Kizhan Clarke

Kizhan Clarke
Personal information
Full nameKizhan Andre Clarke
Born (1997-12-16) December 16, 1997
Wiesbaden, Germany
Home townTampa, Florida, U.S.
Sport
Country United States (2018–2022)
 Germany (2023–present)
SportWrestling
Weight class65 kg (143 lb)
Event(s)Freestyle and Folkstyle
College teamTar Heels
ClubTar Heel Wrestling Club
AC Lichtenfels
Coached byRob Koll
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Germany
European Championships
2024 Bucharest 65 kg
Grand Prix
2023 Nice 65 kg
German Nationals
2023 Heidelberg 65 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the North Carolina Tar Heels
NCAA Division I Championships
2022 Detroit 141 lb

Kizhan Andre Clarke (born December 16, 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

High school

Clarke was born in Wiesbaden, Germany to an American father and a German mother. He 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

2016–2017

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

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

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

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

2021–2022

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

2023

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

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

References

  1. ^ "Clarke To Compete In European Championships". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  2. ^ "March 2024 International Men's Freestyle Rankings". THE FIGHT SITE. 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  3. ^ "Lawyer in the Making: Unlocking Ki Zhan Clarke". American University. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  4. ^ "Riverview's Kizhan Clarke makes a name for himself in wrestling". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  5. ^ a b c "Kizhan Clarke – 2020–21 – Wrestling". American University. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  6. ^ "These are the wrestlers outside the top 10 we might see make the NCAA finals | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  7. ^ "Kizhan Clarke Remains Undefeated, Leads Wrestling at Navy Classic". American University. 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  8. ^ Goodwin, Cody. "NCAA cancels Division I, II, III wrestling championships amid COVID-19 pandemic". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  9. ^ Bray, David (2020-11-09). "Who's Registered For 2020 UWW Jr & U23 Nationals?". FloWrestling. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  10. ^ a b "UNC Wrestling Adds Kizhan Clarke For 2021–22 Season". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  11. ^ Hamilton, Andy (2022-03-29). "Overcomers: Kizhan Clarke Laid Down The Law During Run To NCAA Finals". FloWrestling. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  12. ^ Bill Evans (2022-03-18). "NCAA Wrestling Championships, 2022: 8 N.J. wrestlers reach quarterfinals". nj. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  13. ^ "Pitt's Cole Matthews Earns NCAA All-America Status". Pitt Panthers #H2P. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  14. ^ "Clarke Caps Off Season With Runner Up Finish". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  15. ^ "American Men's Freestyle Rankings – February 20th, 2023". InterMat. 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  16. ^ "Kizhan Clarke To Compete In European Wrestling Championships". Tar Heel Times. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  17. ^ admin (2023-04-28). "3x Bronze für ACL-Eagles". AC Lichtenfels – Bundesliga Ringen (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  18. ^ admin (2023-06-12). "Gold für Hannes Wagner und Kizhan Clarke". AC Lichtenfels – Bundesliga Ringen (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  19. ^ "Stepan Sargsyan Cup 2023 wrestling". uww.org. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  20. ^ jeandaniel. "Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial". United World Wrestling. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  21. ^ admin (2023-11-26). "22:5 Sieg in Baienfurt. Revanche geglückt!". AC Lichtenfels – Bundesliga Ringen (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  22. ^ admin (2024-02-19). "4 Medaillen bei der Europameisterschaft". AC Lichtenfels – Bundesliga Ringen (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  23. ^ 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.
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