Kyle Snyder wins Olympic gold in wrestling
Kyle Snyder became the youngest American gold medalist in history on Sunday when he scored a close 2-1 win over Khetag Goziumov of Azerbaijan in the gold medal match in Rio de Janeiro.
Snyder captured the gold at 97 kilograms, or 213 pounds.
Snyder, who is 20, followed on the footsteps of being America’s youngest world champion in history, last year, at the age of 19. He followed up by winning the NCAA heavyweight championship, moving up a weight division to face Nick Gwiazdowski in one of the most thrilling heavyweight title matches in NCAA history. The previous youngest gold medalist was current UFC fighter Henry Cejudo, who took gold in 2008 at 121 pounds.
The match was the two powerhouses pushing for position. The only actual offensive point scored was by Snyder, when he pushed Goziumov out of bounds for a point in the first period. Each were put on the shot clock and unable to convert, which accounted for each man’s other point.
In the waning seconds, Goziumov desperately went for a push out which would tie the score, but Snyder did a great job of defending.
Snyder is expected to return to wrestle next season for Ohio State and go for a second gold medal in 2020.
Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.