Kyle Snyder is headed to his third straight Olympics.
After winning gold in his Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro while still competing for Ohio State in 2016, then following that up with a silver medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021, Snyder will compete in the Olympics again in Paris this summer after winning the 97kg freestyle bracket at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Snyder, who had a bye to the best-of-three finals after winning a bronze medal in his weight class at the 2023 World Championships, defeated current N.C. State wrestler Isaac Trumble in two straight matches, 5-0 and 4-0, to secure the United States’ berth in the weight class in Paris.
Snyder, who has won three gold medals, two silver medals and two bronze medals at the World Championships in non-Olympic years, has now qualified for 10 straight Olympics or World Championships dating back to 2015.
Kyle Snyder extends his streak as the U.S. 97kg representative at every Olympics and world championships since 2015! #WrestlingTrials24 pic.twitter.com/BlMupBWPj4
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) April 21, 2024
Snyder, a three-time NCAA champion at Ohio State who now trains with Penn State’s Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, was the only Buckeye to make the U.S. Olympic team, though multiple other Buckeyes had their own impressive showings at the Trials.
Current Ohio State wrestler Jesse Mendez, who earned his spot in the Olympic Trials by winning the NCAA championship at 141 pounds, entered the 65kg freestyle bracket as the No. 11 seed but upset two of the weight class’ top three seeds – Yianni Diakomiahlis and James Green – to advance to the semifinals of the challenge tournament before dropping a 3-2 decision to Zain Retherford. Mendez wrestled his way to the final in the consolation bracket before falling to former Ohio State wrestler Joey McKenna in the third-place match to finish fourth.
Mendez falls to McKenna in the third-place bout and takes 4th! Impressive run with some huge wins for the Young Buck #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/j5GCYLTZCM
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) April 20, 2024
Former Ohio State wrestler Kollin Moore also picked up a third-place finish in his weight class. He just missed out on setting up a Buckeye vs. Buckeye final in the 97kg bracket, falling to Trumble in the challenge tournament final after upsetting No. 1 seed J’den Cox in the semifinals.
Kollin Moore takes third overall at 97kg in FS. Tough as nails #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/MEzOp6yir2
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) April 20, 2024
In Greco-Roman wrestling, graduating Buckeye wrestler Nick Boykin earned second place in the 97kg challenge bracket while former Buckeye heavyweight Tate Orndorff finished third. Former Ohio State wrestler Fritz Schierl finished fourth in the challenge tournament in the 87kg Greco-Roman weight class.
