greco Roman to the Olympic program in the future. 

How many weight classes are there in the Olympics?

Each category — women's freestyle, men's freestyle, men's Greco Roman �� has six weight classes, broken down below. 

Men's freestyle: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg, 125kg
Women's freestyle: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg, 76kg
Men's Greco Roman: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg, 130 kg

Why are the weight classes different than the college weight classes? 

College wrestling is governed by U.S. organizations (NCAA, NAIA, etc.), whereas Olympic wrestling is governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The weight classes are measured in kilograms, as opposed to pounds, because of the international nature of the Olympic Games and the World Championships. 

How many athletes compete at each weight class bracket at the Olympics? 

Every weight class includes 16 athletes, but each country may only put forward one representative. Not every country is guaranteed to have a representative either.

How do athletes qualify for the Olympics? 

Top athletes from each country must qualify for the Olympics through a number of possible opportunities. In the United States, the winner of the 2024 Olympic Trials will be the Olympic rep, assuming the United States has "qualified the weight." Given that only 16 athletes can be included in each bracket, each country must go through a qualification process to secure a spot for its athlete in the Olympics. 

Countries could qualify their athletes for the Olympics in a number of ways, including having an athlete earn a medal at the 2023 World Championships, having an athlete finish in true fifth place (winning the match between the two athletes that lost their bronze-medal matches) at this event or having an athlete finish top two at a Continental event (PanAms, European Championships, Asian Championships, African & Oceania Championships).

Top athletes in countries that have not yet qualified their weight classes compete in the 2024 World Qualification Tournament. The top two finishers, plus the winner of the true third-place bout in each weight class, at this event qualify for the Olympics. 

How does the bracket work at the Olympics? 

Unlike the NCAA tournament, the Olympics are not necessarily double-elimination. If a wrestler loses his or her opening match, that wrestler will only be pulled back into the bracket if the athlete who beat the wrestler advances to the finals. These backside wrestleback matches are known as "repechage."

Who is representing the United States at the Olympics? 

Below is a list of the 16 wrestlers competing for the United States in the 2024 Olympic Games. All 16 of these athletes won their weight class at the 2024 Olympic Trials and qualified their weight class for the United States through one of the several qualification paths listed previously. Additionally, Dalton Roberts and Ellis Coleman won their brackets at the 2024 Olympic Trials in Greco Roman at 60kg and 67kg but did not qualify the weight class. 

Each of these wrestlers will compete in a 16-person bracket in Paris. The top eight athletes in each weight class will be seeded based on a points system. The remaining eight athletes in each bracket will be randomly drawn into the bracket.