Kyle Snyder, the best pound-for-pound wrestler on the planet, has been nominated for the Team USA Awards Male Olympic Athlete of the Year. The senior wrestler is a two-time NCAA Champion, reigning Olympic gold medalist, and three-time world champion. He is the youngest Olympic and World champion in USA Wrestling history.
Snyder is one of five finalists, and fans can vote online for another 6 days and 12 hours, give or take. Fan voting accounts for 50 percent of the final tally, and Olympic/Paralympic family voting accounts for 50 percent. Olympic/Paralympic family members include national governing body representatives and a panel of journalists who cover the Olympic and Paralympic movements.
In a bout that was dubbed “The Match of the Century,” Snyder defeated fellow Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia, 6-5, to win the 97-kilogram gold medal and clinch Team USA’s first men’s freestyle world team title in 22 years at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships.
Snyder currently leads the voting with 40% of votes cast; swimmer Caleb Dressel and biathlete Lowell Bailey are tied for second at 17%.
