Olympic Wrestling 2012: 3 Americans Who Could Medal in London

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With Olympic wrestling officially underway, the United States will look to improve upon their Beijing performance, which earned Team USA three medals.

In 2008, Henry Cejudo won gold, and Adam Wheeler and Randi Miller both brought home bronze.  Now, the U.S. sends a strong team to London in hopes of increasing their medal count. 

The following are three American wrestlers who could find themselves on the podium due totheir NCAA successes and international wrestling experience.

Jordan Burroughs

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In the welterweight division at 74 kg, Jordan Burroughs is a favorite to win after his performances in 2011.

Winning gold at both the World Championships in Istanbul and the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Burroughs is entering the Olympics with a target on his back.

Burroughs spent four years at wrestling powerhouse Nebraska where he finished with two undefeated seasons and two national championships.

The only thing missing from his illustrious career is Olympic gold. Hopefully, Burroughs can change that this week.

Jake Herbert

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At 84 kg, Jake Herbert will be competing for the United States in the middleweight class.

Herbert, who wrestled at Northwestern, was a two-time national champion while going 149-4 during his collegiate career.

Herbert also has experience on the international stage as a silver medalist at the 2009 World Championships.

Jake Varner

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Jake Varner, a 96-kg heavyweight, is another American medal contender. A four-year wrestler at Iowa State, he has won two NCAA championships.

Also, at 96 kg, Varner won a bronze medal at last year's World Championships.

The United States has a strong wrestling team that could medal in several different weight classes. It may very well be the efforts of American wrestling that could push the U.S. past China in the all-important medal count.