Tashkent, Uzbekistan – Olympic Gold Medalist and Nebraska Assistant Coach Jordan Burroughs earned the freestyle bronze medal at 74 kg/163 pounds at the 2014 FILA World Championships after going 4-1 at the Gymnastics Palace on Tuesday.

In his first-round match, Burroughs injured his left knee, but managed a 4-3 victory over Guinea Bisau’s Augusto Midana. Burroughs dominated in his next two matches, defeating Korea’s Yunseok Lee and Uzbekistan’s Rashid Kurbanov by a combined score of 18-2.

Burroughs held a 3-2 lead over Lee after the first period, but took command for the rest of the match in a 13-2 win. In the quarterfinals, Burroughs took down Kurbanov by a 5-0 margin to advance to the semifinals against Denis Tsargush of Russia.

Wrestling with a wrapped leg, Burroughs fell behind 7-0 in the first period and never recovered, dropping a 9-2 decision to Tsargush. The loss marked his first to a foreign opponent on the international circuit.

Burroughs responded in the bronze medal match with a first-period fall in 2:48. His opponent, Rustam Dudaev of Ukraine, earned the first takedown but Burroughs built a 6-2 lead before pinning Dudaev.

After Tuesday’s performance, Burroughs holds a 92-2 record internationally, earning gold medals at the 2012 Olympics, as well as the 2011 and 2013 FILA World Championships. At Nebraska, he won national titles in 2009 and 2011, capturing the Hodge Trophy in his final year with the Huskers.

2014 FILA World Championships
Sept. 8-14 at Gymnastics Palace, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Burroughs’ Road to the Bronze Medal at 74 kg/163 pounds
First Round: Jordan Burroughs (USA) def. Augusto Midana (Guinea Bisau), 4-3
Second Round: Jordan Burroughs (USA) def. Yunseok Lee (Korea), 13-2
Quarterfinals: Jordan Burroughs (USA) def. Rashid Kurbanov (Uzbekistan), 5-0
Semifinals: Denis Tsargush (Russia) def. Jordan Burroughs (USA), 9-2
Bronze Medal Match: Jordan Burroughs (USA) def. Rustam Dudaev (Ukraine) by fall, 2:48