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  • Photo: Photo/Tony Rotundo

    Photo: Photo/Tony Rotundo

    Olympic Games wrestling wrap-up

    Kyle Snyder celebrates with family and friends after winning Olympic gold (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Another Summer Olympics is now history. The 2016 Rio Games were one of incredible thrills for some Team USA wrestlers ... while for others, it was a time of heartbreaking loss.

    Let's review. Three U.S. wrestlers earned medals in Rio de Janeiro: gold medals for Helen Maroulis and Kyle Snyder ... and a bronze medal for J'den Cox. That means two men's freestyle medals, one for the women's freestyle squad, and none for U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers.

    Comparison to other nations

    A total of 27 different nations won at least one Olympic wrestling medal in Rio, according to WIN (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine). Russia and Azerbaijan led the way, each with a total of nine medals. Japan earned seven medals ... followed by Iran and Turkey, each with five medals. With three medals, the U.S. is tied with five other nations: Cuba, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Georgia, and Uzbekistan.

    Comparison to predictions

    Earlier this month, Sports Illustrated predicted that six Team USA wrestlers would leave Rio with medals. The weekly sports magazine said Jordan Burroughs would win gold in men's freestyle, with gold for women's freestyle wrestler Adeline Gray ... silver for Helen Maroulis and Kyle Snyder ... and bronze medals for Elena Pirozhkova and men's Greco-Roman competitor Andy Bisek.

    Immediately before the start of the Olympics, TheMat.com -- the official website for USA Wrestling -- conducted an online poll, asking visitors, "How many gold medals will Team USA win in wrestling at the 2016 Olympic Games?" Thirty percent correctly predicted two gold medals for U.S. wrestlers.

    Comparison to the past

    How does the three medals Team USA wrestlers earned this summer compare to U.S. performance on the mat at recent Olympics?

    Four years ago at the 2012 London Games, the U.S. claimed four medals: gold medals for Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner, and bronze medals for Clarissa Chun and Coleman Scott. In other words, three medals for men's freestyle wrestlers, one for women's freestyle, and none in Greco.

    At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Henry Cejudo won gold, while Randi Miller and Adam Wheeler each got bronze ... one medal each for men's freestyle, women's freestyle and Greco.

    A dozen years ago, the 2004 Athens Olympics were very good to Team USA wrestlers, for a total of a half-dozen medals. Three men's freestyle wrestlers medaled: Cael Sanderson won gold, while Stephen Abas and Jamill Kelly claimed silver. In the first Olympics featuring women's freestyle competition, the U.S. won two medals: Patricia Miranda got bronze, while Sara McMann got silver. Rulon Gardner added to his trophy case with a bronze medal in Greco-Roman.

    Women's wrestling medalists

    48 kilograms/105.5 pounds (wrestled Wednesday, Aug. 17)

  • Gold: Eri Tosaka (Japan)
  • Silver: Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan)
  • Bronze: Yanan Sun (China)
  • Bronze: Elitsa Yankova (Bulgaria)
  • 9th place: Haley Augello (United States)

    53 kilograms/116.5 pounds (wrestled Thursday, Aug. 18)

  • Gold: Helen Maroulis (United States)
  • Silver: Saori Yoshida (Japan)
  • Bronze: Natalya Sinishin (Azerbaijan)
  • Bronze: Sofia Mattsson (Sweden)

    58 kilograms/127.5 pounds (wrestled Wednesday, Aug. 17)
  • Gold: Kaori Icho (Japan)
  • Silver: Valeria Koblova (Russia)
  • Bronze: Marwa Amri (Tunisia)
  • Bronze: Sakshi Malik (India)
  • (No U.S. entry at in this weight class)

    63 kilograms/138.75 pounds (wrestled Thursday, Aug. 18)

  • Gold: Risako Kawai (Japan)
  • Silver: Maryia Mamashuk (Belarus)
  • Bronze: Yekaterina Larionova (Kazakhstan)
  • Bronze: Monika Ewa Michalak (Poland)
  • 5th place: Elena Pirozhkova (United States)

    69 kilograms/152 pounds

  • Gold: Sara Dosho (Japan)
  • Silver: Natalia Vorobieva (Russia)
  • Bronze: Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan)
  • Bronze: Jenny Fransson (Sweden)
  • (No U.S. entry in this weight class)

    75 kilograms/165 pounds

  • Gold: Erica Wiebe (Canada)
  • Silver: Guzel Mayurova (Kazakhstan)
  • Bronze: Fengliu Zhang (China)
  • Bronze: Ekaterina Bukina (Russia)
  • 7th place: Adeline Gray (United States)

    Freestyle wrestling medalists

    57 kilograms/125.5 pounds (wrestled Friday, Aug. 19)

  • Gold: Vladimer Khinchegahsvili (Georgia)
  • Silver: Rei Higuchi (Japan)
  • Bronze: Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
  • Bronze: Hassan Rahimi (Iran)
  • Team USA's Daniel Dennis did not place in this weight class

    65 kilograms/143 pounds (wrestled Sunday, Aug. 21)

  • Gold: Soslan Ramonov (Russia)
  • Silver: Toghrul Asgarov (Azerbaijan)
  • Bronze: Frank Chamizo (Italy)
  • Bronze: Ikhtiyor Navruzov (Uzbekistan)
  • 5th place: Frank Molinaro (United States)
  • 8th place: Borislav Novachkov (Bulgaria) (wrestled at Cal Poly)
  • 9th place: Franklin Gomez (Puerto Rico) (wrestled at Michigan State)

    74 kilograms/163 pounds (wrestled Friday, Aug. 19)

  • Gold: Hassan Yazdanicharati (Iran)
  • Silver: Aniuar Geduev (Russia)
  • Bronze: Yabrail Hasanov (Azerbaijan)
  • Bronze: Soener Demirtas (Turkey)
  • 5th place: Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan) (wrestled at Clarion)
  • 9th place: Jordan Burroughs (United States)

    86 kilograms/189 pounds (wrestled Saturday, Aug. 20)

  • Gold: Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia)
  • Silver: Selim Yasar (Turkey)
  • Bronze: Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan)
  • Bronze: J'den Cox (United States)

    97 kilograms/213 pounds (wrestled Sunday, Aug. 21)

  • Gold: Kyle Snyder (United States)
  • Silver: Khetag Goziumov (Azerbaijan)
  • Bronze: Albert Saritov (Romania)
  • Bronze: Magomed Ibragimov (Uzbekistan)

    125 kilograms/275 pounds (wrestled Saturday, Aug. 20)

  • Gold: Taha Akgul (Turkey)
  • Silver: Komeil Ghasemi (Iran)
  • Bronze: Ibrahim Saidau (Belarus)
  • Bronze: Geno Petriashvili (Georgia)
  • 5th place: Tervel Dlagnev (United States)

    Greco-Roman wrestling medalists

    59 kilograms/130 pounds (wrestled Sunday, Aug. 14)

  • Gold: Ismael Borrero Molina (Cuba)
  • Silver: Shinobu Ota (Japan)
  • Bronze: Elmurat Tasmuradov (Uzbekistan)
  • Bronze: Stig-Andre Berge (Norway)
  • 9th place: Jesse Thielke (United States)

    66 kilograms/145.5 pounds (wrestled Tuesday, Aug. 16)

  • Gold: Davor Stefanek (Serbia)
  • Silver: Migran Arutyunyan (Armenia)
  • Bronze: Shmagi Bolkvadze (Georgia)
  • Bronze: Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan)
  • (No U.S. entry in this weight class)

    75 kilograms/165 pounds (wrestled Sunday, Aug. 14)

  • Gold: Roman Vlasov (Russia)
  • Silver: Mark Madsen (Denmark)
  • Bronze: Saeid Mourad Abdvali (Iran)
  • Bronze: Kim Hyeon-Woo (South Korea)
  • 9th place: Andy Bisek (United States)

    85 kilograms/187 pounds (wrestled Monday, Aug. 15)

  • Gold: David Chakvetadze (Russia)
  • Silver: Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine)
  • Bronze: Javid Hamzatau (Belarus)
  • Bronze: Denis Kudla (Germany)
  • 12th place: Ben Provisor (United States)

    98 kilograms/216 pounds (wrestled Tuesday, Aug. 16)

  • Gold: Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia)
  • Silver: Yasmany Daniel Lugo Cabrera (Cuba)
  • Bronze: Cenk Ildem (Turkey)
  • Bronze: Ghasem Rezaei (Iran)
  • (No U.S. entry in this weight class)

    130 kilograms/286 pounds (wrestled Monday, Aug. 15)

  • Gold: Mijain Lopez Nunez (Cuba)
  • Silver: Riza Kayaalp (Turkey)
  • Bronze: Sabah Shariati (Azerbaijan)
  • Bronze: Sergey Semenov (Russia)
  • 12th place: Robby Smith (United States)
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