ITHACA, N.Y. - After an early round upset, Kyle Dake '13 battled back to claim bronze in the 74-kilogram men's freestyle wrestling competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Friday morning.
Dake's medal is the second for a Cornellian in freestyle wrestling, the 63rd overall, 45th at the Summer Games and the eighth bronze for a Big Red athlete. He joins Taylor Knibb '20 as former Big Red student-athletes to claim medals at the 2020 Olympic Games. Dake is the first freestyle wrestler to earn an Olympic medal for Cornell since Charles Ackerly won gold at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.
Dake dominated his way through the repechage bracket, defeating Cuba's Jeandry Garzon, 10-0, on Thursday night to advance to the bronze medal match. With a fast start, Dake took Garzon down and gutted him three times in the first 45 seconds of the bout to take an early 8-0 lead. A second takedown gave Dake an easy 10-0 victory by technical superiority.
Wrestling Italy's Frank Chamizo for the second time of his career, Dake recognized the Italian's world class defense and utilized his upper body strength to score three points via step out. Dake held a 4-0 advantage at the end of the first period following a pair of step-outs and two points for exposure. The Lansing, N.Y. native earned his two-points for exposure following a counter throw after a Chamizo shot attempt late in the first period. A third step out with 10 seconds remaining and world class defense of his own throughout the match helped Dake secure his first Olympic medal.
Gallery: (8-6-2021) 2020 Olympics: Kyle Dake '13, Bronze