Graphic courtesy of the New Jersey Regional Training Center.
Friday afternoon, May 21, the New Jersey Regional Training Center (NJRTC) announced via Twitter that two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist J'den Cox joined the NJRTC as a part-time athlete. Cox will split his training between the NJRTC in New Jersey and the Olympic/Paralympic Training Center in Colorado.
https://twitter.com/MATrix_8692/status/1395873010616307715
Previously Cox split his time between the Ohio RTC (Ohio State) and the Olympic Training Center.
Cox was a three-time NCAA champion at Missouri, an Olympic bronze medalist in 2016, and a world champion at 92 kg in 2018 and 2019.
Cox recently made headlines at the 2021 Olympic Team Trials in April when a late weigh-in forced him out of The Trials and essentially the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games as well.
Cox has since withdrew his appeal and spoken in support of his Olympic champion coach, Kevin Jackson, who told him the wrong time for weigh-ins in Fort Worth at the 2021 OTTs.
Cox is focused on the future rather than the dwelling on past as far as the weigh-in debacle is concerned.
“I looked K.J. in his eyes, and I promised him,” Cox said on the Inside Mizzou Athletics podcast. “I’m going to bring the wrath of God on these people. The wrath of God.”
The former Missouri Tiger standout has been bouncing between 86 kg, 92 kg, and 97 kg through his international wrestling career, depending on whether it is an Olympic year or not.
Moving forward though, Cox plans to drop to 92 kg's for the World Team Trials later this year (assuming Kyle Snyder earns a medal in Tokyo at the Olympic Games at 97 kg) before returning to 97 kg for the foreseeable future with Team USA.
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