ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Cliff Keen Wrestling Club’s Dave Habat will represent Slovenia in the 65kg/145.5-pound freestyle division at the 2017 Senior World Championships, slated for August 21-26, at the AccorsHotel Arena in Paris, France.
Habat, a Cleveland, Ohio, native who has dual citizenship due to his mother’s Slovenian birthplace, will compete in his second World Championships in three years. The lone member of the Slovenian freestyle team, he will travel to Paris with Cliff Keen WC coach Andy Hrovat, who also carries Slovenian ancestry, and his training partner Jon Morrison — the newest addition to the CKWC.
Habat is currently ranked 14th in the United World Wrestling (UWW) rankings at 65kg after capturing bronze at the European Championships earlier this summer. In that event, he defeated Ukraine’s Gor Ogannesyan, 10-3, in the bronze-medal match to become the first ever European freestyle medalist for Slovenia.
The men’s freestyle competition starts on Friday, August 25, while Habat’s weight class will be contested on the final day of the worlds, on Saturday, August 26. Preliminary matches commence at 4 a.m. ET, while medal matches will start at 1 p.m. ET. Brackets and live streaming are available through Trackwrestling. USA Wrestling and Flowrestling will provide additional coverage.
