Kyle Snyder (wrestler)
Kyle Snyder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Snyder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Full name | Kyle Frederick Snyder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 97 kg (214 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | November 20, 1995 Woodbine, Maryland, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
High school | Our Lady of Good Counsel High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
State championships | 3 (Maryland) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College | Ohio State University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prep National Championships | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NCAA championships | Division I 3 individual 1 team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Olympic team | United States of America | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status | Team USA / Ohio State Buckeyes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Kyle Frederick Snyder (born November 20, 1995) is an American freestyle wrestler. He is both the youngest Olympic gold medalist as well as the youngest World Champion in American wrestling history.[2] Snyder is also the youngest wrestler ever to win the World, NCAA, and Olympic championships in the same year — a Triple Crown of American wrestling that hadn't been accomplished in a generation until he completed his sweep at the 2016 Rio Olympics.[3]
Snyder then made more history by becoming the first Olympic gold medalist to return to college and win an NCAA wrestling championship, clinching his second consecutive NCAA heavyweight title in 2017 despite tearing cartilage in his chest in the quarter-finals[4][5] and being out-weighed by upwards of 40 pounds throughout the tournament.[6] In 2018, Snyder won his third straight individual NCAA title as a heavyweight, this time being out-weighed by nearly 60 pounds "in one of the biggest size differences in an NCAA championship match in history,"[7] and became the first three-time NCAA heavyweight champion in nearly 30 years.[8]
Along the way he became the youngest American, and only the eleventh ever, to win the Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix, which is hosted by a small Siberian town and is widely considered to be the toughest open wrestling tournament in the world.[9] Snyder dominated it with three technical-falls and then a pin in the finals.[10] The following year Snyder would become the first American man not only to win back-to-back Yarygin titles, but the only one to win the prestigious tournament more than once at all,[11] earning him Best Foreign Wrestler honors from his Russian hosts.[12]
His journey through the history books continued in the summer of 2017, when Snyder won "The Match of the Century"[13] by defeating Abdulrashid Sadulaev - nicknamed "The Russian Tank" after steamrolling his way to titles at the 2014 and 2015 World Championships, and through the 2016 Rio Olympics where he outscored his opponents 28-1 on his way to a gold medal at 97 kg[14] - in the deciding finals match of the 2017 World Championships.
This come-from-behind victory earned Team USA its first World Championship in over 20 years and Snyder his third consecutive individual World or Olympic championship,[15] and led to Snyder being ranked as the best pound-for-pound freestyle wrestler on the planet by Flowrestling in September 2017,[16] a title he would retain in their June 2018 rankings.[17] And he ended his collegiate career as "the first and only wrestler to win the NCAA, World, and Olympic championships as a collegiate athlete."[18]
Career
Summary
In his first three years of high school, Snyder amassed a 179–1 record, won three Prep National Championships, and only conceded a single takedown.[19] Named the national high school wrestler of the year by both Intermat[20] and ASICS,[21] Snyder was also ranked as the #1 pound-for-pound high school wrestler in America by Flowrestling after his junior season.[22] He then spent his senior year training at the United States Olympic Training Center,[23] competing internationally for Team USA and winning America's first Junior World Championship in over 20 years[24] while becoming the youngest two-time Junior World medalist in American history.[25]
To begin his collegiate wrestling career, Snyder accepted a scholarship from the Ohio State Buckeyes,[26] helping them to an NCAA team championship as a true freshman by finishing as runner-up to a fifth-year senior, Iowa State's Kyven Gadson, in the national finals.[27] A few weeks later he rebounded from this loss with remarkable resilience: Snyder defeated returning Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner for a chance to represent the U.S. on its 2015 World Team,[28] then became the youngest World Champion in American wrestling history by dethroning the reigning World Champion.[29] Snyder continued his extraordinary run by returning to Ohio State and rallying for an overtime victory over NC State University's Nick Gwiazdowski, the returning-to-back heavyweight national champion. Even giving away more than 30 pounds Snyder was able to end Gwiazdowski's 88-match win streak[30] and earn his first individual NCAA title as a true sophomore.[31]
A few months later Snyder would win his historic gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics — capping-off his unprecedented streak of winning wrestling's three most prestigious championships in succession before his 21st birthday, defeating the man holding each title along the way.
After returning to Ohio State and winning his second consecutive NCAA heavyweight title at the end of an undefeated 2016-2017 wrestling season,[6] Snyder would avenge his loss to Gadson in the finals of America's 2017 World Team Trials, sweeping him with two straight tech-falls and a cumulative score of 23-2.[32] He would then face another historic bout in the finals of the 2017 Paris World Championships: with Russia and the U.S. tied for first place at 53 points each, Snyder stepped onto the mat for "The Match of the Century" - the team championship, an individual title at 97 kg, and two young legacies were on the line.[33] His opponent was Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a young Russian phenom on a three-year undefeated streak that included two World Championships as well as an Olympic gold, who was then considered the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world.[34]
Sadulaev moved-up a weight class specifically to challenge Snyder, and quickly took a 2-0 lead early in their finals match. But Snyder battled back, and tied the match at 3-3 before the end of the first period, only to have Sadulaev score another takedown and regain the lead. A lead that lasted until the final 20 seconds of the match when Snyder's furious pace allowed him to score a late takedown at the edge of the mat[35] - sealing Team USA's first World Championship in over 20 years, Snyder's third consecutive individual World or Olympic championship, and wresting the title of best pound-for-pound wrestler on the planet away from Sadulaev.[36][16]
And in a story recounted to The Washington Post by his college coach, Tom Ryan,[37] after Snyder's thrilling come-from-behind overtime victory which clinched his first NCAA heavyweight title in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden - a match chosen by fans to be the final one of the night[30] and broadcast live in primetime to millions on ESPN[38] - a maintenance worker approached Ryan to let him know what made Snyder, who'd already made wrestling history as America's youngest World Champion and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of those NCAA Championships,[31] stand out from his competition the most that weekend: he'd been the only athlete in the entire tournament who continually thanked him for refilling the stadium's water jugs.[39]
High school and junior
Snyder amassed a 179-0 record in his first three years of high school [19] before becoming the youngest American in over 20 years to win a FILA Junior World Championship in August 2013.[24][25] Snyder was coached by two former World Champions during his gold medal match: Bill Zadick of the Iowa Hawkeyes, who was a college teammate of Jeff McGinness, the youngest ever American FILA Junior World Champion who won the tournament in 1992,[40] as well as Zeke Jones. Although Snyder was unable to repeat his gold medal run in 2014, he brought home a bronze medal, and in the process became the youngest two-time Junior World medalist in American history.[41]
Before bringing home his Junior World title in 2013, Snyder had already decided to forgo his senior year of high school competition and instead compete internationally as a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center beginning in the fall of 2013.[23] In the spring of 2014, at 18 years of age, Snyder was selected to represent Team USA as the youngest-ever member of the Beat the Streets All-Star team that faced off against top-ranked wrestlers from across the world, where he wrestled alongside fellow Americans with multiple NCAA championships and Olympic gold medals such as David Taylor, Brent Metcalf and Jordan Burroughs.[42] Snyder, who competes internationally at 96 kg, lost a tightly contested exhibition match 6–3[43] against Khadzhimurat Gatsalov, the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the world at 120 kg who at 31 years old had won five World Championships and an Olympic gold medal.[44] A few weeks later, Snyder secured a place on his second consecutive United States Junior World Team, winning by technical fall in the national finals.[45]
Snyder hoped to repeat his championship run at the Junior World Championships in 2014, though fell short and lost to Georgy Gogaev of Russia from North Ossetia-Alania in the quarterfinals, and wrestled back for a bronze. Earlier in 2014, Gogaev had defeated two former Division I (NCAA) champions Dustin Kilgore and Cam Simaz,[46] both of whom had won their NCAA titles years earlier, in 2011 and 2012 respectively – while Snyder was still competing in high school.
Junior Record
Olympic, collegiate, and senior
Snyder, just 19 years old at the time, defeated the reigning World Champion at 97 kg, Russia's Abdusalam Gadisov, for his 2015 World Championship in Las Vegas. And then less than one year later, Snyder bested Azerbaijan's Khetag Gazyumov, a former World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist, for his Rio Olympic gold. Combined, these two men were 20 years Snyder's senior. Additionally, to earn the honor of representing the United States of America on each of those national teams, Snyder had to beat reigning London 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner in both America's 2015 World Team Trials[47] and the 2016 Olympic Team Trials.[48] Since USA Wrestling's National Team Trials use a best two-out-of-three format for their finals, Snyder had to beat the returning Olympic gold medalist a total of four times, which he did with a cumulative score of 21-6 over the course of their matches.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/2016_Summer_Olympics%2C_Men%27s_Freestyle_Wrestling_97_kg_awarding_ceremony2.jpg/260px-2016_Summer_Olympics%2C_Men%27s_Freestyle_Wrestling_97_kg_awarding_ceremony2.jpg)
Snyder, who wrestled collegiately for the Ohio State Buckeyes, is also a three-time NCAA Division I National Champion. His first was won with an overtime victory in a sold-out Madison Square Garden which snapped his opponent's 88-match winning streak, preventing North Carolina State University's Nick Gwiazdowski from winning his third consecutive NCAA heavyweight title.[49] Weighing in for the 285 lb. Heavyweight division at just 226 pounds, Snyder was the lightest heavyweight in the field[50] and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.[51]
For his two international championships Snyder was rewarded with over a quarter million dollars by the Living the Dream Medal Fund, which was founded by "two former collegiate wrestlers-turned Wall Street tycoons," billionaire investment banker Michael E. Novogratz and real estate developer David Barry.[52] Snyder was well endowed with $250,000 for his 2016 Summer Olympics gold and earlier received $50,000 for his 2015 World Championship, monies he is allowed to keep since the NCAA made an exception to its rules against student-athlete financial compensation for the Fund.[53]
NCAA Record
NCAA Stats
Senior Record
Highlights
In the early minutes of his gold medal Junior World Championships match in 2013, Snyder was thrown to his back by his Armenian opponent, Viktor Kazishvili, and nearly pinned.[24] After fighting off his back and down 4–1, Snyder then ran off 10 unanswered points to secure the victory by technical fall in four minutes and four seconds, his third in his four matches at the tournament.[24][54]
During his 179–0 run during his first three years of high school, Snyder only gave up a single takedown.[2] Snyder, who stopped playing football for his nationally ranked high school team following his sophomore season,[55] is a two-time Washington Post All-Met Wrestler of the Year,[56] and was named the male 2013 ASICS Wrestler of the Year[21] as well as Intermat's 2013 Wrestler of the Year.[57] In November 2013, Snyder became the #1 ranked "Pound for Pound" (P4P) American high school wrestler according to Flowrestling.org.[22]
Undefeated in what are considered the top 3 toughest high school wrestling tournaments in America,[58] Snyder won the Walsh Ironman twice, Beast of the East three times, and the Powerade Wrestling Tournament once.[56] Snyder began wrestling for the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2014, placing second in the NCAA championships his freshman year at the 197-pound class individually, and winning a National Championship as part of the Buckeyes' 2014–15 team.
He initially planned to take an Olympic redshirt for the 2015–16 season, but instead chose to return for the Buckeyes and enroll in classes for the spring semester. At the NCAA championships, Snyder won at heavyweight, defeating two-time defending national champion Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State University in overtime 7–5. Snyder was the lightest heavyweight in the field at 226 pounds and finished 11–0 on the season.
Snyder is a 2015 UWW world champion at age 19.
At the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, he won the Gold Medal bout 2–1 en route to becoming the youngest Olympic Wrestling Champion in USA history at the age of 20, beating Henry Cejudo's record.
Snyder has expressed an interest in Mixed martial arts, wanting to compete in the UFC. He plans to cross train Mixed martial arts with wrestling as he continues his historic world championship runs for Freestyle.[59]
In May 2018, President Donald Trump appointed Snyder to be a member of his Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition.[60]
Awards and honors
- 2019
Pan American Games 97 kg
Yaşar Doğu 97 kg
Pan American Championship 97 kg
Dan Kolov Grand Prix 97 kg
- 2018
World Championship 97 kg
Yaşar Doğu 97 kg
NCAA Division I 285 lbs
Big Ten Conference 285 lbs
Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix 97 kg
- 2017
World Championship 97 kg
Ivan Yarygin 97 kg
Pan American Championships 97 kg
NCAA Division I 285 lbs
Big Ten Conference 285 lbs
- Ohio State University Male Athlete of the Year
- James E. Sullivan Award Winner
- 2016
Olympic Games 97 kg
NCAA Division I 285 lbs
Big Ten Conference 285 lbs
- Most Outstanding Wrestler NCAA Division I championships
- Ohio State University Male Athlete of the Year
- 2015
- USA Freestyle Wrestler of the Year
World Championship world 97 kg
Pan American Games 97 kg
NCAA Division I 197 lbs
Big Ten Conference 197 lbs
NCAA Division I (team championship as a member of the Buckeyes)[61]
- 2014
UWW junior world 96 kg
- 2013
- ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year
UWW junior world 96 kg
Maryland State Division I 220lbs
- 2012
Junior Nationals 96kg
Junior Nationals (Greco Roman) 96kg
Maryland State Division I 220lbs
- 2011
Cadet 96kg
Cadet (Greco Roman) 96kg
Maryland State Division I 215lbs
References
- ^ "Kyle Snyder". teamusa.org. United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ a b Kilgore, Adam. "Kyle Snyder, 20, becomes youngest U.S. wrestler to win Olympic gold". The WashingtonPost.,
- ^ Immel, Richard. "Kyle Snyder becomes youngest Olympic champion in U.S. history". Retrieved 2017-01-12.,
- ^ "2017 NCAA Wrestling Championships: Ohio State, Olympic star Kyle Snyder wins another title".
- ^ "Ohio State wrestler Kyle Snyder's dream provides vision". Kyle Snyder. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- ^ a b "KYLE SNYDER WINS SECOND STRAIGHT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP".
- ^ "Snyder wins NCAA championship in front of record-breaking crowd". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. 2018-03-17. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- ^ "Ohio State wrestler Kyle Snyder belongs on Buckeyes' Mount Rushmore". springfieldnewssun. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- ^ "Update: Kyle Snyder wins gold at Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia, just the 11th USA man to win prestigious event". Team USA. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ "Kyle Snyder Dominates on the Way to Capturing Gold at the Yarygin Tournament in Russia". Eleven Warriors. 2017-01-29. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ "Woodbine wrestler Snyder first U.S. man to repeat as champion at Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix".
- ^ "Snyder wins back-to-back titles and Taylor also gets his gold on last day of Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia".
- ^ "All 5 Male Olympic Athlete Of The Year Nominees Are World Champs. We Break Down The Field For You".
- ^ "Kyle Snyder savors Russian Tank showdown". OlympicTalk. 2017-05-23. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
- ^ "Kyle Snyder Upends 'Russian Tank' Abdulrashid Sadulaev to Earn Second World Championship". Eleven Warriors. 2017-08-27. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
- ^ a b "Kyle Snyder Settles P4P Discussion".
- ^ "International Rankings - Men's Freestyle". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
- ^ "Kyle Snyder signs apparel endorsement deal". Team USA. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
- ^ a b Schimmel, Greg (2013-02-24). "Good Counsel's Kyle Snyder, McNamara's Alfred Bannister win National Preps wrestling championships – Washington Post". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ ReplyCancel (2013-04-24). "InterMat Wrestling – InterMat unveils 2012–13 High School All-Americans". Intermatwrestle.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ a b Abbott, Gary (2013-07-14). "Augello, Snyder named ASICS High School Wrestlers of the Year | TheMat.com - USA Wrestling". TheMat.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-11-24. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b Hiatt, Gabe (2013-04-10). "Kyle Snyder to leave Good Counsel for Olympic Training Center". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ a b c d Hiatt, Gabe (2013-08-21). "Former Good Counsel wrestler Kyle Snyder wins Junior World Championship – Washington Post". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ a b International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles. "Database". Fila-official.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Kyle Snyder forgoes Olympic redshirt to wrestle for Ohio State, 2016-01-08, retrieved 2016-10-30
- ^ "NCAA Wrestling Championships: Kyven Gadson vs. Kyle Snyder", The Des Moines Register, 2015-03-21, retrieved 2017-01-11
- ^ Olympic Wrestling Trials 2016: Kyle Snyder beats Jake Varner; Jordan Burroughs wins (photos), 2016-04-10, retrieved 2016-10-30
- ^ "Kyle Snyder Becomes Youngest U.S. Wrestling World Champion At 19".
- ^ a b Culpper, Chuck. "Kyle Snyder's legend grows with epic NCAA heavyweight title". The WashingtonPost.,
- ^ a b Ohio State Wrestling Kyle Snyder, retrieved 2016-10-30[permanent dead link]
- ^ "KYLE SNYDER TOO MUCH FOR KYVEN GADSON AT WORLD TEAM TRIALS". Archived from the original on 2017-09-02.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Snyder Wins Showdown of 'Young Legends' to Close Paris 2017 Wrestling World C'ships".
- ^ "Post Olympic Pound-For-Pound Rankings".
- ^ "Minute By Minute: How Snyder Knocked Off Sadulaev".
- ^ "Update: Snyder beats Sadulaev, Burroughs also wins gold, Green takes silver and USA is World Team Champions".
- ^ Ohio State Wrestling Tom Ryan head coach, retrieved 2017-02-12
- ^ NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Live from Madison Square Garden for the First Time,
- ^ Culpepper, Chuck. "Olympic champ Kyle Snyder returns to high school gym to wrestle for Ohio State". The WashingtonPost.,
- ^ "Jeff McGinness Profile – Iowa Official Athletic Site". Hawkeyesports.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
- ^ http://www.fila-official.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=768&Itemid=100236&lang=en[permanent dead link]
- ^ http://www.teamusa.org/usa-wrestling/features/2014/april/29/us-team-finalized-for-beat-the-streets-gala-on-may-7
- ^ http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2014/May/07/USA-beats-World-All-Stars-8-3-in-Beat-the-Streets-in-Times-Square
- ^ http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2014/February/12/Fila-freestyle-rankings
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://www.newyorkwrestlingnews.com/news_article/show/316249-usa-and-russia-split-pair-of-duals-in-ny-cornell-wrestle-offs-hofstra-on-the-road-and-more
- ^ Burroughs, Snyder, Metcalf, Humphrey capture World Team Trials freestyle championships, 2015-06-14, retrieved 2016-10-30
- ^ Olympic Wrestling Trials 2016: Kyle Snyder beats Jake Varner; Jordan Burroughs wins (photos), 2016-04-10, retrieved 2016-10-30
- ^ College wrestling: Ohio State's Kyle Snyder ends Nick Gwiazdowski's 88-match winning streak, 2016-03-20, retrieved 2016-10-30
- ^ Ohio State wrestler Kyle Snyder is NCAA's top athlete, 2016-03-20
- ^ 2016 NCAAs: Best finals ever?, 2016-03-23
- ^ Four U.S. World champions presented Living the Dream Medal Fund checks for $50,000, 2015-11-05, retrieved 2016-10-30
- ^ Ohio State's Kyle Snyder due $250,000 bonus after wrestling gold in Rio, 2016-08-21, retrieved 2016-10-30
- ^ Abbott, Gary (2013-08-17). "UPDATED: Snyder wins gold, Dieringer takes silver in freestyle at Junior Worlds in Bulgaria | TheMat.com – USA Wrestling". TheMat.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ Krider, Dave (July 15, 2012). "Kyle Snyder gives up football for wrestling career". MaxWire National Blog.
- ^ a b "Wrestling Wrestler of the Year - 2012-13 Winter All-Met". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ ReplyCancel (2013-04-24). "InterMat Wrestling – InterMat unveils 2012–13 High School All-Americans". Intermatwrestle.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ "WrestlingReport.com". WrestlingReport.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ "Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder plans to pursue UFC career immediately | FOX Sports". FOX Sports. 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts". The White House. 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ Ohio State wins 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships - Big Ten.org
- 1995 births
- Living people
- American male sport wrestlers
- World Wrestling Championships medalists
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
- Pan American Games medalists in wrestling
- Wrestlers at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Wrestlers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling
- Olympic medalists in wrestling
- Ohio State Buckeyes wrestlers