#USAWrestling

Now Hiring: USA Wrestling National Women's Freestyle Assistant Coach 

Wednesday, December 8, 2021 - 12:58 By United World Wrestling Press

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Position: USA Wrestling National Women’s Freestyle Assistant Coach
Reports to:  USA Wrestling National Women’s Freestyle Head Coach
Position Summary: USA Wrestling is seeking a highly motivated, successful coach to help lead the Women’s Freestyle National Team throughout the United States. The National Women’s Freestyle Assistant Coach is responsible for the development and training of the country’s top Women’s Senior age level athletes.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Help manage & train the OPTC Senior Women’s Resident Program
    • Recruit and develop top Senior athletes from within the USAW pipeline
    • Assist in developing and implementing the yearly competition and training schedule
  • Assist the National Women’s Freestyle Coach in development and implementation of a national talent identification program
  • Help manage the athletes within the women’s development camp system
  • Work with USA Wrestling staff, coaches, athletes, and volunteer coaches to advance women’s freestyle programs
  • Maintain consistent communication with all women’s freestyle stakeholders, including athletes, coaches, volunteers, and officials
  • Work with the Women’s Freestyle National Team Coaches and National Coaches Education Manager to improve the freestyle portion of USA Wrestling’s Core Curriculum Series
  • Represent USA Wrestling at international coaching clinics and conduct domestic grassroots promotional activities
  • Work closely with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Sports Performance Staff to apply sports science principles to the sport of wrestling
  • Assist in execution and development of a recruiting program aimed at drawing top-level NCAA and NAIA athletes to women’s freestyle wrestling national programming
  • Recruit, cultivate, and support the women’s freestyle volunteer coaching pool
  • Help raise awareness of women’s freestyle wrestling and promote participation in the sport
  • Develop and coordinate local, regional, national, and international training opportunities for the Women’s freestyle program
  • Assist the National Women’s Freestyle Head Coach in the development of a 4-year High- Performance Plan for each Olympic Quadrennium.
  • Assist the National Women’s Freestyle Head Coach in developing and maintaining annual budgets.
  • Identify potential opportunities for external funding and assist in other fundraising opportunities as directed by the National Women’s Freestyle Head Coach.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Competencies and Skills: USA Wrestling seeks an individual who:

  • Has developed elite level athletes
  • Is experienced in leading teams
  • Is skilled in the recruiting process
  • Motivates and inspires athletes
  • Understands long-term athlete development
  • Communicates effectively
  • Creates a positive and enthusiastic environment
  • Works well in a team environment
  • Effectively evaluates athlete talent, strengths, and weaknesses
  • Follows and respects organizational policies and procedures 

Education Requirement: Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or higher 

Travel: Domestic and International travel is required

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

  • Must be able to successfully pass a USA Wrestling background screening (prior to hire date).
  • Must successfully complete SafeSport Certification within two weeks of hire date.

HIRING PAY RANGE: $60,000-90,000 PER YEAR DEPENDING ON EXPERIENCE, COMMENSURATE WITH QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE.

BENEFITS

  • Paid vacation, personal and sick time
  • Approximately 10 paid holidays per year
  • 403 (b) retirement plan
  • Medical, dental and vision insurance
  • Employer paid life insurance

Other Information
The USA Wrestling Office is located in Colorado Springs, CO - ability to work from the office is  required.
USA Wrestling is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Application Process: 
Interested candidates should send a cover letter,resume, and/or questions    to:
Cody Bickley 
+1.719.265.3647 (officedirect) cbickley@usawrestling.org

Five-Time Olympic Champ Lopez Joins China as Greco Coach

Monday, March 30, 2026 - 13:12 By United World Wrestling Press

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Mijain LOPEZ, coach Ruis DIAZ, and all members of the Chinese Greco-Roman wrestling team

By Yang Boyi and Wang Chujie for Xinhua News

BEIJING, China (March 30) -- 18 years ago, Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) claimed his first Olympic gold medal in Beijing, launching an unprecedented reign of five consecutive Olympic titles, a feat unmatched in Olympic wrestling history.

Now the 42-year-old Cuban legend has returned to the Chinese capital, not as a competitor, but as a specially recruited foreign coach for China's national Greco-Roman team.

He arrived alongside Raul DIAZ, the lifelong mentor who guided him through the most dominant stretch of his historic career. Both now serve as United World Wrestling (UWW) Development Ambassadors, making this far more than a routine visit.

It is a homecoming to the city where Lopez's legend was forged, and a full-circle moment for two men whose fates have intertwined with Beijing and each other for nearly two decades.

Ruis DIAZRaul DIAZ (CUB) with the Chinese Greco-Roman national team. (Photo: Xinhua News)

Although Diaz and Lopez first bonded in 1999, their fates did not officially intertwine until after Lopez claimed his maiden Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with Diaz then serving as a coach for the Portuguese national team.

In 2010, Diaz returned as Lopez's full-time head coach, guiding him through the next 14 years and four more consecutive Olympic gold medals from London 2012 to Paris 2024, cementing his status as the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time.

The 2024 Paris Olympics marked the final chapter of Lopez's storied career. After clinching his historic fifth title, he knelt to kiss the mat and left his shoes on the canvas - the universal ritual of retirement in wrestling.

"That moment was full of mixed emotions. I was overjoyed with the result, but also overwhelmed with sadness, because I had decided to close the book on my career," Lopez told Xinhua through an interpreter.

"I kissed the wrestling mat to express my gratitude for all the achievements in my wrestling career. This mat and my coach made me the champion I am today. I am thankful for all those days and nights we spent training together."

When asked whether Lopez would have won four more Olympic golds and completed the five-peat without his coaching, Diaz is quick to deflect the credit to his pupil's innate talent and unshakable character.

"Lopez is an exceptional athlete, one of a kind. What makes him great is not just his physical strength, but his mental fortitude," said Diaz. "He competes not for money or fame, but for his love for the Cuban people, wrestling and his family."

"He is family to me," Lopez said of his mentor. "A coach is more than an instructor; he is a guide who walks with you through every critical moment. I hope every athlete can experience this kind of profound connection."

Diaz recalled the words Lopez's father said to him on his deathbed: "Please, be a father to Lopez from now on." Over years of close companionship, the pair have become inseparable.

"I can no longer imagine my life without him," Diaz said.

Mijain LOPEZ (CUB)Reporter interviewing Mijain LOPEZ (center) and Shen SHIYAN (right), Spanish interpreter for the Chinese Greco-Roman team. (Photo: Xinhua News)

Lifetime to Understand China

For both men, China has never been a distant country. For Lopez, Beijing will always be the starting point of his legend. "I have an immense affection for China. It was here that I won my first Olympic gold, the medal that broke the ice and opened a whole new chapter of my career," he said.

Diaz's connection to China stretches back to childhood, with Chinese classmates and family friends. He still remembers the Chinese couple in Havana's Chinatown who always kept a meal warm for him.

"Those simple acts of kindness made me feel a deep closeness to Chinese people from the very beginning," Diaz recalled.

When Lopez stepped onto the mat in Beijing in 2008, Diaz watched with special pride - not just for his former pupil, but for a country he had long felt a bond with.

"The more you learn about China, the more you realize it may take a whole lifetime to truly understand this country," Diaz observed. "Chinese people are kind, honest and down-to-earth. Some countries refuse to see the real China out of prejudice, but there is no better way to know this country than to come here, to see it with your own eyes."

Passing the Torch

Diaz and Lopez have come to Beijing with a clear mission: to pass on decades of experience and training philosophy to help nurture China's next generation of wrestlers.

Zheng PAN (CHN), head coach of China's Greco-Roman team, noted that Diaz prioritizes efficiency in training. "We have more sessions now, but each is shorter. Raul always emphasizes that athletes must give their absolute all in every minute."

Diaz is full of praise for China's young wrestlers, citing their strength, speed, discipline, intelligence and work ethic. "The most important thing is to train with purpose and focus. Chinese wrestlers have every ability to compete with the top athletes in the world."

Lopez echoed his coach's optimism. "These young wrestlers have a bright future. We are here to give them that extra push, to help them stand firm on the world stage."

18 years ago, Lopez arrived in Beijing as a rising talent and left as an Olympic champion. Now they have returned together as legends, ready to pass on the torch and write a new chapter in the decades-long friendship between Cuban and Chinese wrestling.

In November 2025, Diaz received the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award. Standing beside him to share the honor was his star pupil. "That moment felt like a dream," Diaz said. "I want to give all my love for wrestling, my knowledge, and everything I have to this sport."