Another match to go.
That is all former Iowa wrestler and three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee has in his approach of a gold medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics after he rattled off three wins Thursday morning. By securing, at worst, a silver medal within the 57kg class along with his efforts up to now, Lee would be the eleventh Hawkeye wrestler to win an Olympic medal. It additionally marks back-to-back cycles for a Hawkeye wrestler to medal, as Lee follows up Thomas Gilman’s bronze in Tokyo.
If Lee defeats Japan’s Rei Higuchi on Friday, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist and 2022 World champion, he could be the sixth Hawkeye ever to win Olympic gold in wrestling. The Pennsylvania native would be a part of Ed and Lou Banach, Tom Manufacturers, Randy Lewis and Terry McCann in that elite membership. Lee would even be the primary to take action since 1996 when Manufacturers gained gold.
Manufacturers, the pinnacle coach at Iowa, additionally occurs to be in Lee’s nook throughout the Olympic matches.
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Just one Iowa wrestler has taken silver on the Olympics, with Barry Davis claiming second place in 1984. All-time, Iowa wrestlers are 5-1 in Olympic gold medal matches.
Lee started his run on the 2024 Paris Olympics with a 3-2 win over China’s Wanhao Zou. That opponent could also be acquainted to those that adopted Lee’s qualification for the Olympics. Zou pushed Lee to the brink in a 10-9 match throughout the Final Likelihood Olympic Qualifier, which the ex-Hawkeye narrowly eeked out. However on Thursday, a single-leg takedown right into a push-out by Lee was sufficient to win towards Zou, claiming a 3-2 end result.
After a calculated, exact match towards Zou, Lee let it fly towards Bekzat Almaz Uulu of Kyrgyzstan, a U23 World bronze medalist and fifth-place winner on the 2023 Senior World Championships. Uulu bought a takedown within the opening seconds of the match, however Lee dusted himself off and dominated from there. He had three four-point sequences of a takedown adopted by a leg lace or intestine wrench from par terre to win in a 12-2 technical fall.
In opposition to Uzbekistan’s Gulomjon Abdullaev within the semifinal, a former Tokyo Olympian, Lee opened with a single-leg takedown simply over a minute into the bout to guide 2-0. With just below a minute to go within the first interval, one other Lee takedown into a number of intestine wrenches appeared to offer the previous Hawkeye a 12-0 lead. Nonetheless, a assessment revealed a four-point transfer for Abdullaev on a takedown and into publicity, and the rating was modified to a 10-4 lead for Lee as a substitute.
Nonetheless, Lee did not hesitate following the assessment, scoring a cartwheel-like takedown and into another intestine wrench to safe a 14-4 technical fall within the first interval. In consequence, he has secured a minimum of a silver for Workforce USA and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
“I believe I wrestled all proper,” Lee instructed the media in Paris following his win. “I believe I used to be composed, sensible. I believe I let among the pressures of the Video games get to me. I believe I ought to open up somewhat extra and simply be somewhat smarter, however finally, three fairly diligent, sensible matches.”
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Lee’s par terre offense was on full show on Paris, scoring 14 of his 29 complete factors by intestine wrenches or leg laces. Hitting on that could be essential towards a high-scoring Higuchi, as Lee can catch up from a deficit or develop an enormous lead at a second’s discover as he has up to now.
It is going to be a tall activity for Lee towards a highly-accomplished senior wrestler who has been equally as dominant up to now, outscoring his opponents 27-2 to Lee’s 29-8. If Lee is to win gold, search for his work on high to be the principle issue.
Lee took a visit to Japan to clear his thoughts following his loss within the semifinals of the NCAAs his senior season. Whereas he was there, Lee says Higuchi reached out asking to fulfill him, however the two had been unable to fulfill up. Nonetheless, Lee has admired him since he noticed Higuchi win silver on the Olympics in 2016 and is worked up concerning the matchup.
“I do know he is actually excited for another as effectively,” Lee mentioned. “I do know he would not need silver, however I do not need silver both. We’re gonna go on the market and do our greatest to placed on a present.”
Eli McKown covers highschool sports activities and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at[email protected]. Observe him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.