A bit of Kansas City’s union community has made its way to the grand boulevards of ‘La Ville-Lumière’ for the 2024 Summer Olympics as a coach supporting an athlete competing for the United States Olympic Team.
Pipefitters Local 533’s Brian Graham is in Paris, France as a coach for one of the United States’ young athletes: Joe Rau, a wrestler in the Greco-Roman 97kg weight class. (American translation: 213 lbs)
Graham has been a member of the union for the last five years and was a talented wrestler in his own right, as a former Missouri Valley College 2x All American, Greco Roman wrestler at 66kg, and U.S. National Team member. Graham, and his twin brother Eric, started out wrestling West Platte and the Park Hill youth wrestling clubs.
Graham is an example of the excellence that union members bring back to our community, providing the fabric of what makes us strong. He is taking care of business, not just on the job site and as a union brother, but also on the mat as a coach of one of our great American athletes. Our region is stronger when union members go above and beyond, contributing not just to the standards of their trade but to their nation. That contribution starts at home.
“We are very proud of our members accomplishments to get this far with his Olympic Athlete Joe,” said Jim Dahlin, Organizer of Pipefitters Local Union No. 533 in a written statement.
“If you look up “redemption”, it should be spelled “R-A-U”. Joe Rau is the embodiment of redemption. This is not the first time Joe had to claw his way back up to the top in the Greco-Roman circuit. He won the Olympic Trials in 2016 but was unable to qualify the weight. He qualified the weight in 2021 but lost at the Olympic Trials. After retiring his shoes in 2021, he decided to make a comeback in January 2023 and asked his longtime friend, Brian Graham, to be his coach this Olympic cycle. Joe made his 3rd World Team with Brian coaching at his side. Their hard work came to a head as Joe defeated Alan Vera at the 2024 Olympic Trials, solidifying Joe’s place on the US Olympic Team at 97 kilograms,” said Eric Graham, Brian’s brother, while fundraising for the trip.
“Joe and Brian’s story begins long before the 2024 Olympic cycle. It starts in 2013 in Minneapolis, MN. Both guys made their way to compete for Minnesota Storm from the Midwest with little more than their gear, a vehicle, and a few dollars to their names. Joe ended up crashing on the couch where Brian was living at the time. Over the next five years, Brian and Joe put in work with Minnesota Storm. Both picked up many accolades along the way, including Joe’s first win at the 2016 Olympic Trials. In 2018, Brian retired and took up coaching Graham Greco in his hometown of Kansas City, MO. Joe continued his wrestling career in 2018 with Titan Mercury, becoming the 2020 Pan Am Olympic Qualifier Champion, 8x National Team Member, and 3x US World Team member until his eventual retirement at the 2021 Olympic Team Trials. Although Joe had moved on and was the Assistant Coach at Northwestern University, it was important to Joe that he not leave the sport he loved so much on a sour note. With that in mind, he decided to make his comeback in January 2023 and asked Brian to be his Greco coach.”
RESULTS
In Group 2, Rau was defeated in his repechage match at 97 kg by Uzur Dzhuzupbekov of Kyrgyzstan, 9-4. Dzhuzupbekov jumped to a 5-0 lead, with a passivity point, then a four-point lift and throw from the mat. Rau got a point on passivity, and attempted a head pinch turn, in which Dzhuzupbekov committed a foul for a caution and two, to make the score 5-3. A forced step out gave Rau another points, tightening it to 5-4. A last second throw attempt by Rau was blocked for four points.
The Labor Beacon family is proud of both Rau and Graham for representing our great nation on the international stage against top athletes. Solidarity Forever!
Tristin Amezcua-Hogan is the Editor of The Labor Beacon and a member of LIUNA Local 264. Tristin also serves as the Director of Communications for the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO and the Chair of the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance.
Tristin grew up as the son of a UA Local 669 member in Tecumseh, KS and the great-nephew of George C. Amis, longtime leader of the United Rubberworkers (now USW Local 307) in Kansas. Growing up in rural Kansas as the child of teen parents, Tristin quickly came to appreciate the life-changing benefit of a union job.
Tristin and his partner, Rebeca Amezcua-Hogan, are residents of the Westside, Kansas City, MO's historic Mexican neighborhood. They are proud members of Kansas City's New Reform Temple.
