USA Men’s Freestyle Preview at Olympics
2024 Paris Olympics • Men’s Freestyle Preview
WIN Publisher Bryan Van Kley and WIN assistant editor Tristan Warner will be in Paris to provide updates of the Paris Olympics.
The following is a preview of all six Americans who will represent the United States in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, at the Champ de Mars Arena. This also includes what dates each will compete as each weight will last two days: through semifinals on first day and medal matches on second day.
Spencer Lee • 57k/125.5 pounds (Aug. 8-9)
Age: 25 (born Oct. 14, 1998), Murrysville, Pa., Hawkeye WC
Spencer Lee
Other: Three-time NCAA champ (2018, ’19 and ’21) and two-time Hodge Trophy winner (2019 and 2021) from Iowa. Also finished sixth in the 2023 NCAAs; Three-time Pennsylvania state champ from Franklin Regional High School; Defeated 2021 Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Gilman (NLWC) at the Olympic Trials.
Olympic/Worlds Experience: first time on the Senior level; won a pair of Junior/U20 World championships (2015 and ’16) and a Cadet/U17 World title.
2021 USA result at this weight: Thomas Gilman went 2-1 (lost first round) and won a bronze medal in Tokyo.
All-time USA medalists at this weight since 1924: gold by Robert Pearce (1932), Terry McCann (1960), Kendall Cross (1996), Henry Cejudo (2008); silver by Ross Flood (1936), Gerald Leeman (1948), Don Behm (1968), Richard Sanders (1972), Barry Davis (1984) and Stephen Abas (2004); bronze by Bryan Hines (1924) Terry Brands (2000) and Thomas Gilman (2021).
Top 2024 Competition: Stevan Micic (Serbia), the native of Indiana, whose grandparents immigrated from Yugoslavia, and former NCAA All-American from Michigan, won a World championship in 2023; Rei Higuchi (Japan), 2016 Olympic silver medalist, 2022 World champ, 2023 World silver medalist; Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania), 2022 World champ, 2023 World bronze medalist, represented Russia until 2020; former NCAA champions from USA who are representing other countries include Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State-Mexico) and Darian Cruz (Lehigh-Puerto Rico).
Zain Retherford • 65k/143.5 pounds (Aug. 10-11)
Age: 29 (born May 21, 1995), Benton, Pa., Nittany Lion WC
Zain Retherford
Other: Three-time NCAA champ (2016, ’17, ’18) and two-time Hodge Trophy winner (2017, ’18) from Penn State; two-time Pennsylvania state champ (Line Mountain and Benton); defeated Nick Lee (NLWC) in the Olympic Trials.
Olympic/Worlds Experience: First Olympics and competed in four Worlds with a 9-3 record, winning a gold medal in 2023 and silver medal in 2022 Worlds (both at 70 kg); also won a Cadet World title in 2012.
2021 USA result at this weight: Team USA did not qualify the weight.
All-time USA medalists at this weight since 1924: gold by Russell Vis (1924), Shelby Wilson (1960) and Dan Gable (1972); silver by Lloyd Keaser (1976), Andy Rein (1984), Townsend Saunders (1996), Jamill Kelly (2004); bronze by Nate Carr (1988) and Lincoln McIlravy (2000).
Top 2024 Competition: Ismail Musukaev (Hungary) was born in Russia and won the 2023 World championship and 2022 World bronze medal. Settled for fifth in 2021 Tokyo Games; Sebastian Rivera (Puerto Rico), an All-American at Northwestern and Rutgers whose parents were born in Puerto Rico, finished second in the 2023 Worlds; Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) is a two-time Olympic medalist; silver in 2021 and bronze in 2016, three-time World champ; also Austin Gomez, the former All-American from Wisconsin and Michigan, will represent Mexico.
Kyle Dake • 74k/163 pounds (Aug. 9-10)
Age: 33 (born Feb. 25, 1991), Lansing, N.Y., Nittany Lion WC
Kyle Dake
Other: Four-time NCAA champ (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13) and 2013 Dan Hodge Trophy winner from Cornell University; four-time New York state champ from Lansing High; defeated Jason Nolf (NLWC) at Olympic Trials.
Olympic/Worlds Experience: Second Olympics (3-1, bronze medalist in 2021); also competed in five Worlds, winning gold in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 and silver in 2023. His overall record is 24-2.
2021 USA result at this weight: Kyle Dake went 3-1 and earned a bronze medal. Won his first match 4-0, but then lost 11-0 to eventual silver Mohammad Madzimahameda of Belarus. Once in repechage, Dake beat Geadry Garzon (Cuba), 10-0, then edged Italy’s Frank Chamizo, 5-0 for third place.
All-time USA medalists at this weight since 1924: gold by William Smith (1952), Douglas Blubaugh (1960), Wayne Wells (1972), Dave Schultz (1984), Kenny Monday (1988), Brandon Slay (2000) and Jordan Burroughs (2012); silver by Kenny Monday (1992); bronze by Leland Merrill (1948), Stan Dziedzic (1976) and Kyle Dake (2021)
Top 2024 Competition: Tajmuraz Salkazanov (Slovakia), finished second to Dake in both the 2021 and 2022 Worlds; Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan), a former NCAA All-American from Clarion, who won an Olympic bronze in 2021, World bronze in 2014 and 2018, finishing fifth at the 2016 Games; Khetik Tsabolov (Serbia), 2014 World champ, 2017 World silver medalist (lost to Jordan Burroughs) and 2023 World bronze medalist.
Aaron Brooks • 86k/189 pounds (Aug. 8-9)
Age: 24 (born June 15, 2000), Hagerstown, Md., Nittany Lion WC
Aaron Brooks
Other: Four-time NCAA champion (2021, ’22, ’23, ’24) and 2024 Dan Hodge Trophy winner; four-time Maryland state champ at North Hagerstown High School; defeated 2021 Olympic gold medalist David Taylor at Olympic Trials.
Olympic/Worlds Experience: First time on Senior level; 2023 U23 World champion
2021 USA result at this weight: David Taylor went 4-0 and won a gold medal.
All-time USA medalists at this weight since 1924: gold by Peter Mehringer (1932), Glen Brands (1948), John Peterson (1976), Mark Schultz (1984), Kevin Jackson (1992), Cael Sanderson (2004) and David Taylor (2021); silver by Dan Hodge (1956) and John Peterson (1972); bronze by Dan Brand (1964) and J’den Cox (2016).
Top 2024 Competition: Hassan Yazdani (Iran) won an Olympic gold medal in 2016 but finished second to David Taylor in 2021, he’s a three-time World champ (2017, ’19, ’21); Myles Amine (San Marino), former All-American from Michigan (second to Brooks in 2022) won an Olympic bronze medal in 2021 and 2023 World bronze medal; Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (Georgia) won World silver medal at 79k.
Kyle Snyder • 97k/213 pounds (Aug. 10-11)
Age: 28 (born Nov. 20, 1995), Woodbine, Md., Nittany Lion WC
Kyle Snyder
Other: Three-time NCAA champion (2016, ’17, ’18) at Ohio State; also finished second in 2015; three-time Maryland state champ at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School; became the youngest American (20) to win an Olympic gold, also won NCAAs and Worlds in that same 12-month period in 2015-16.
Olympic/Worlds Experience: 7-1 record as a two-time Olympian; won gold in 2016 and silver in 2021; also competed in nine World Championships, winning three gold medals (2015, ’17 and ’22), two silver medals (2018, ’21) and two bronze medals (2019, ’23). He’s 27-4 at the Worlds with an overall record of 34-5.
2021 USA result at this weight: Kyle Snyder went 3-1 and earned a silver medal. Two of his first wins were shutouts before losing 6-3 to Russia’s Abdulrashid Sadulaev in the final.
All-time USA medalists at this weight since 1924: gold by Lou Banach (1984), Kurt Angle (1996), Jake Varner (2012) and Kyle Snyder (2016); silver by Russ Hellickson (1976) and Kyle Snyder (2021); bronze by Bill Scherr (1988).
Top 2024 Competition: Akhmed Tazhudinov (Bahrain), 21, defeated both Snyder and Russia’s 2021 Olympic champ Abdulrashid Sadulaev (who will not compete in Paris) to claim a World championship last fall; Magomedkhan Magomedov (Azerbaijan), 2023 World silver medalist; Amirali Azarpira (Iran), 2021 and 2022 U23 World champ.
Mason Parris • 125k/275.5 pounds (Aug. 9-10)
Age: 24 (Oct. 1, 1999), Lawrenceburg, Ind., Cliff Keen WC
Mason Parris
Other: Three-time All-American (1st in 2023, 2nd in 2021 and 5th in 2022) and 2023 Dan Hodge Trophy winner from Michigan; three-time Indiana state champ at 220 pounds for Lawrenceburg High; defeated Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC) at Olympic Trials.
Olympic/Worlds Experience: First Olympic Games after earning a bronze medal at the 2023 World championships, where he went 4-1. Won the 2019 Junior World championship.
2021 USA result at this weight: Gable Steveson went 4-0 and earned a gold medal. While his first three wins were shutouts, he was forced to score a takedown as time ran out to beat Geno Petriashvili (Georgia), 10-8, in the final.
All-time USA medalists at this weight since 1924: gold by Harry Steele (1924), Bruce Baumgartner (in both 1984 and 1992) and Gable Steveson (2021); silver by John Riley (1932), Bruce Baumgartner (1988); bronze by Chris Taylor (1972), Bruce Baumgartner (1996).
Top 2024 Competition: Amir Zare (Iran) won 2021 and 2023 World championship, bronze in 2022 and also claimed a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games; Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) is a two-time Olympic medalist (finished second to Gable Steveson) in 2021 and is a three-time World champ (2017, ’18 and ’19); Taha Akgul (Turkey), a three-time Olympian, won gold in 2016 and bronze in 2021. He also is a three-time World champ (2014, ’15, ’22).
