Olympic trials are about redemption, hope for Minnesota wrestlers

IOWA CITY – Andy Bisek would just as soon forget about the last Olympic wrestling trials held in Iowa City. "I have a lot of memories," the Chaska native said. "But not a lot of them are good."

Bisek entered the 2012 trials as the No. 2 seed in the Greco-Roman 74-kilogram class. He exited Carver-Hawkeye Arena early, upset in his opening match. This weekend, Bisek returns as a two-time world bronze medalist and the No. 1 seed at 75 kg — giving him a golden opportunity to erase those unhappy memories by making his first Olympic team.

A total of 22 wrestlers with Minnesota ties will compete at the trials Saturday and Sunday, seeking to represent the U.S. at this summer's Rio Olympics. Some, like Northfield native Jordan Holm, join Bisek as returnees looking to rise to the top. Others, including Apple Valley's Mark Hall, are first-timers hoping to score an upset.

Since the bitter disappointment of four years ago, Bisek, 29, has competed all over the planet and amassed one of the most impressive résumés of any U.S. wrestler. Had he made the Olympics in 2012, he said Friday, he might have retired after the London Games. But that unfilled void led him back to Iowa City, where he and his fellow Minnesotans will compete before more than 10,000 fans for his sport's most coveted honor.

"For me to see where that experience (of the 2012 trials) has put me now, I'm thankful for it," said Bisek, who lives and trains in Colorado Springs. "I've improved tremendously over the past few years.

"All those competitions all over the world, they've prepared me for moments like these. I'm coming in with a lot of confidence."

Bisek knows plenty about coming back strong. In 2012, he lost his first match of the trials to No. 7 seed Jonathan Anderson, who'd never beaten him before.

In 2014, he won bronze at the world championships, the first worlds medal won by an American in Greco-Roman since 2009. He followed up with another bronze last year, giving him a bye into Sunday's trial finals.

Bisek possesses a wealth of technical knowledge and savvy gained through years of elite-level experience. He knows he's the favorite to make the Olympic team at 75 kg, he said, but feels no pressure.

"Taking third in the world the past two years has shown me I'm fully capable of being the best in the world," he said. "My goal is to stay dominant."

The 2012 trials also pushed Holm to continue in Greco-Roman wrestling, though his memories are better than Bisek's.

"I left with the sense I belonged there," he said. "It's hard not to let that loss resonate in my head, but I was very close."

In each of the next three years, he won the U.S. Open and made the world championship team, making him the trials' top seed at 85 kg. At 34, Holm said, he is peaking as he enters his second Olympic trials.

"I'm the best I've ever been," said Holm, who lives in Golden Valley and trains in the Twin Cities with the Minnesota Storm club. "I've definitely improved technically, and through experience, I've gained a lot of insight and wisdom. I feel very well prepared."

Since 2012, Holm has helped revitalize the Storm, recruiting new members and raising funds. Part of his motivation, he said, was to keep alive Minnesota's streak of placing at least one Greco-Roman wrestler on every Olympic team since 1968. That will be part of his mission this weekend, too.

"I believe we'll keep it going," he said. "To be part of that history and legacy, it would mean a lot to me."

Only five of the Minnesota contingent at the trials will compete in men's freestyle. Hall, a senior at Apple Valley High School, earned his place by winning the 74 kg class at the final trials qualifier, scoring two points in the final seconds of the championship match.

But the task is not impossible: in 2008, Jake Deitchler of Ramsey — a high school senior, like Hall — made the Olympic Greco-Roman team.

"I've just got to put my best foot forward," Hall said after the qualifier. "It's a privilege."