Kizhan Clarke
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| Full name | Kizhan Andre Clarke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | December 16, 1997 Wiesbaden, Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Tampa, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States (2018–2022) Germany (2023–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | 65 kg (143 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Tar Heels | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Tar Heel Wrestling Club AC Lichtenfels | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Rob Koll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Kizhan Andre Clarke (born 16 December 1997) is a German-American freestyle wrestler who competes internationally at 65 kilograms.[1] He was a medalist at the European Championship and the Grand Prix Henri Deglane, and was also an NCAA Division I National runner-up out of the University of North Carolina.[2]
Career
[edit]High school
[edit]Clarke was born in Wiesbaden, Germany to an American father and a German mother, and moved to Dallas, Texas at the age of one before moving to Florida in seventh grade.[3] He started wrestling as a freshman at Riverview High School in Riverview, Florida, and became a state champion and two-time finalist before graduating.[4]
American University
[edit]2016–2017
[edit]Clarke wore a redshirt during his first year wrestling for the American Eagles, winning over 30 matches and placing at six tournaments.[5]
2017–2018
[edit]Clarke went 16–13 as the team's starter at 141 pounds, and was unable to place at the EIWA Championships or qualify for the NCAA's.[5] After the season, he competed in freestyle at the US Open and the U23 US World Team Trials, but was unable to place.
2018–2019
[edit]Clarke then moved up to 157 pounds, recording a 26–13 record and placing seventh at the EIWA Championships, though missing a trip to NCAA's.[5] After the season, he once again competed at the US Open and the U23 US World Team Trials though was unable to place.[6]
2019–2020
[edit]Dropping down to 149 pounds, Clarke improved to a 35–7 record, placed fourth at the EIWA Championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament.[7] However, the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] In November 2020, Clarke went 4–2 at the US U23 National Championships but was unable to place.[9]
University of North Carolina
[edit]2021–2022
[edit]In March 2021, Clarke went 2–2 at the US Last Chance Qualifier, failing to qualify for the US Olympic Team Trials.[10]
After being unable to compete during the 2020–2021 season due to COVID-19 protocols, Clarke transferred to the University of North Carolina for his final year.[10] Back down to 141, Clarke posted a 17–1 record during the regular season before going 0–2 at the ACC Championships, requiring an at-large berth to qualify for the NCAA tournament.[11]
Ranked as the fifteenth-seed, Clarke avenged a loss suffered at the ACC Championship in the first round, and took out returning NCAA finalist Jaydin Eierman to advance to the quarterfinals.[12] After beating the tenth-seed to reach the semi-finals, Clarke defeated the sixth-seed on ultimate tie-breaker to reach the finals.[13] In the finals, Clarke fell to returning champion Nick Lee, though earned runner-up and All-American honors and closed his final year at 21–4.[14]
Germany
[edit]2023
[edit]In January, Clarke returned to freestyle and represented Germany for the first time in international competition, at the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane. He defeated fellow NCAA runner-up Ridge Lovett and veteran Evan Henderson to make the finals, where he was defeated by All-American Pat Lugo.[15]
In April, Clarke defeated Niklas Dorn in a best-of-three wrestle-off to determine Germany's starter.[16] He then went 1–1 at the European Championships, defeating Italy's Colin Realbuto though falling to U20 World Champion Erik Arushanian.[17]
In June, Clarke became a German National champion with three wins over fellow countrymen.[18] He then competed at the Stepan Sargsyan Cup in Armenia, defeating an opponent from Kazakhstan before falling to U20 World Champion Peiman Biabani.[19] In July, he competed at the Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial Tournament, though was eliminated by North Carolina teammate Lachlan McNeil.[20]
From September to November, Clarke competed in the German Bundesliga, where he participated in six dual meets for AC Lichtenfels and emerged victorious in four of them.[21]
2024
[edit]In February, Clarke earned a bronze medal from the European Continental Championships, with a notable victory over Individual World Cup and U23 World Champion Vazgen Tevanyan.[22] He competed at the 2024 European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan hoping to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.[23] He was eliminated in his first match and he did not qualify for the Olympics.[23]
Freestyle record
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Clarke To Compete In European Championships". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "March 2024 International Men's Freestyle Rankings". THE FIGHT SITE. 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "Lawyer in the Making: Unlocking Ki Zhan Clarke". American University. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "Riverview's Kizhan Clarke makes a name for himself in wrestling". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ a b c "Kizhan Clarke – 2020–21 – Wrestling". American University. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "These are the wrestlers outside the top 10 we might see make the NCAA finals | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "Kizhan Clarke Remains Undefeated, Leads Wrestling at Navy Classic". American University. 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ Goodwin, Cody. "NCAA cancels Division I, II, III wrestling championships amid COVID-19 pandemic". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ Bray, David (2020-11-09). "Who's Registered For 2020 UWW Jr & U23 Nationals?". FloWrestling. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ a b "UNC Wrestling Adds Kizhan Clarke For 2021–22 Season". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ Hamilton, Andy (2022-03-29). "Overcomers: Kizhan Clarke Laid Down The Law During Run To NCAA Finals". FloWrestling. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ Bill Evans (2022-03-18). "NCAA Wrestling Championships, 2022: 8 N.J. wrestlers reach quarterfinals". nj. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "Pitt's Cole Matthews Earns NCAA All-America Status". Pitt Panthers #H2P. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "Clarke Caps Off Season With Runner Up Finish". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "American Men's Freestyle Rankings – February 20th, 2023". InterMat. 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "Kizhan Clarke To Compete In European Wrestling Championships". Tar Heel Times. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ admin (2023-04-28). "3x Bronze für ACL-Eagles". AC Lichtenfels – Bundesliga Ringen (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ admin (2023-06-12). "Gold für Hannes Wagner und Kizhan Clarke". AC Lichtenfels – Bundesliga Ringen (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "Stepan Sargsyan Cup 2023 wrestling". uww.org. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ jeandaniel. "Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial". United World Wrestling. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ admin (2023-11-26). "22:5 Sieg in Baienfurt. Revanche geglückt!". AC Lichtenfels – Bundesliga Ringen (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ admin (2024-02-19). "4 Medaillen bei der Europameisterschaft". AC Lichtenfels – Bundesliga Ringen (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ a b "2024 European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
External links
[edit]- Kizhan Clarke at the International Wrestling Database
- Living people
- 1997 births
- American male sport wrestlers
- German male sport wrestlers
- North Carolina Tar Heels wrestlers
- Sportspeople from Wiesbaden
- Amateur wrestlers
- African-American sport wrestlers
- American people of German descent
- University of North Carolina alumni
- 21st-century African-American sportsmen
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- 21st-century German sportsmen