Senior Level: Interview with Team USA’s Forrest Molinari

Molinari took 5th at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo/WrestlersAreWarriors.com.

by Derek Levendusky, AWW staff writer

She’s not happy about it. Losing in the bronze match at the World Championships in Kazakhstan and falling to 5th place for the second year in a row was not the plan. Team USA’s Forrest Molinari was oh so very close to a medal, dropping a 5-5 match by criteria in the final seconds of the 65 kg semis to Ukraine’s Iryna Koliadenko. International wrestling can be a cruel experience. Those last few seconds in the semi are the difference between advancing to the finals and securing at least a silver medal or slipping to the bronze match and eventually dropping off the podium. Even so, Molinari placing 5th helped the U.S. women secure the 3rd place finish in the team race and come home with some hardware. She is disappointed, but hungry as she looks forward to the coming Olympic year and beyond. The young star took some time to answer some questions for us. Here’s the full interview.

1. Talk about your experience at Worlds. What was your high and what was your low? What did you learn from this experience?

“Worlds definitely did not go as I had planned. The obvious low is leaving Kazakhstan not only without a belt, but without a medal at all. After last year’s worlds, I felt that I had learned my lesson but still failed this year as well. My high from this year was Adeline winning her 5th world championship and making history.”

2. What's different about wrestling world level/international competitors than national level competitors?

“Foreigners have a completely different feel than Americans do, so the preparation to wrestle at worlds has different focus areas compared to preparing for a national tournament. Foreigners are also excellent in that last 30 second sprint of a match when they know they have to score.”

3. Any cool or funny experiences in Kazakhstan?

“Not really in Kazakhstan but Alli [Ragan], Michaela [Beck], and I went on vacation to Greece after and it was awesome.”

4. Talk about your team at worlds. Was everyone encouraged by the 3rd place finish or was the sense that you all left some out on the mat. How hungry is the team to win another world title as a squad?

“The team as a whole had very high expectations. I think a lot of us who did not walk out with gold medals were extremely disappointed with our individual tournaments because we really do have the ability and talent to be world champions. But at the end of the day, you have to go out there and make it happen.”

5. What do you believe the state is of women's wrestling in the U.S. right now as far as the Senior Level team? Do you feel we are near the top or is there ground to take?

“We took third so of course there is ground to take but the senior team is right there. We have the right team to beat Japan and Russia. But like I said earlier, we gotta make it happen.”

6. You seem to focus a lot on mental toughness. What's your mindset going into your matches and how do you "flip the switch"?

“We focus on mental toughness a lot at Iowa. I think it is extremely important. My mindset going into matches is to take my opponent ‘to deep waters and drown them,’ which is basically wrestling so hard or at a pace where they just can’t keep up and crack.”

7. I heard a rumor about your interest in MMA after wrestling. Are you considering this after the Olympic quad? How long can we expect to see you in the wrestling community?

“Yes, I am 100% interested in MMA after wrestling. I would like to start boxing and jujitsu right now just on the side, but will start looking to transition over after 2024.”

8. Everyone wants to know what weight you're going next year. Any thoughts, if you're able to share yet, about what you're planning to do?

“I’ve been asked that a lot this year and I haven’t been shy about it at all. I will be going 68 kg.”

9. Thoughts on what it's like being part of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club?

“Best club in the world. Iowa wrestling is a family. I love being part of HWC and appreciate the opportunities it has given me.”

10. When/how did you start wrestling?

“My freshman year of high school, I wanted to play football because all my friends were going to play and it was fun. What I didn’t realize was that I was really undersized. I was about 4’10” and 95 pounds. So both my mom and the Athletic Director, Holden, said no to football and suggested wrestling instead. Now I couldn’t tell you what it was that I loved so much about wrestling back then because I had no idea what I was doing and I used to get beat up by the boys every day. But something hooked me and soon nothing else seemed to matter except wrestling.”

Molinari wrestled in college for King University in Tennessee, where she was a WCWA national champion and scholar-athlete in 2016. She was also college teammates of world team members Alli Ragan, Haley Augello, and Sara Hildebrandt along with Pan Am winner Julia Salata.