Former Mizzou wrestler J’den Cox wins gold at world championships

Since his junior year at Missouri, Team USA wrestler J’den Cox has won an Olympic medal, an NCAA title, and now two world championship medals.

On Monday — for the first time in his career — he struck international gold.

“I feel weightless,” he said, according to a USA Wrestling news release, after his win in the 92-kilogram first-place match at the world championships in Budapest.

Cox defeated Belarus’ Ivan Yankouski 4-1 to take gold, further cementing himself as one of Mizzou’s most legendary athletes. Cox, who won three matches Sunday to reach the finals, trains at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

He is the second Missouri alumnus in as many years to win gold at a major athletic competition in Budapest. Swimmer Michael Chadwick won gold on the U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay at the 2017 worlds, which also took place in Hungary.

Before winning three NCAA titles at Missouri, Cox starred at Hickman High in Columbia. He beat Kyle Dake in the 86-kilogram weight class at 2016 Olympic Trials to earn a spot on the U.S. team for the Rio Games, where he won bronze.

Now wrestling in different weight classes, Dake and Cox both won gold medals Monday. Dake took first in the 79-kilogram class.

“It’s awesome being on top of the ladder,” Cox said. “Our team is doing so well, especially with the young talent and the guys who have been battling each other for years. … We’re getting medals and titles, and that’s what we do. We’ve meshed as a team and it’s fun to be a part of this.”

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 11:06 AM.