Wrestler with ties to county wins national championship

Published 2:30 pm Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Robert Barbour, grandson of Clanton residents Edward and Annie Barbour, won the Fila Junior World Team Trials in Greco-Roman wrestling.

The event was held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Robert defeated his opponent in the 96 kilogram weight class (211.5 pounds) on May 29, qualifying him to be on the World Team, which will represent the United States in the world championships in Budapest, Hungary, in July.

Robert Barbour is a two-time consecutive national champion in Men’s Fila Junior National Greco-Roman wrestling. He won his first national title in Las Vegas in April 2009.

In 2010, Barbour repeated his national championship, qualifying him to return to the World Team Trial competition. And on Saturday, May 29, Robert won the world team trial championship and will be representing the United States World Team with a chance for the world title.

Barbour, 19, of the Sunkist Kids currently lives and trains at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. There, he trains with the likes of 2008 Olympian T.C. Dantzler, U.S. Open Champion Brandon Rupp, and world team members R.C. Johnson, Joe Betterman and Talan Knox.

Barbour wants to one day become a stock contractor, raising bulls for rodeo competitions, an aspiration his grandparents had much to do with.