Kyle Snyder (wrestler)

Kyle Snyder

Snyder after winning the USA's 2013 Junior National Championships in Las Vegas
Born (1995-11-20) 20 November 1995
Woodbine, Maryland, United States
High school Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
State championships 3 (Maryland)
College Ohio State University
Olympic team United States
Status Resident Athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center
Medal record
Men's Freestyle Wrestling
Men's Summer Olympics
2016 Rio de Janeiro 97 kg
World Championships
2015 Las Vegas 97 kg
Pan American Games
2015 Toronto 97 kg
Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin
2016 Krasnoyarsk 97 kg
Alexander Medved International
2016 Minsk 97 kg
Junior World Championships
2013 Sofia 96 kg
2014 Zagreb 96 kg

Kyle Snyder (born November 20, 1995) is an American amateur wrestler, he is both the youngest Olympic gold medalist as well as the youngest World Champion in American wrestling history.[1]

In his first three years of high school, Snyder amassed a 179–0 record, won three Prep National Championships, and only conceded a single takedown.[2] Named the national high school wrestler of the year after his junior season by both Intermat [3] and ASICS, [4] Snyder was also ranked as the #1 pound-for-pound high school wrestler by Flowrestling.[5]

Snyder spent his senior year training at the United States Olympic Training Center,[6] wrestling internationally and winning America's first Junior World Championship in over 20 years [7] and becoming the youngest two-time Junior World medalist in American history.[8] Snyder then accepted a full ride from the Ohio State Buckeyes,[9] helping them to a team championship as a true freshman, and winning an individual NCAA Division I National Championship as a sophomore this past season,[10] a few months prior to winning his Olympic gold medal in Rio.

Olympic, Collegiate, and Senior Career

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 [11] and the 2016 Olympic Team Trials. [12] 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.

Snyder, who wrestles collegiately for the Ohio State Buckeyes, is also an NCAA Division I National Champion. His overtime victory in a sold-out Madison Square Garden snapped his opponent’s 88-match winning streak, preventing North Carolina State University’s Nick Gwiazdowski from winning his third consecutive NCAA heavyweight title.[13] Weighing in for the 285lb. Heavyweight division at just 226 points, Snyder was the lightest heavyweight in the field [14] and was name Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournement. [15]

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.[16] 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.[17]

High School and Junior Career

Snyder amassed a 179-0 record in his first three years of high school [2] before becoming the youngest American in over 20 years to win a FILA Junior World championship in August 2013.[8][7] 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,[18] 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.[19]

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.[6] 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.[20] Snyder, who competes internationally at 96 kg, lost a tightly contested exhibition match 6–3[21] 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.[22] 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.[23]

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,[24] both of whom had won their NCAA titles years earlier, in 2011 and 2012 respectively – while Snyder was still competing in high school.

Career 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.[7] 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.[7][25]

During his 179–0 run during his first three years of high school, Snyder only gave up a single takedown.[1] Snyder, who stopped playing football for his nationally ranked high school team following his sophomore season,[26] is a two-time Washington Post All-Met Wrestler of the Year,[27] and was named the male 2013 ASICS Wrestler of the Year[28] as well as Intermat's 2013 Wrestler of the Year.[29] In November 2013, Snyder became the #1 ranked "Pound for Pound" (P4P) American high school wrestler according to Flowrestling.org.[30]

Undefeated in what are considered the top 3 toughest high school wrestling tournaments in America,[31] Snyder won the Walsh Ironman twice, Beast of the East three times, and the Powerade Wrestling Tournament once.[27] 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 Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2016 he lost to Anzor Boltukaev of Russia, but won the bronze medal match.

At the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, he won the Gold Medal bout 2–1 in route to becoming the youngest Olympic Wrestling Champion in USA history at the age of 20, beating Henry Cejudo's record.

Awards and honors

2015 NCAA runner-up (individual)

References

  1. 1 2 Kilgore, Adam. "Kyle Snyder, 20, becomes youngest U.S. wrestler to win Olympic gold". The WashingtonPost.,
  2. 1 2 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.
  3. ↑ ReplyCancel (2013-04-24). "InterMat Wrestling – InterMat unveils 2012–13 High School All-Americans". Intermatwrestle.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ http://www.flowrestling.org/asics-florankings/#P4P
  6. 1 2 Hiatt, Gabe (2013-04-10). "Kyle Snyder to leave Good Counsel for Olympic Training Center". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Hiatt, Gabe (2013-08-21). "Former Good Counsel wrestler Kyle Snyder wins Junior World Championship – Washington Post". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  8. 1 2 International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles. "Database". Fila-official.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  9. ↑ Kyle Snyder forgoes Olympic redshirt to wrestle for Ohio State, 2016-01-08, retrieved 2016-10-30
  10. ↑ Ohio State Wrestling Kyle Snyder, retrieved 2016-10-30
  11. ↑ Burroughs, Snyder, Metcalf, Humphrey capture World Team Trials freestyle championships, 2015-06-14, retrieved 2016-10-30
  12. ↑ Olympic Wrestling Trials 2016: Kyle Snyder beats Jake Varner; Jordan Burroughs wins (photos), 2016-04-10, retrieved 2016-10-30
  13. ↑ College wrestling: Ohio State's Kyle Snyder ends Nick Gwiazdowski's 88-match winning streak, 2016-03-20, retrieved 2016-10-30
  14. ↑ Ohio State wrestler Kyle Snyder is NCAA's top athlete, 2016-03-20
  15. ↑ 2016 NCAAs: Best finals ever?, 2016-03-23
  16. ↑ Four U.S. World champions presented Living the Dream Medal Fund checks for $50,000, 2015-11-05, retrieved 2016-10-30
  17. ↑ Ohio State's Kyle Snyder due $250,000 bonus after wrestling gold in Rio, 2016-08-21, retrieved 2016-10-30
  18. ↑ "Jeff McGinness Profile – Iowa Official Athletic Site". Hawkeyesports.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  19. ↑ http://www.fila-official.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=768&Itemid=100236&lang=en
  20. ↑ http://www.teamusa.org/usa-wrestling/features/2014/april/29/us-team-finalized-for-beat-the-streets-gala-on-may-7
  21. ↑ http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2014/May/07/USA-beats-World-All-Stars-8-3-in-Beat-the-Streets-in-Times-Square
  22. ↑ http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2014/February/12/Fila-freestyle-rankings
  23. ↑ http://www.13abc.com/story/25686638/buckeye-kyle-snyder-qualifies-for-second-fila-junior-world-championships
  24. ↑ 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
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ Krider, Dave (July 15, 2012). "Kyle Snyder gives up football for wrestling career". MaxWire National Blog.
  27. 1 2 "Wrestling Wrestler of the Year - 2012-13 Winter All-Met". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  28. ↑ 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.
  29. ↑ ReplyCancel (2013-04-24). "InterMat Wrestling – InterMat unveils 2012–13 High School All-Americans". Intermatwrestle.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  30. ↑ http://www.flowrestling.org/asics-florankings/#P4P
  31. ↑ "WrestlingReport.com". WrestlingReport.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
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