Joe Rau at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The Illinois Regional Training Center is happy to announce that it is adding world team member Joe Rau to its roster.
Rau, originally from Chicago, Illinois, was the Olympic Trials champion and 2016 and was the world team member in 2019. He is fresh off a Pan-Am Championship and a Pan Am Qualifier where he qualified his weight class for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
"With a little over a year till Tokyo, I know that the IRTC is going to be the perfect place for me to make my Olympic dreams come true," said Rau. "Coach Medlin is an awesome coach and I always seem to win when he's in my corner, whether it be freestyle or Greco. Also, I'll have several great training partners. A lot of these training partners I consider great friends and I have known them since I started Greco or even before that.
"For me, the weight is now qualified and I am in the finals of Trials," continued Rau. "I know what I gotta do right now and it won't be easy. However, I have a ton of confidence that Medlin will get me there. I will have a personalized lifting program and mat practices and I'm going to get overseas as much as possible to get the most competitive looks. We are making a plan and we are going to work that plan. It's time to make another jump. I want an Olympic medal, a gold one. And for me, this is the place to do it. Right in my backyard."
Medlin is looking forward to working Rau as he chases his dream of becoming an Olympic champion.
"It's a great fit and we are beyond excited to have Joe join the IRTC," said Medlin. "He is a great person and his passion for the sport of wrestling is contagious and it elevates everyone around him. We look forward to helping him realize his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal in 2021."
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