Kyle Snyder Makes History, Becoming First American Male to Win Gold Twice at the Yarygin Grand Prix

One year after becoming the youngest American to ever win the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, the Ohio State senior recorded another impressive first by becoming the only American male to capture gold at the Yarygin twice.

The Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion defeated Rasul Magomedov of Russia in the finals at 97 kg, 4-1, to top the medal stand once again in what is considered the toughest international wrestling tournament on earth.

Unlike last year, when Snyder pinned Magomedov in the finals at the Yarygin, the match went the distance this time. The Russian scored first, when Snyder was docked a point by the referee for failure to initiate action. He'd answer with a push out in the first to tie things at one at the break.

With a little over a minute remaining in the second period, Snyder got in deep on Magomedov's right leg, finishing for a takedown and a 3-1 lead. Forty seconds later, he pushed the Russian out again to take a 4-1 lead and closed out the match without surrendering any more points.

For his efforts, Snyder was named the top non-Russian wrestler at the event, earning him a trophy and cash prize.

At just 22, Snyder now owns Olympic gold, two world championships, two Yarygin Grand Prix golds and two NCAA titles.

Last year, Russian wrestlers were separated into their own half of the bracket. This year, they were interspersed and Snyder faced a more challenging path to the finals this time.

Snyder opened the tournament, defeating Turkmenistan's Sohbet Belliyev by technical fall, 10-0, in just 108 seconds. In the quarterfinals, the Buckeye heavyweight topped Yunus Dede of Turkey, 6-2, setting up a semifinal showdown with the highly regarded Vladislav Baitcaev of Russia.

Snyder opened the scoring, going ahead 1-0 early after Baitcaev was penalized for lack of aggression. That score would hold until late in the final period, when Snyder was penalized, evening the score at one each. Needing to score to avoid an upset – international rules award the victory to the wrestler who scores last in case of a tie – Snyder found Baitcaev's ankle with just under 40 seconds remaining and finished with four points to secure his second trip to the finals.

Snyder will return after the Yarygin to seek his third-straight NCAA crown at heavyweight for the Buckeyes.