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Meddling with Medals: A dive into Team USA’s Olympic wrestling achievements through hardware
Olympic medalists, Tamyra Mensah-Stock (left) and Adeline Gray (right) pose with Coach Terry, center. (Courtesy: @WrstleLikeAGirl/Twitter)

Meddling with Medals: A dive into Team USA’s Olympic wrestling achievements through hardware

Jake Rice - BVM Sports Intern Writer

Updated:

TOKYO (BVM) — The U.S. is a dominant force in international athletics and has been for some time. With a nation so obsessive over sports, it’s easy to see why. This is exemplified through the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with the Americans showing out in seemingly every athletic discipline. 

Wrestling was not an exception.

Both the men and women are coming back to the states with a historic amount of heavy hardware around their necks. In that, we’ll take a look at the mat-time that put the freestyle wrestlers on the Olympic podium. 

Men’s

Former Iowa Hawkeye, Thomas Gilman, represented the red, white and blue in the 57 kilogram (about 125 pounds) weight class. On Wednesday, the 27-year-old was in a tough first match against the Russian Olympic Committee’s (ROC) Zavur Uguev; a No. 2 seed. It was decided in favor of Uguev when he scored a last-second takedown on Gilman. The 5-4 loss would place Gilman in the repechage with the chance for bronze.

Repechage is a ‘quasi-loser’s’ bracket and it is summed up like this:

“In taekwondo and wrestling, the athletes who lost to the eventual finalists starting with the Round of 16, are placed in their own brackets. Then, the losers from the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals face off. The winners of those matchups end up facing the losers of the semifinals. The winners of those matches are both awarded bronze medals,” according to WTHR 13.

Whatever the case may be, Gilman would wrestle like his hair was on fire and beat his remaining two opponents with a combined score of 20-2. Gilman’s first Thursday match was a quick 11-1 tech fall over Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan; all of the points came in the first period. 

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For the bronze medal, Gilman slapped around Iranian, Reza Atrinagharchi. In the first, Gilman put up five points for a 5-0 start. Then to close it out, four more points were awarded to the American while only giving up a single point for a 9-1 win. 

Kyle Dake finally ended incumbent Jordan Burroughs’ dominance at the U.S. Olympic trials at 74 kg. Dake, a four-time NCAA champion and the only wrestler to do so in four different weight classes, was seemingly stuck behind Burroughs in the ‘depth chart’ for years. So when he finally got the chance, the former Cornell wrestler decided to bring home a neckpiece as a greenhorn Olympian.

It is important to note that Dake is a two-time world champion at 79 kg which is not an Olympic weight class. So, Dake had to wrestle at 74 kg.

The New Yorker’s Olympic debut began with two Thursday matches with mixed results. The first of the two came against No. 4 seed Mostafa Hosseinkhani of Iran. Dake would be in control most of the match to which he scored four points to nil. From here, things would get a little sideways for the American.

Against Belarus’ Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau, Dake found himself in unfamiliar waters. In the first period, Dake had a deadly six points added against him early and then another three later on. Facing a 9-0 deficit and a potential tech fall, Dake would crumble when the Belarusian scored a takedown in the second, handing Dake an 11-0 loss.

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It was a brutal gut wrench for the New Yorker, but after sleeping on it, he woke up the next day with a vengeance. In the Repechage, Dake would find his groove against Cuba’s Jeandry Garzon. The match would end in a tech fall, but this time with Dake victorious. Dake would score 10 unanswered in the first for a tech, allowing him to advance to the bronze medal match.

With a podium looming, Dake would face his most difficult opponent yet — Frank Chamizo. The No. 1 seed of Italy would find himself in a similar position as Dake; upset in the main bracket. Regardless, a marquee matchup was set between world champions. Chamizo looked out of place and Dake did not as he scored four points in the first and a point in the second.

Dake’s 5-0 performance finally gave him a medal.

The first of the two men’s gold medals came from 86 kg wrestler, David ‘Magic Man’ Taylor. The 30-year-old’s road to the Olympics was a long one, but he had been riding an over 50-match win streak. With the wave of the Magician’s wand, he would make three tech falls appear, outscoring his opponents 33-2 en route to the gold medal match. 

The former Penn State Nittany Lion faced off against Belarusian Ali Shabanau; the first of three Wednesday matches. By the second period, Taylor scored a swift 11 points to zero over his opponent to move on in the bracket. 

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Despite being scored on first, more of the same would be in store for Taylor for his next match. This time, Taylor found himself scrapping with No. 3 seed Myles Amine from San Marino. However, the American would again take the match to the second period only to rack up a positive 10-point deficit required for a tech fall at 12-2.

The third time was a charm for the State College-resident’s last match of the day. India’s No. 2 seed — Deepak Punia — was no match for Taylor’s tricks despite not having sleeves. Taylor scored 10 quick points, including two rolls, against Punia’s nil in the first period to notch yet another tech fall. 

For gold though, Taylor found himself in a slugfest with a familiar foe. No. 1 seed Hassan “The Greatest” Yazdani of Iran and Taylor have dominated the 86 kg scene for some time. Yazdani won gold in the Rio Olympics and the World Championships in 2017 and 2019. However, Yazdani had never bested Taylor and the American would win the 2017 World Cup and 2018 World Championship before massively injuring his knee.

With the stage set and all eyes watching, The Greatest Show on Earth began the very next day. Yazdani drew first blood and then some to which brought the score to 2-0 in the second period. Then, Taylor would score a takedown to even it at 2-2 in the middle of the second. The Iranian brought it to 3-2 late, earning another point for pushing Taylor out. With 15 seconds left, Taylor pulled a rabbit out of his hat, scoring a takedown to win it all.

“You’ve got to want it,” Taylor said after the match. “You’ve got to want to be here. Olympic champion for the rest of my life.”

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For some people, the 97 kg weight class might be the most well-known of all of them. This is so because it features one of the sport’s biggest names: Kyle ‘Captain America’ Snyder. As one might expect, the former Buckeye blew through opponents on his way to the gold-medal match that featured his archrival. 

The Marylander’s 2020 Olympics would start with three matches on Friday and one the following day. Snyder’s premier was a testament to his dominance in the 97 kg class. The American would put on a 12-2 clinic against Canadian, Jordan Steen. The Canadian scored first with a takedown in the first, but it was the Snyder show from there with five takedowns in that same period. Snyder then stopped the match due to a tech after he scored another takedown in the second period.

Next up: Abraham Conyedo of Italy. Captain America would be stout on defense by not giving up a single point. Moreover, Snyder tallied four points and an additional two more in the first and second periods, respectively, for a 6-0 final. The Rio gold medalist would then breeze by Turkey’s Suleyman Karadeniz. The No. 2 seed scored two points in the first and then three in the second for a match score of 5-0.

In the medal match came the lineup everyone hoped to see: #Snyderlaev3. 

No. 1 seed Abdulrashid Sadulaev of the ROC and Snyder have a history similar to that of Godzilla and Kong. Going into the match, the two were tied with one win apiece for each wrestler. Naturally, this match would split the tie and crown who was the better of the two. 

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During the match, Sadulaev built a 2-0 lead in the first period. From there, Snyder would attempt two single-leg takedowns but would wind up having his back exposed by the Russian, increasing the deficit to 6-0 in the second period. 

With limited time left in the second, Snyder would score a takedown and a pushout to make the score 6-3. However, time wasn’t on the American’s side as Sadulaev would keep the score and win gold.

In the heavyweight class (125 kg), Olympic newcomer — Gable Steveson — became a high-flying superstar: literally and figuratively. En route to the gold medal match, Steveson did not give up a single point to his opponents. The Minnesotan outscored his foes 23-0.

Thursday was the longest day for the big man as he would compete in three matches. The first match against Kyrgyzstan’s Aiaal Lazarev put Steveson on the radar. The 21-year-old would aggressively rack up a quick 10 points in the first period for a tech.

Onward and upward came No. 3 seed Taha Akgul by way of Turkey. However, the 2016 Olympic champ came and went as Steveson scored a takedown in the first and then an additional six points in the second. At this moment, people started to pay attention to the native of Apple Valley.

Oozing with confidence, Steveson inflicted his will on Lkhagvagerel Munhktur from Mongolia. A takedown in the first period and another in the second helped push him in front with a match score of 5-0. The following day, the man named after wrestling legend, Dan Gable, would create a legend of his own. 

The Minnesota Gopher faced off against top seed Geno Petriashvili from Georgia. This match was just as exciting as the others but far less easy for Steveson. After going up 4-0 in the first period, Steveson would find himself in a pickle. Petriashvili would bring the score to 5-2 and then, all of a sudden, the three-time world champ would crack it open with a takedown and two rolls.

Now looking at an 8-5 deficit and his opponent in defense mode, Steveson would have a steep hill to climb. So, with minimum time to spare, Steveson scored two takedowns for an epic win at the biggest stage with a score of 10-8.

Steveson celebrated with his high-flying signature move.

“I wrestled four hard matches, I wrestled the two greatest heavyweights that have walked this earth,” Steveson said in a post-match interview. “It’s hard to explain what just happened but, I’m coming home with a gold medal. Minnesota, this is for y’all. USA, I’m proud to represent y’all, greatest country out there.”

Women’s

In the lightest Women’s weight, Sarah Hildebrandt of Granger, Ind. made her Olympic debut one to remember. After mainly competing for the non-Olympic weight of 53 kg, Hildebrandt dropped weight and won the 50 kg spot for Team USA.

Like her teammate Snyder, the Hoosier took on Tokyo on Friday. Hildebrandt’s first match was a statement, to say the least. Turkey’s Evin Demirhan found herself in an 11-0 offensive showing by the American. Hildebrandt scored only three points including a takedown in the first. Then, the former King University Tornado would bust it open with another takedown and series of leg lace rolls, ending the match in a tech fall.

Hildebrandt still had her foot on the gas in her second match against Bulgarian, Miglena Selishka. The Bulgarian was also hot, pulling off an upset against No. 2 seeded Alina Vuc of Romania. Despite scoring first, Selishka was no match for the American as she scored a takedown and another series of rolls reminiscent of her first match. Hildebrandt would move on to the next round with the 12-2 first-period tech notched on her belt.

The 50 kg wrestler’s path to gold would get a little sideways from here. In her next match, Hildebrandt would face off against Yanan Sun of China. Hildebrandt’s fire continued as she built a 7-0 lead early in the first period. Sun would crawl back within one point with seconds left in the latter period. Then, Sun would find a way in and score a four-point toss, giving her the 10-7 advantage to move on in the bracket.

Luckily for Hildebrandt, she would be allowed to compete for bronze the next day; this opportunity would not be taken for granted. In the bronze medal match, the Indiana native would hit her offensive stride once again with Oksana Livach from Ukraine being the victim. After a slow 2-1 first period in favor of the American, Hildebrandt would score two takedowns and rip another series of leg lace rolls for a 12-1 tech fall.

“USA, USA, USA,” the small crowd chanted. 

Deja vu.

Paired with teammates Gilman and Taylor, Helen Maroulis would begin her 2020 Games on Wednesday. After winning the 53 kg gold in Rio, Maroulis would bump up to the 57 kg weight class and scrap with No. 4 seed Ningning Rong of China. Rong would go up 3-0 early in the first before Maroulis scored a reversal. Maroulis would then score three takedowns in the second and finish with the 8-4 win.

The Marylander would be dominant in her next bout with Tetyana Kit of Ukraine. The match was slow in the first with only Maroulis being on the scoreboard with a mid-period takedown. From here, the 2-0 score would grow to 8-0 at the end after three takedowns for the American. 

The Rockville native’s last Wednesday match was a tough one to swallow. The American was slated to wrestle against No. 1 seed and former 63 kg Rio Olympic champ, Risako Kawai of the host country. The match was a low-scoring one with the only point in the first period being awarded to Kawai as a Maroulis penalty. In the succeeding three minutes, two penalty points were awarded to both wrestlers, cementing the match at 2-1 in favor of the Japanese. 

Hopes for hardware would not be over as the American would have a chance for bronze. Standing in her way was Mongolian, Khongorzul Boldsaikhan. Maroulis jumped on the board first with four points from two takedowns in the first period. Following, Maroulis would be awarded seven points for penalty and offensive maneuvers resulting in an 11-0 tech.

In the next weight class, 68 kg, Tamyra Mensah-Stock would become a superstar overnight. Mensah-Stock’s bubbly personality and love of karaoke were not the only storylines to come from her time in Tokyo. 

As the top seed, Mensah-Stock’s Olympic premier was highlighted by a three-match set on Monday; she would outscore opponents 30-4. The first match for the Texan was against the 69 kg Rio Games champion — Sara Dosho of Japan. However, Mensah-Stock would make quick work of Dosho, scoring 10 points in succession for a 10-0 first-period tech. 

Feng Zhou of China would fall to a similar fate at the hands of the American. In the first period, the Katy, Texas native scored six unanswered. She then followed that up for another four unanswered to finish another match with a 10-0 tech. 

The 2019 World Champ would only have the 2018 World Champion Alla Cherkasova from Ukraine in front of her for a gold medal match. Mensah-Stock would start the latter half of the match with a 2-0 lead with the points coming from a prior takedown. The Ukrainian would snap back with a takedown and roll for a 4-2 lead. Mensah-Stock delivered the final blows as she snagged two takedowns and a roll for a 10-4 finish.  

With gold on the line, Mensah-Stock had a one-two seed matchup with Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu. The American put two points on the board after a takedown, but Oborududu answered immediately with a one-point reversal. Mensah-Stock scored another first-period takedown to put the score up to 4-1 in her favor. The score remained unchanged in the second, making Mensah-Stock the first Black American woman to win gold. 

The gold medalist’s personality and emotions were on full display in the post-match interview:

The heaviest weight class featured Adeline Gray, a five-time world champion and one of the greatest to ever compete. Gray’s 76 kg Tokyo wrestling tour began with a trifecta on Aug. 1. Her first opponent, 18-year-old Zaineb Sghaier, came by way of Tunisia. Sghaier would fail to register a point while Gray tacked on eight points and would end the match with a fall. 

Gray’s quest for gold continued with her next opponent being Turkey’s Yasemin Adar. The Denver native would cruise through the first with a 4-0 lead over the Turk. The American would add another two points to her score which was enough to combat the accumulated four points by Adar, bringing the match to a 6-4 final. 

The last Sunday match for Coloradoan was a close one against Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy. Gray would enjoy a scoreless first period from her foe while in the meantime securing two points for herself. The American would tack on another point for a pushout while Medet Kyzy tried to unsuccessfully rally back, scoring a takedown for a 3-2 final. 

Monday would be the medal match for Gray who, up until this point, had never received an Olympic medal. Gray, like her Olympic colleagues, was slated against a one-two seed final with her friend — Germany’s Aline Rotter-Focken — being the latter. In the first, the German was able to build a 3-0 lead with a penalty point and a takedown. Rotter-Focken would throw Gray for four more points making the seven-point deficit a difficult one for the American to come back from.

Gray tallied a pushout and a takedown, but it wasn’t enough to claim gold with the final being 7-3.

Being her first Olympic medal, silver wasn’t all that bad in her eyes.

Similar to Team USA as a whole, the wrestling team collected the most medals of any nation in the sport; the best result since the 1984 Olympics. The U.S. blew China out of the water with the total medal count of 113 to 88 medals. But, had Steveson, Taylor or Mensah-Stock claimed silver instead, China would have walked away with bragging rights as the two countries were 39-38 in the gold count.

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