In most styles of wrestling, opponents are matched based on weight class.
In international competition, men's freestyle wrestling, men's Greco-Roman wrestling, and female wrestling utilize the following weight classes as of 2018: [1] [2]
As of 2019, international freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling for male youths are divided into three age categories: U15, cadets, and juniors. [3]
U15 (male youths aged 14–15, as well as male youths at age 13 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle and/or Greco-Roman wrestling in the following 10 weight classes: [3]
Cadets (male youths aged 16–17, as well as male youths at age 15 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle wrestling and/or Greco-Roman wrestling in the following 10 weight classes: [3]
Juniors (men aged 18 to 20, as well as male youths at age 17 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle wrestling and/or Greco-Roman wrestling in the following weight classes: [3]
Juniors over the age of 18 are allowed to participate in senior competitions with a medical certificate. [4]
As of 2019, female youth compete in freestyle wrestling on an international level in one of four age categories: U15, cadets, and juniors. [3]
U15 (female youths aged 14–15, and female youths at age 13 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle wrestling in the following 10 weight classes: [3]
Cadets (female youths aged 16–17, and female youths at age 15 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle wrestling in the following 10 weight classes: [3]
Juniors (female youths aged 18 to 20, and female youths at age 17 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) compete in freestyle wrestling in the following eight weight classes: [3]
Elementary school students competing in wrestling have multiple ways weight classes are determined.
Wrestling weight classes for middle (junior high) school in the United States vary from state to state and are not regulated by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). The weight classes regulated by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) are the following: [6]
As of the 2023-2024 season, each state must select one of three sets of weight classes (12, 13, or 14 weight classes) provided by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) for high school competition in the United States, one for boys competition (which includes girls wrestling boys) and another for girls competition. [7]
If a state chooses to use twelve weight classes for boys competition, the weight classes are as follows:
If a state chooses to use thirteen weight classes for boys competition, the weight classes are as follows:
If a state chooses to use fourteen weight classes for boys competition, the weight classes are as follows:
If a state chooses to use twelve weight classes for girls competition, the weight classes are as follows:
If a state chooses to use thirteen weight classes for girls competition, the weight classes are as follows:
If a state chooses to use fourteen weight classes for girls competition, the weight classes are as follows:
In boy's wrestling, New York uses a modified 13 weight class set, that uses the same weight classes of the 12 weight class set with the addition of a 101 pound weight class. [8]
Prior to the 2023-2024 wrestling season high school students in the United States competing in scholastic wrestling did so in the following 14 weight classes set by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS): [9]
Other states had additional or modified weight classes, such as:
College and university students in the United States competing in collegiate wrestling do so in the following 10 weight classes set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA): [15]
Also:
The NCWA has also approved the following eight weight classes for its women's division, which uses collegiate rules instead of the freestyle ruleset used in NCAA-recognized women's wrestling: [17]
Women's college wrestling is also governed by the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA), an arm of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). The WCWA uses freestyle rules instead of collegiate rules. Freestyle wrestling became an NCAA-recognized sport as part of the Emerging Sports for Women program in 2020–21. The WCWA currently has 10 weight classes: [18]
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Collegiate wrestling, commonly referred to as folkstyle wrestling, is the form of wrestling practiced at the post-secondary level in the United States. This style of wrestling is also practiced at high school, middle school, and elementary levels with some modifications. The rules and style of collegiate/folkstyle wrestling differ from the Olympic styles of freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. There are collegiate wrestling programs in almost all US states, plus Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada.
Patricia Noriko Miranda is a former American collegiate wrestler. She became the first American woman in Olympic history to receive a medal in woman's Olympic wrestling, winning the bronze at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the 48 kg or 106 lb weight class.
Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic, collegiate, scholastic, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the supervision of the United World Wrestling (UWW).
Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. USA high school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling are conducted under different rules and termed scholastic and collegiate wrestling. USA collegiate women's wrestling is conducted under freestyle rules.
David Lesley Schultz was an American Olympic and World champion freestyle wrestler, and a seven-time World and Olympic medalist. He coached individuals and teams at the college level and also privately.
Steve Mocco is an American former amateur wrestler, judoka and mixed martial artist. As a collegiate wrestler, he was a two-time NCAA national champion, four-time finalist, and was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy. In freestyle, he represented the US at the Olympics and was a three-time Pan American Champion. As an MMA fighter, he most notably competed at the WSOF. He is currently a coach at both combat sports, being one of the main coaches at MMA powerhouse American Top Team and an assistant wrestling coach at Lehigh University.
Scholastic wrestling, commonly referred to as folkstyle wrestling or wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practiced at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. It has often been referred to as the "toughest sport in the world" because of the extensive physical conditioning, mental preparation, complexity, and intense nature of its one-on-one competition that requires physical power, speed, quick mental processing and reaction, and enormous preparation.
Lightweight rowing is a category of rowing where limits are placed on the maximum body weight of competitors. According to the International Rowing Federation (FISA), this weight category was introduced "to encourage more universality in the sport especially among nations with less statuesque people".
The National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) is a nonprofit association of 162 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organize the wrestling programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. It is led by founder and executive director Jim Giunta headquartered in Dallas, Texas and built to help the promotion of collegiate wrestling.
Wrestling headgear is protection that a person wears over the ears and chin during wrestling matches.
Matthew Judah Gentry is Canadian-American former wrestler. Although Gentry was born in the United States, he represented Canada at the Olympic Games due to holding dual citizenship. He participated in the Men's freestyle 74 kg at the 2008 Summer Olympics and in the Men's freestyle 74 kg at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where he finished 5th.
A sauna suit is a garment made from waterproof fabric designed to make the wearer sweat profusely during exercise. A sauna suit is sometimes called a "rubber suit" because the early types were made of rubber or rubberized cloth. Now, sauna suits are typically made of PVC or coated nylon cloth. The construction is typically in the style of a waterproof sweat suit, consisting of a pullover jacket and drawstring pants. The closures at waist, neck, wrists and ankles are all elasticated to help retain body heat and moisture within the garment. In some sauna suits, the jacket also includes a hood to provide additional retention of body heat.
The Cornell Big Red wrestling team represents Cornell University of Ithaca, New York in collegiate wrestling. It is one of the most successful and storied collegiate wrestling programs in the nation with over 20 individual NCAA champions, 43 Ivy League championships, and 27 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championships since the program's 1907 founding.
Kyle Frederick Snyder is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 97 kilograms. He holds the distinctions of being the youngest Olympic Gold medalist and the youngest World Champion in American wrestling history.
Asnage Castelly is a Haitian-American wrestler who competed for Haiti at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 74kg freestyle competition.
Kyven Ross Gadson is an American amateur wrestler. Currently a senior competitor in amateur freestyle wrestling, earlier Gadson, while wrestling for the Iowa State Cyclones, was a three-time All-American in NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling and won the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in the 197-lb weight class by pinning future Olympic and World Championship gold medalist Kyle Snyder in his final collegiate match.
Joseph Marion "Joe" Corso is an American wrestler and coach. He competed in the men's freestyle 57 kg at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and was USA Women's Wrestling's first coach.
David Zabriskie is a retired American amateur wrestler and current wrestling coach for Elevation Fight Team in Denver. Zabriskie wrestled for the Iowa State Cyclones and is a three-time Big 12 Conference champion, three-time All-American in NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling, and won the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in the 285lb weight class in 2010.
The 2020 United States Olympic Team Trials for wrestling were held at the Dickies Arena of Fort Worth, Texas, on April 2–3, 2021. This event determined the representative of the United States of America for the 2020 Summer Olympics at each Olympic weight class. Originally scheduled to take place at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania and on April 4–5, 2020, this event was postponed by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and USA Wrestling on March 13, 2020, along with the 2020 Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
