Winslow's Burroughs sees more gold, achieves U.S. wrestling history

Jordan Burroughs’ Twitter handle is @alliseeisgold.

Now, no American wrestler has earned more golds than the Winslow Township native.

Burroughs made history in Belgrade on Friday, earning his sixth World Championship title and becoming the first United States wrestler to earn seven global gold medals. He won Olympic gold in 2012.

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The 34-year-old Burroughs, a 2006 Winslow Township High School graduate, won the 79 kg freestyle title with a 4-2 decision over Iran’s Mohammed Nokhodilarimi in the final.

Burroughs’ seven gold medals broke the old mark shared by John Smith and Adeline Gray. His 10 total global medals are second to Bruce Baumgartner’s 13 in United States history.

Burroughs landed his trademark double-leg takedown to take a 3-1 win and held off a late charge for the title, beating Nokhodilarimi for the second straight year in the final. He won his first World title in 2011.

Burroughs was a state champion at Winslow and won two NCAA titles at Nebraska before embarking on the world scene.

“I’m still at the top of my game,” Burroughs told NBC Sports. “Before every match, I always remind myself that I chose this. This is chosen suffering.

“Someone’s going to break this one day. Today is my day.”

More:Wrestling: Jordan Burroughs coming home, will join Pennsylvania Regional Training Center

In June, Burroughs, a father of four, said he plans to retire after the 2024 Olympics, or before if he doesn’t make the United States team.

“I’m going until I absolutely can’t anymore,” he said Friday. “As of now, that day hasn’t come yet.”

Burroughs will likely move back to the 74 kg weight class where he has wrestled most of his career as the ’24 Olympics approach. He would match up against Kyle Dake, who beat him in last year’s Olympic Trials.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Winslow's Burroughs achieves U.S. wrestling history