Tom Brands

Thomas Brands ( born April 9, 1968 in Omaha / Nebraska ) is a former American professional wrestler. He was in Atlanta Olympic champion in the featherweight ( free style ) 1996.

Career

Tom Brands grew along with his twin brother Terry Brands on in Sheldon ( Iowa). There, the two began in 1980 with the rings. In the field of youth Tom Brands won several championships in Iowa in free style, the style that he wrestled exclusively. After high school he attended the University of Iowa. He found in the former Olympic champion Dan Gable from 1972 one of the best American coach who molded him into a freestyle wrestler, world-class.

At the University of Iowa Tom Brands studied physics and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education.

As a student he won in the years 1990-1992 three consecutive NCAA Division I Collegiate Championships; corresponding to the U.S. Masters students. This championship titles in the U.S. have a very high priority, because a large part of the U.S. athletes rank is formed at the universities.

In addition, Tom Brands ranking for the Foxcatcher Wrestling Club, one of the leading U.S. Ringer clubs, sponsored by the millionaire John du Pont. It was for this club from 1993 to 1996 four times in a row U.S. Masters the AAU (Amateur Athlete Union). Cooperation with this club but took in 1996 to an abrupt end when John du Pont Olympic champion David Schultz, who worked as a trainer at the Foxcatchers shot.

In the international sector, Tom Brands first drew attention to himself at the World Cup of 1993 in Toronto. As hitherto completely unknown to international wrestler, he won in Toronto right away the world champion featherweight title. In a guided hook or by crook final bout he defeated while the Cuban Lazaro Reynoso just on points. Ever Tom Brands was characterized by its uncompromising fighting style. He spared neither the enemy, much less himself In the same World Cup and his twin brother Terry won the world bantamweight title.

Nevertheless, he failed to place at the World Championships in 1994 in Istanbul and 1995 in Atlanta back in the front of the field. His opponents knew him now, and put themselves at him. In Istanbul, Tom got 11th in Atlanta and the 9th Place. But in 1995 he achieved another major success with the title at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata.

At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta Tom Brands was not necessarily my favorites due to the truncation at the World Championships in 1994 and 1995. He was in Atlanta but returned to his uncompromising style back and defeated one after Abbas Haj Kenari from Iran 3-0 points, Sergei Smal from Belarus 5-0 points, after a bye in the third round Magomed Azizow from Russia 4 1 points and in the final of the South Korean Jang Jae- Sung superior to 7-0 points. So he just had to leave a single technical point throughout the Tournament. His Olympic victory was therefore more than deserved.

After these games, Tom Brands ended his international career Ringer. He was an assistant coach with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club and head coach at the University of Iowa. In 2004, he was also head coach of the U.S. Olympic teams in the freestyle wrestler.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, F = free style, F = spring weight, then to 62 kg body weight)

Swell

• Journal The wrestler, numbers: 9/ 1993, pp. 5-7, 9/ 1994, pages 6-8, 9/ 1995, pages 5-8, 9/ 1996, pages 11 to 15
• Website of the Institute for Applied Training Science of the University of Leipzig