Cox Seeks Gold at World Championships in Paris
8/23/2017 1:02:00 PM | Wrestling
Cox takes on the 86 kg men’s freestyle weight class on Friday
PARIS, France – Three-time Mizzou Wrestling National Champion and current volunteer assistant coach J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) is set to wrestle at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, France, on Friday. Cox will take the mat in the 86 kg bracket, looking to improve upon his Bronze Medal performance from a year ago at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
The opening rounds and repcharge is slated to begin at 3 a.m. (CT) on Friday morning, with the medal matches starting at noon (CT). A broadcast of the opening rounds and repcharge will be available on TrackWrestling (subscription required), while the medal rounds will be broadcast on NBC's Olympic channel.
Cox, who is currently ranked No. 5 in the world, will be making his second U.S. National Team appearance at the World Championships after claiming Bronze in the 86 kg men's freestyle weight class at last year's Olympiad. The hometown Tiger did not give up a single takedown during his Olympic performance, defeating Cuba's Reineris Salas Perez in the bronze medal match to become Mizzou Athletics' seventh Olympic medal winner.
Due to his bronze medal performance, Cox was awarded a bye to the finals of the 2017 World Team Trials in Lincoln, Neb., this past June. In the finals, Cox matched up against two-time Hodge Award winner David Taylor. After dropping the first bout to Taylor, Cox rebounded to win the next two matches, 4-3 and 5-3, and clinch his spot on the U.S. World Team.
Cox finished his brilliant collegiate career this past March by winning his third NCAA Title at 197 pounds, becoming the first student-athlete in Mizzou Athletics history to win three NCAA Titles. Cox's third title capped a perfect 28-0 season, just the third-ever perfect season in program history, and marked his fourth All-America honor, becoming the second wrestler in program history to finish on the podium all four year (Ben Askren, 2004-07). Among program records, Cox finished first in winning percentage (.965, 136-5), second in wins (136), second in technical falls (20), third in major decisions (31) and eighth in falls (27).
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