The only double Olympic silver medalist, Robin placed in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. He later coached, helped run the French Federation and then began involvement as a technical delegate for FILA and later United World Wrestling.
He was the competition manager at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where he was also inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Robin has a number of accomplishments, but in getting to know him over the past few years it was his passion for the sport and its development that seemed to resonate with his coworkers. Being 74 years old and working around wrestling was certain to be tough on Robin, but he was full of life and went wire-to-wire with the young crew.
Like many of you, I've found a few laughs (and possibly frustration) with wrestling's "dinosaurs of the mat" … but it's always important to remember how much they've served the interest of the sport in the past 40, 50 or 60 years. Continuity of tradition relies on figures like Robin and with his passing the sport mourns the loss of some of those untold stories and traditions.
Link: Daniel Robin Obituary
To your questions …
Isaiah Martinez dominated at the U.S. Open and World Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Q: Isaiah Martinez dominated at both the U.S. Open and World Team Trials. Now it's a big step up in class when he faces Jordan Burroughs at Final X. Do you think Imar vs. JB could be competitive at Final X?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Jordan Burroughs just beat Frank Chamizo, and while I think that Imar is a contender, he's facing a major uphill battle in taking on arguably the greatest freestyle wrestler in American history. I hope for tough, competitive matches and for Imar to show the brilliance we've all come to know from his NCAA days.
One positive note is that Imar will have national team funding and be headed on a variety on international trips in 2018, including the World Championships. That type of exposure will mature his game quickly and give him a better representation of where he stands against the best talent in the world.
Q: In two years, a 29-year-old David Taylor and 23-year-old Zahid Valencia could be on a collision course for the 86-kilogram Olympic spot. Will the age difference hurt David, and do you see Zahid potentially taking that spot?
-- @RickMathern
Foley: Man, you guys really smell blood in the water, huh?!
I'm hesitant to get involved with anything Zahid-related after my total whiff on his outlook at the World Team Trials. Guy is a star and within a year or two there is every reason to think he can challenge for the 86-kilogram crown.
Is 29 old? It might be older than the mean for all wrestlers who medaled in freestyle at the Olympic Games (27), but for bigger guys the shelf life seems to be extended. Maybe there are fewer challenges, or there is less twisting and turning to wear down the body? I don't know. Either way, I believe that David Taylor is ready now and will be ready for Zahid in 2020.
But will Zahid be ready? Probably. Which makes this a compelling matchup.
Q: Lots of stoppages this past weekend at the World Team Trials and many complaints that refs were too involved. Do you see that internationally or is that an American ref problem?
-- @alliseeis_
Foley: Though any tournament will have a variety of officiating there did seem to be an uptick in the number of people who noticed the stoppages. There are a few reasons this might be the case.
First, some officials are less experienced with freestyle and are calling the locked fingers with some gusto, along with finding other match-stopping opportunities to warn for passive wrestling. I tend to think this plays a center roll in the complaints lodged by fans this weekend.
However, another reason might be new freestyle fans (or those making the transition from NCAA) who simply aren't familiar with seeing any referee stoppages. Contrast a high-level folkstyle match with the best officials with a massive freestyle tournament with a variety of levels and you are certain to get a difference.
The third reason is that the American wrestlers might themselves have been earning a portion of the stoppages with "negative wrestling" which is now often called when one wrestler is seen as blocking action. The best example is locking fingers in freestyle and keeping your elbows in during Greco tie-ups.
The international scene has also seen an overall uptick in stoppages, but as wrestlers realize interlocking fingers and other match-stalling techniques will result in penalties, there will likely be less.
Q: Frank Molinaro was pretty upset after his World Team Trials final match against Jason Chamberlain. Frank was upset that Jason was just blocking and wasn't creating action at the end of the second period. Does freestyle have a penalty outside the shot clock for under 30 seconds in a match? Should they?
-- @Michaeltendolle
Foley: Negative wrestling should be called as caution and one point.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Sarah Hildebrandt interview
Final X matchups
My picks in bold …
Lincoln, Neb., June 9
57 kg: Thomas Gilman vs. Daton Fix
70 kg: James Green vs. Jason Chamberlain
74 kg: Jordan Burroughs vs. Isaiah Martinez
97 kg: Kyle Snyder vs. Kyven Gadson
55 kg: Becka Leathers vs. Jacarra Winchester
59 kg: Alli Ragan vs. Jenna Burkert
68 kg: Tamyra Stock vs. Randyll Beltz
State College, Pa., June 16
65 kg: Joey McKenna vs. Logan Stieber
79 kg: Kyle Dake vs. Zahid Valencia
86 kg: David Taylor vs. Nick Reenan
62 kg: Kayla Miracle vs. Mallory Velte
72 kg: Erin Clodgo vs. Rachel Watters
76 kg: Adeline Gray vs. Korinahe Bullock
Bethlehem, Pa., June 23
61 kg: Joe Colon vs. Nahshon Garrett
92 kg: J'den Cox vs. Hayden Zillmer
125 kg: Nick Gwiazdowski vs. Adam Coon
50 kg: Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony
53 kg: Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Haley Augello
57 kg: Helen Maroulis vs. Alex Hedrick
65 kg: Julia Salata vs. Forrest Molinari
Jake Varner at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: Jake Varner tested the waters this year at heavyweight. Do you think he will continue competing?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Maybe. No reason he shouldn't make another run in 2019. However, I don't see him beating Coon or Gwiz in the coming years.
Q: With Tim Flynn leaving Edinboro for WVU, all Edinboro's top wrestlers transferring and Bruce Baumgartner leaving the Edinboro athletic department, I'm a little concerned about the program's future. Is Edinboro's program at risk of being dropped?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I asked around and nobody told me anything concrete, but with these transfers it's obvious that things are not trending well. Let's see how new head coach Matt Hill faces the adversity and if the PSAC schools like Lock Haven can continue their positive trend.
Q: What's your current mile time?
-- @laughstu
Foley: Best ever was 5:15 in college. Today is unknown, but I'm guessing my over/under is 7 minutes flat. Ask Muir.
Q: What Final X matchup in women's wrestling intrigues you the most?
-- Mike C.
Foley: As you know, I'm a big fan of the women's program. There are a few good matchups, including Victoria Anthony and Whitney Conder. For me the can't-miss match will be at 53 kilograms with Sarah Hildebrandt and Haley Augello.
Hildebrandt won the Ukraine tournament this year as well as the Pan American Championships. She took third at Klippan. Augello was the 2016 Olympian at 48 kilograms as well as the World Team member in 2017.
Hildebrandt won their first matchup, but expect a new look Haley, who has been training in North Carolina with Tony Ramos and Coleman Scott.
Soslan Ramonov celebrates with Russian fans after winning Olympic gold in Rio (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: Any word on Soslan Ramonov for this cycle? How have the Belarus women taken such great strides recently?
-- @bloodround
Foley: Ramonov just wrestled 70 kilograms at the World Military Games and came away with a gold medal. When asked about the weight, the Russian Olympic champion said he was looking forward to the weight changes being reversed.
That won't happen, so the question really becomes where he will work to put himself into the Russian lineup. His best bet may be to go up to 74 kilograms since it's only an extra 4 kilograms off his normal weight and would allow him to add strength and stay healthy. Interesting if Ramonov chose to stay down since the same day weigh-in would seem to help him more than almost any wrestler in the world.
As for the Belarussians, they've always been pretty well-coached, but I think that they saw a budget increase during the last Olympic cycle because they are suddenly at every camp and competition. With the 2019 European Games set for Minsk the government is no doubt pouring money into the sports where the host nation is successful.
Let's see if they show up for the China Open and Mongolia Open next month.
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