Northwestern University Athletics
Herbert Set to Compete at World Championships in Denmark
9/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Sept. 21, 2009
HERNING, Denmark -- Former Wildcat Jake Herbert, the 84 kg representative of the United States World Team, is ready to begin competition at his first World Championships in Herning, Denmark, on Tuesday. Herbert learned on Monday that he will face Germany's David Bichinashvili, a fifth-place finisher in the 2008 Olympic Games.
Herbert has faced Bichinashvili once before while attempting to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games and defeated the German at the Dave Schultz Memorial. Bichinashvili has appeared in two prior World Championships and has one top-10 finish.
Intermat Wrestle's Tom Franck offers the following preview of Herbert's chances to bring home a world title:
Jake Herbert (84 kg): Certainly one of the most athletic wrestlers in any weight class, Herbert's aggressive, freewheeling style could get him into trouble if he's not careful. A great tournament for him would resemble the gold medal performance of Les Gutches in 1997. Gutches made the U.S. Olympic Team in 1996, but made some mistakes and didn't medal. He was much more focused in 1997 and was unbeatable. If Herbert isn't lured out of his game plan and stays away from ill-advised funky moves, he could match Gutches' feat from 12 years ago.
Visit NUsports.com in the near future to learn how Herbert, a two-time NCAA champion and the 2009 Hodge Trophy winner, fares at the 2009 World Championships.
