Minnesota wrestler shut out in Beijing
A Twin Cities area teenager who earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic wrestling team lost both his matches earlier today in Beijing.
Jake Deitchler qualified for the Olympics just two weeks after graduating from Anoka High School, making him the first high schooler on a U.S. wrestling team since 1976.
He competed in the 145 pound weight class of the Greco-Roman style wrestling competition. His first match today was a loss to Kanatbek Begaliev, a wrestler from Kyrgyzstan who went on to win the silver medal.
After that first loss, Deitchler lost a second match to Armen Vardanyan of Ukraine. Deitchler was only one point away from wrestling for the bronze if he could have held a late lead.
Instead, Vardanyan advanced and won the bronze.
Despite the losses, the Olympics are quite the cap to Deitchler's unbeatable high school career. He ended high school with a 111 match winning streak and three state championships to his name.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
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