BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Defending champion and 2012 Olympic gold-medalist Jordan Burroughs brings a 60-match winning streak to the wrestling world championships in Budapest.
The American will face Gamid Dzhalilov of Tajikistan in Wednesday’s first round in the 163-pound men’s freestyle category and could meet former world junior champion Kakhaber Khubezhty of Russia in the second round.
Burroughs says the changes made this year to the scoring system — one of the key modifications credited with helping the sport regain its place at the Olympics — favor his aggressive style.
Wrestlers, fans and coaches in Budapest agreed that cumulative scoring during two, three-minute periods instead of separate scores for each of three, two-minute periods has made the sport easier to follow and led to more dynamic matches.
