London 2012: Wrestling's Top American Medal Contenders Left

Having only brought back two gold medals in the last two Olympics, the USA Olympic Wrestling Team came into the London 2012 games looking to get back to the days of Rulon Gardner and being a mainstream television sport.

In order for that to happen, however,  they are going to have to step up their game in the last three days of London 2012. While Team USA has only obtained one bronze medal in wrestling thus far, they still have a few medal contenders to go. 

Jordan Ernest Burroughs—Men's 74kg Freestyle

Jordan Burroughs was always going to be the golden boy for the U.S. at these Olympics. He was a perfect 34-0 as a professional coming into the tournament, and provided the best chance for a gold medal.

In 2011, he won gold at the World Championships and at the Pan American Games. Before that, he won the Hodge Trophy as outstanding college wrestler of the year.

At these Olympics, it is no longer a question of if Burroughs will medal, but rather of which medal he will receive. He has already powered through Matthew Judah Gentry of Canada, Francisco Soler Tanco of Cuba, and Denis Tsargush of Russia to gain a spot in the gold medal match. 

He will now wrestle Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi of Iran for the gold. Having already clinched Team USA's second medal of the games, Burroughs is now one step away from reaching the pinnacle of his sport.

Jake Varner—Men's 96kg Freestyle

If Burroughs fails in his quest for gold, Jake Varner may just be there to take the baton. In a relatively open category, Varner is among the best chances the U.S. has to medal.

Having won two NCAA titles, Varner took bronze in this category at the World Championships just last year. Now, he is poised to grab the highest title there is in wrestling.

He has proven to possess a rare combination of strength and speed, and will be a nightmare to deal with. Although the two men who finished ahead of him at the World Championships will be participating, the typically dominant Russians do not have a powerhouse this time around. 

Varner will have to step up his game, but a medal is definitely within his reach.

Tervel Dlagnev—120kg Freestyle

Last, but certainly not least, is Tervel Dlagnev. Despite only starting his wrestling career in high school, Dlagnev has had a meteoric rise that could culminate in a gold medal in London.

Dlagnev won two NCAA championships and took the bronze at the 2009 World Championships, proving himself to be among the best in his category.

His category, however, may just be what gets in Tervel's way. He wrestles in an extremely competitive weight class and will have to get through favorites Bilyal Makhov and Aleksey Shemarov to reach the ultimate prize.

Dlagnev has a tough road ahead of him, but it is certainly a challenge he has the capacity to rise to.