Olympic Wrestling 2012: Jordan Burroughs Captures Gold

With a twitter handle like @Alliseeisgold, U.S. freestyle wrestler Jordan Burroughs left no doubt what his goal would be in London this summer. On Friday, the 163-pounder made good on his predictions, battling through a tough bracket to reach the top of the podium. 

The two-time NCAA champion for the University of Nebraska had to beat athletes from two premier  wrestling nations. In the semis, he knocked off two-time Russian world champion and eventual bronze medalist Denis Tsargush, 3-1, 0-2, 2-1.

The gold medal match was a return encounter with Iranian Sadegh Goudarzi, the matchup in last year's world championship final. Burrough's dominant double-leg takedown carried the day, as he scored late in both of the first two periods and came away with a 1-0, 1-0 victory. 

In his post-tournament press conference, Burroughs indicated that scoring late on Goudarzi was "a bit of a game plan," intended to leave the tough opponent with no time to battle back.  

Burroughs, who is undefeated in his international freestyle career, is the most successful international wrestler to emerge from the United States in years. He has not lost a tournament since 2009 and is the first American wrestler since Kurt Angle to win back-to-back world and Olympic championships.  

In the press conference, Burroughs also addressed his future plans, re-stating his often expressed desire to be the greatest American freestyle wrestler of all time. "I've still got a lot of wrestling left in me," he said, indicating that Rio in 2016 is already in his sights.