Cox Claims Bronze at World Championships
8/25/2017 2:03:00 PM | Wrestling
Mizzou standout defeated former world champion Mhail Ganev, 8-0, in third-place bout
PARIS, France – Mizzou Wrestling National Champion and current volunteer assistant coach J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) claimed the Bronze Medal with a third-place finish in the 86 kg bracket at the 2017 World Championships Friday. Cox defeated former World Champion Mhail Ganev, 8-0, in the third-place bout to claim his second international bronze medal this year.
With the medal, Cox becomes the first wrestler in program history to medal at the World Championships. It is his second career medal after also capturing Bronze last summer at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In his first round matchup, Cox drew Germany's Ahmed Ruslanovic Dudarov. The two grapplers wrestled a conservative pace in the first period, with the only score coming from Cox failing to score a takedown after being put on the shot clock. The second period was quite different from the first, as Cox pushed the pace and executed three takedowns to seal the victory, 6-1.
Cox's second round bout was nothing like his first. Just seconds into the match, Finland's Ville Tapa Heino scored a takedown and two roll-overs to make the score 6-0, but more than five minutes remained for the three-time NCAA Champion to rebound. Cox would close to deficit to 6-4 before the end of the first period after a takedown and a toss for four points. He scored again just moments into the second period, executing a double-leg takedown to even the score, 6-6. One more takedown and a push-out point gave Cox a 9-6 win and a berth into the quarterfinals.
Cox got the scoring started right way in his quarterfinals match, recording a step-out point following a shot attempt within the first 10 seconds of the match against Poland's Zbigniew Baranoski. He pushed his lead to 2-0 at the end of the first period following Baranoski's failed attempt to score on the shot clock. Baranoski evened the score, 2-2, with a takedown in the second period, but Cox responded with a push-out point to take the lead and the match, 3-2, and advance to the semifinals.
Cox's semifinals match pitted him against Slovakia's Boris Makoev. Cox was put to his back in the first period, but somehow kept from getting pinned. The damage was already done, however, as Cox trailed, 6-0, heading into the second period. He managed to score three push-out points in the period, but couldn't mount the comeback, falling, 6-3.
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