American Greco-Roman wrestler Joseph Patrick Rau was born on March 17, 1991. Josef Rau won the 2023 Final X title, the 2023 U.S. Open title, the 2020 Pan Am Olympic Qualifier title, and the gold medal at the 2020 Pan AM Championships. Rau qualifies for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris as well.
Josef Rau qualifies for the Paris Olympics 2024
Josef Rau earned a spot to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 33-year-old wrestler from Chicago succeeded through the three-phase Olympic qualification process for wrestling. On Saturday, he won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling. He defeated Alan Vera, winning two out of three matches in the championship series, to become the Olympic representative at 97 kilograms in the Greco-Roman style.
Since the 97kg weight class had already secured an Olympic quota spot, Rau only needed to finish first at the trials. He won three matches to reach the best-of-three finals against Vera: 7-0 over Brandon Marshall, 5-1 over David Orndorff, and 5-3 over Nicholas Boykin.
Rau initially lost 7-1 to Vera, leading 1-1 on criteria until Vera scored six straight points in the final minute. However, Rau came back strongly, winning 6-0 and 8-0 in the next two matches to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024.
How Josef Rau is supported by his family
Joseph Patrick Rau was born on March 17, 1991, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. His parents are Rick and Lisa Rau. He has two brothers named Ray and Jack, and one sister named Julie. Rau is 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm) tall and weighs 97 kg (214 pounds).
Rau went to St. Patrick High School in Chicago for wrestling, but he never placed at the state tournament level. However, he did qualify for the state tournament, won two conference championships, and was a freestyle state champion.
Some of Rau’s hobbies include skateboarding, singing, stand-up comedy, traveling, reading books, doing outdoor activities, drinking coffee, and trying new foods.
At Elmhurst College, Rau was coached by former NCAA champion Steve Marianetti. Rau received honors like Conference Wrestler of the Year, and Elmhurst College Athlete of the Year. He also placed twice at the Midlands Championships wrestling tournament.
Who is Josef’s Girlfriend? Is he dating?
Astrid and Joe Rau have been in a continuous relationship since 2020.
Josef Rau started his career in 2013
In 2013, he was the runner-up at the New York AC International Tournament and finished fourth at the U.S. Open. While at Elmhurst College, coached by former NCAA champion Steve Marianetti, Rau won the 184-pound weight class title at the 2013 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships.
In 2014, Rau became the Phase II World Team Trials champion. He competed at the 2014 World Wrestling Championships in the 80 kg weight class, losing in the first round to Jonas Bossert of Switzerland by fall. That year, Rau also won gold at the University Nationals Championships and Northern Plains Regional Championships.
In 2015, Rau was the Pan-American Championships winner. He also won several other national and international events: Senior Nationals & Trials Qualifier, Bill Farrell International Tournament, and Grand Prix Zagreb Open. Additionally, he took second at the Dave Schultz Memorial International, third at the Grand Prix of Spain and Hungarian Grand Prix, and fourth at the U.S. Open.
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In 2016, Rau won the Olympic Team Trials and the U.S. Open tournament. He earned silver at the Grand Prix of Zagreb Open and bronze at the Pan-American Games Qualifier. He placed ninth at the Second World Olympic Games Qualifier event.
In 2017, after failing to make the World Team in Greco-Roman style, Rau qualified for the freestyle trials through a last-chance qualifier event. He became the runner-up at the U.S. World Team Trials and U.S. Open that year.
In 2018, Rau won gold medals at the Lavrikov Championships in Russia and Bill Farrell Memorial International in freestyle wrestling. In Greco-Roman, he took third place at the Bill Farrell Memorial International. He also earned second-place finishes at the Haparanda Cup in Sweden and the U.S. Open, plus a fourth-place result at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in freestyle.
How Rau is representing the USA at international levels?
In 2019, Rau became the Final X champion after scoring points against Ben Provisor in the final seconds of the last match in the finals series. He won the U.S. Open tournament and took third place at the Dave Schultz Memorial International event. At the same Dave Schultz tournament, he placed fourth in the freestyle discipline.
In 2020, Rau won gold medals at both the Pan-American Championships and the Pan-American Olympic Qualifier tournaments. By doing so, he secured an Olympic spot for the United States team at 87 kg for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
In 2021, Rau finished in fifth place at several international competitions in Europe – the Grand Prix of Zagreb Open in Croatia, the Olympic Preparation Tournament in Hungary, and the Matteo Pellicone ranking tournament in Italy.
In October 2022, Joe Rau joined Northwestern University’s athletics department as an assistant wrestling coach. He had previously served as a volunteer assistant coach during the 2021-22 season.
In 2023, Rau participated in the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile and also won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, competing in the 97 kg weight class. At the 2023 Senior World Championships, Rau placed 19th in the 97 kg division.
