The Real Reason Wrestlers Are the Toughest Athletes in the World
It isn’t the weight cutting, hard workouts, or intense competition.
Last weekend was the biggest weekend of the year for college wrestling. It reinvigorated my love for a sport that I’ve been involved with since I was just 12 years old.
The 2021 Division 1 NCAA Wrestling Championships were held in St Louis, Missouri. 330 athletes competed across 10 weight classes in a grueling 3-day tournament to determine the best in the country.
Each bracket featured 33 athletes, meaning it would take the future champions 5 matches over the course of the 3 days to bring home the national title. For athletes who lost and ended up in the “wrestle-backs”, they could have needed as many as 9 matches to come all the way back to take a measly 3rd place.
Logistics aside, this tournament is also the national championship. The stakes, pressure, and grit involved in this competition are unlike almost any other sport. 3 days of competing, 3 days of making weight, over 300 wrestlers, and absolutely no room for error.
This tournament is a test of the body, mind, and spirit. Yet for the toughest athletes in the world, it’s just another weekend at the office.
“Once you’ve wrestled…
