Wrestler Johnson makes final bid for Paris
IT’S DO or die for Jamaican wrestler Aaron Johnson today in his bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
He gets his final chance of securing a first-ever men’s wrestling spot for Jamaica at the Olympic Games when he faces Sumit Malik of India in the qualification round of the 125kg freestyle category at the United World Wrestling (UWW) Olympic qualifiers in Turkey.
Johnson, a bronze medallist at the Pan American Games last November, finished fourth at the continental qualifiers, the Pan American Championship of wrestling in February and just missed out on a place at the Olympic Games.
However, Jamaica Wrestling Association (JWA) president Osayimwese Osagboro is hoping Johnson can make the breakthrough and become Jamaica’s first wrestling Olympian.
“Johnson is a heavyweight wrestler. He won a bronze medal at the last Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, and this is the last chance he has to qualify for the Olympics.
“He participated in the Pan American Championship of wrestling and unfortunately he came fourth. If he had placed third he would have qualified. So this is the last chance for him to qualify, ”Osagboro said.“We rate him very highly and in his weight class there are not a lot of wrestlers. So the chances are good for him. But let us see what happens. It is a very unpredictable sport. You can be very good and you lose and that is it.”
At the last chance qualifier for the Tokyo Olympic Games in Sofia, Bulgaria, May 2021 Lesyan Cousins failed in his efforts to create history.
However, Osagboro noted that if Johnson is successful in his bid, it could change the landscape of Jamaican wrestling going forward.
“We have never had a wrestler qualify for the Olympics. We participated at Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games, CAC Games, but we have never reached the Olympic Games yet and this is as close as we have been.
“Qualification would put us in the eyes of the international federation for more assistance. We do need assistance and we could use it (Olympic qualification) as a launching pad to promote wrestling in the island,” he said.