Missouri's J'den Cox not intimidated by Olympic spotlight

Missouri wrestler J'Den Cox says he won't be intimidated on the big stage at the Rio Olympics.
Missouri wrestler J'Den Cox says he won't be intimidated on the big stage at the Rio Olympics.

COLUMBIA, Mo. - J'den Cox admitted he rarely watched wrestling in the Olympics.

Wrestling is usually only shown at certain times in the four-year cycle and it never caught the Missouri wrestler's attention. Instead, he preferred watching Michael Phelps win eight Olympic gold medals in swimming at the 2008 Beijing games.

On Tuesday, Cox and Phelps will be in Rio de Jainero together as representatives of Team USA. Cox won a NCAA Division I title and the U.S. Olympic Trials, and now he is on the world's biggest stage for the first time.

If he is feeling any nerves, it was hard to tell at his press conference Thursday. While he did spend much of the 45-minute meeting discussing Rio, he did not let the seriousness of competing as a 86-kg/186-pound wrestler in the Olympics in August keep him from smiling, laughing and cracking jokes.

The 21-year-old gave an impression of Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball." He talked about his favorite movie - 12 Angry Men. He pretended he was in a hand lotion commercial. Cox finished by talking about how much he would not enjoy having jury duty.

"I'll just do what I did at nationals, and that's don't let the environment overwhelm you," Cox said of his Olympic approach. "You don't shy away from it, you just go with it. Don't let it take you out of your game or get you overanxious, but don't let it get you down, either."

Cox added some of the biggest thoughts on his mind is making sure he gets his laundry done, car cleaned and does not forget to answer any e-mails or attend any send-off parties. At this point, there is little he can learn right now he could successfully use in Rio. Instead, he is more focused on making sure his footwork and technique is sound. He also said he wants to be at 200 pounds when he arrives in Rio - he is currently at 207 - and would prefer to be at 197 before his final workout.

He conceded things like the Zika virus, overcrowding or political corruption - all of which have caused numerous athletes to stay home - have been on his mind at times, but will not let it deter him from his goals. Instead, he is just keeping his focus on bringing a gold medal back to Columbia.

"I don't train for anything but (gold)," Cox said with a laugh. "I sure as heck don't know what it's like to train for second."

Who Cox could wrestle for gold once he gets to Rio remains to be seen. He could face someone he did at the United World Wrestling Freestyle World Cup in Germany, where he finished 3-1 and defeated the No. 3 and No. 6-ranked wrestlers in the world. His lone loss came against 2012 Olympic gold medalist Sharif Sharifov of Azerbaijan.

Still, he said it was a very good match because he got to learn from it. Cox added he would be fine with losing every match leading up to the Olympics if it meant helping him get in a position to win in Rio.

Cox did not know of Sharifov's prestige until after he had wrestled him. He is taking a similar strategy for his possible foes in Rio. Since Cox will face wrestlers from all over the world with different styles and techniques, he prefers to focus on what he needs to do to make himself better.

"I personally don't like knowing who I'm going to wrestle," Cox said. "I don't like knowing what they're going to do, I just kind of like going out there and feel it and let instinct take over, and let the wrestler wrestle and do what he's got to do. That's basically how I do it with every person, whether their style is different or not."

Cox will compete Aug. 20 when the 86-kg/189-pound wrestlers have the mat. All of the events - from qualifications to the gold medal match - will take place that day. It also happens to be the second to last day of competition in the Rio games. Still, having to wait more than two weeks in Rio to compete is not affecting Cox's mindset.

"I can't change it, I can't go home, I can't go back, already you're going there and you're back is against the wall," he said. "This is what I train for and I'm not going to let nerves keep me from performing to the best of my ability."