In one of the most dramatic U.S. Olympic wrestling wins since Kurt Angle won gold with a freaking broken neck, Gable Stevenson claimed gold today in epic fashion.
Going up against Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili in the freestyle 125 kg final, Stevenson trailed 8-5 with 13 seconds remaining. He managed to get a quick two points but 7.9 seconds remaining, cutting his deficit to 8-7.
Stevenson didn’t have much time to work with to gain those final points. But thanks to some great handwork and strong footwork, he was able to get around Petriashvili and take him down for a pin and two critical points.
As the buzzer rang, Stevenson saw the scoreboard and realized he had won the gold medal. He ran over to his wrestling coach and quickly hoisted him up in a massive bearhug.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED! 🥇@GableSteveson grabs the GOLD as time expires. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/yqMc3wbXsu
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2021
Gable Stevenson’s gold medal comeback win capped off a dominating performance in his Olympic debut.
In the 1/8 finals, 1/4 finals and semifinals, Stevenson topped Kyrgyzstan’s Aiaal Lazarev, Turkey’s Taha Akgul and Mongolia’s Mönkhtöriin Lkhagvagerel by a combined scored of 23-0 to secure his spot in the final.
Stevenson has been one of the fastest rising stars in freestyle wrestling for years. He won multiple gold medals at lower weight classes in lower-level tournaments as a teenager and has dominated college wrestling at the 285-pound weight class.
As a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling team, Stevenson has won back-to-back Big Ten Championships. He won the NCAA Championship this past March.
Congratulations on the big win, Gable.
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