Thomas Rowlands

Thomas Rowlands (born June 3, 1981 in Columbus , Ohio ) is an American wrestler . In 2008 he was Pan-American Champion and 2005 student world champion in free style in heavy and light heavyweight.

Life

Thomas Rowlands attended Bishop Redy High School in Columbus and started wrestling there. There he still wrestled in both styles, the Greco-Roman and the free. Later, as a senior, he was only active in free style. After high school he attended Louisiana State University , where Jim Edwards trained him to be an excellent freestyle wrestler. After moving to Ohio State University , Russell Hellickson was his trainer there. After graduating in 2006, he became a coach at Ohio State University.

In 1997 he was American junior champion in both styles in welterweight. He was used that year at the Junior World Championships (Cadets) in New Delhi , where he finished 4th in the free style in welterweight. In 1999 he was again American junior champion in freestyle wrestling, but two weight classes higher, in light heavyweight (up to 97 kg body weight). He repeated this success in 2000. At the Junior World Championship in 1999 in Sydney , Australia , he again just missed a medal with fourth place, which he then won at the Junior World Championship in 2000 in Nantes . He was there behind Oleg Kallagew from Russia Vice World Champion .

In 2001, Thomas Rowlands finished 2nd at the US Student Championship (NCAA Championships) in the heavyweight division behind John Lockhart and came 4th at the US Seniors Championship. In 2002 he was first US-amer. Student heavyweight championship ahead of Steve Mocco u. John Lockhart. This year he almost managed to qualify for the World Cup. He lost at the US. World Championship elimination (Trials) only in the final just against Kerry McCoy .

In 2003 he slipped in the US. Student heavyweight championship from 6th place, but won this championship for the second time in 2004 before Pat Cummins. In the US In the senior championship he trained in the light heavyweight division and finished third behind Daniel Cormier and Dean Morrison. In 2004 he started in the same weight class at the Pan-American Championship in Guatemala City , where he came in second behind the experienced Cuban Yoel Romero .

In 2005 Thomas Rowlands finished 2nd behind Daniel Cormier at the USA light heavyweight championship and came 3rd behind Cormier and Nick Preston at the World Championship trials. At the Universiade 2005 in Izmir , which was filled with very strong wrestlers, he achieved a great international success, because he was there before Hakan Koc from Turkey and Sergei Pernikow from Belarus student world champion in the light heavyweight division.

2006 Thomas Rowlands came to both the US americ. Championships as well as the World Championship trials in the heavyweight division behind Tolly Thompson and Steve Mocco in 3rd place. He was not used at any international championships this year, but took an excellent 3rd place at the renowned "Ivan Yarigin" tournament in Krasnoyarsk behind world champion Kuramagomed Kuramagomedow from Russia and his compatriot Innokenti Zykow.

In 2007 Thomas Rowlands was the first US-American champion in the seniors before Cole Konrad u. Steve Mocco . He then also won the World Championship trials ahead of Steve Mocco and Pat Cummins, which earned him the ticket to the World Championship in Baku . In Baku he delivered very good fights and just missed a medal with a 5th place in the heavyweight division. He defeated Lawrence Lengowski Mendoza from Mexico , lost to Alexis Rodríguez Valera from Cuba and defeated Martin Siddique from Germany and Boyadschidar Boyadschiew from Bulgaria . In the battle for the bronze medal he then lost against Olympic champion Artur Taymazov from Uzbekistan on points.

In the Olympic year 2008 Thomas Rowlands was again American heavyweight champion before Steve Mocco u. Pat Cummins. At the Olympic trials, however, he lost three fights against Steve Mocco with 1: 2 victories and had to give him the ticket to Beijing . He then started at the Pan American Championships in Colorado Springs , where he won the heavyweight division ahead of Adrian Antoine Jaoude from Brazil and Lawrence Lengowski Mendoza.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class
1997	4th	Junior World Championships (Cadets) in New Delhi	Welter	behind Rustam Tschuschwew, Russia , B. Sobhaki, Iran a . Shalva Charebeva, Georgia
1999	4th	Junior World Championships (Juniors) in Sydney	Semi-difficult	behind Giorgi Gogschelidze , Russia, Mohammad Javad Rasekhi, Iran u. Dawid Otiaschwili , Georgia , before Vasily Tesmenetzki , Ukraine
2000	2.	Junior World Championships in Nantes	Semi-difficult	behind Oleg Kallagew, Russia, in front of Dawid Otiaschwili, Hakan Koc , Turkey u. Barys Hrynkewitsch , Belarus
2002	4th	"Oleg-Naniev" Memorial in Vladikavkaz	Heavy	behind Aydın Polatçı , Turkey, Artur Taymazov , Uzbekistan u. David Otiashvili , Georgia
2004	1.	Sunkist Kids Open in Tempe (Arizona)	Semi-difficult	before David Rechul u. Nick Fekete, bde. United States
2004	2.	Pan American Championship in Guatemala City	Semi-difficult	behind Yoel Romero , Cuba , in front of Luis Vivenes, Venezuela u. Renato Cunha, Brazil
2004	1.	New York AC Open	Semi-difficult	before Muhammed Lawal u. Nick Fekete, bde. United States
2005	2.	"Ivan Yarigin" Memorial in Krasnoyarsk	Semi-difficult	behind Daniel Cormier , USA, in front of Muhammad Hadi Pursigian , Iran, Chetag Gasjumow u. Oleg Kallagow, bde. Russia
2005	3.	Cerro Pelado tournament in Sancti Spíritus / Cuba	Semi-difficult	behind Chadschimurad Gazalow , Russia a. Alexander Moanteacudo, Cuba, together with Jose Paz, Cuba
2005	1.	Universiade in Izmir	Semi-difficult	before Hakan Koc, Sergei Pernikow , Belarus a. Koo Tae-hyung, South Korea
2005	1.	New York AC Open	Heavy	before Pat Cummins, USA a. Marat Basiev , Russia
2005	1.	Clansmen tournament in Burnaby / Canada	Heavy	before Marat Basijew u. Jamie Cox, Canada
2006	3.	"Ivan Yarigin" Memorial in Krasnoyarsk	Heavy	behind Kuramagomed Kuramagomedow u. Innokenti Zykow, before Alexei Voronin, all Russia
2006	1.	Sunkist Kids Open in Tempe (Arizona)	Heavy	before Mike Faust, Ken Fluckinger u. Michael Irving, all USA
2007	5.	"Ivan Yarigin" Memorial in Krasnoyarsk	Heavy	behind Alexei Schemarow , Ali Issajew , Innokenti Zykow u. Alexei Voronin, all Russia
2007	4th	"Dave Schultz" Memorial in Colorado Springs	Heavy	behind Daniel Cormier, Steve Mocco , bde. USA & Alexei Voronin
2007	2.	Pan American Championship in San Salvador	Heavy	behind Alexis Rodríguez Valera , Cuba, in front of Jonsy Sanchez, Venezuela a. Yordany Hernandez, Guatemala
2007	1.	Swiss Grand Prix in Martigny / Switzerland	Heavy	before Maksimilian Witek , Poland , Otto Aubeli , Hungary a . Celik Fatih, Turkey
2007	2.	Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro	Heavy	behind Alexis Rodríguez Valera, in front of Carlos Felix Garcia, Dom. Rep. U. Jonsy Sanchez
2007	5.	World Cup in Baku	Heavy	with a victory over Lawrence Lengowski Mendoza, Mexico , a defeat against Alexis Rodríguez Valera, victories over Martin Siddique , Germany a . Bojadchidar Bojadschiew , Bulgaria a . a loss to Artur Taymazov, Uzbekistan
2008	1.	Pan American Championship in Colorado Springs	Heavy	before Adrian Antoine Jaoude, Brazil, Lawrence Lenkowski Mendoza a. Alexis Rodríguez Valera

Note: all competitions in free style, WM = world championship, welterweight, up to 1996 up to 96 kg, then up to 74 kg body weight (KG), light heavyweight, up to 1996 up to 90 kg, from 1997 to 2001 up to 97 kg, since 2002 up to 96 kg body weight, heavy weight, until 1996 up to 100 kg, from 1997 to 2001 up to 130 kg, since 2002 up to 120 kg body weight, super heavy weight, until 1996 up to 130 kg body weight, then abolished

National successes

year	space	competition	style	Weight class
1997	1.	US amer. Junior Most.	F.	Welter	before Travis Pascoe u. Brad Christie
1997	1.	US amer. Junior Most.	GR	Welter	before Adam Herman u. Jason Potter
1999	1.	US amer. Junior Most.	F.	Semi-difficult
2000	1.	US amer. Junior Most.	F.	Semi-difficult
2001	2.	NCAA championships	F.	Heavy	behind John Lockhart, in front of Garrett Lowney
2001	4th	USA championship	F.	Heavy	behind Kerry McCoy , Tolly Thompson et al. Angel Borzio
2001	4th	World Championship trials	F.	Heavy	behind Kerry McCoy, Stephen Neal et al. Tolly Thompson
2002	1.	NCAA championships	F.	Heavy	before steve Mocco u. John Lockhart
2002	2.	World Championship trials	F.	Heavy	behind Kerry McCoy, in front of Tolly Thompson and Brian Keck
2003	6th	NCAA championships	F.	Heavy	behind Steve Mocco, Kevin Hoy, Boe Rushton, Pat Cummins and others Ken Fluckinger
2004	1.	NCAA championships	F.	Heavy	before Oat Cummins, Leonce Crump et al. Cole Konrad
2004	4th	USA championship	F.	Semi-difficult	behind Daniel Cormier , Dean Morrison u. Damion Hahn
2005	2.	USA championship	F.	Semi-difficult	behind Daniel Cormier, in front of Nick Preston a. Nick Fekete
2005	3.	World Championship trials	F.	Semi-difficult	behind Daniel Cormier u. Nick Preston
2006	3.	USA championship	F.	Heavy	behind Tolly Thompson u. Steve Mocco
2006	3.	World Championship trials	F.	Heavy	behind Tolly Thompson u. Steve Mocco
2007	1.	USA championship	F.	Heavy	before Cole Konrad, Steve Mocco u. Tervel Dlagnev
2007	1.	World Championship trials	F.	Heavy	before Steve Mocco u. Pat Cummins
2008	1.	USA championship	F.	Heavy	before Steve Mocco, Tervel Dlagnev u. Tolly Thompson
2008	2.	Olympic trials	F.	Heavy	behind Steve Mocco, in front of Pat Cummins and others Les Sigman

Note: GR = Greco-Roman style, F = free style, NCAA = American university sports association

swell

• Database of the Institute for Applied Training Sciences at the University of Leipzig,
• Trade journal Der Ringer ,
• US Wrestling Association website,
• Website "www.wrestlinghalloffame.org"

Web links

• Profile of Thomas Rowlands at the Institute for Applied Training Science