Top 5 USA Olympic wrestlers of all time ft. Jordan Burroughs, John Smith

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Jul 04, 2024 09:40 GMT

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Amateur wrestling might have multiple origins, but it is needless to say that the USA has made the most of modern freestyle wrestling. When it comes to the Olympics, despite some stiff competition from Russia, the United States of America is the all-time leader, with a staggering 57 gold, 45 silver, and 40 Olympic bronze medals to their credit.

Even within wrestling, it is freestyle wrestling where the US Olympic team has flexed its muscles the most. While the list of all-time greats would be infinite, here are some of the greatest US Olympic freestyle wrestlers of all time, who have made the USA proud with their performances:

Top 5 US Olympic wrestlers of all time ft. Jordan Burroughs, John Smith

#1) Jordan Burroughs

Jordan Burroughs, one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers - Getty Images

He might not have made the USA roster for the Paris Olympics, but this does not take away from the supremacy of Jordan Burroughs, one of the greatest US Olympic wrestlers to have graced the sport.

Jordan was already the World champion when he competed at the London Olympics in 2012. He surprised the then-world champion, Denis Tsargush from Russia, to enter the finals, and won the Olympic gold medal in style. After that, Jordan did not look back, adding six further World Championship gold medals to his cupboard. However, the Olympic glory that slipped away from his grasp at Rio in 2016 never did come back to him again.

#2) Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle at the Olympics [Image Source : Getty Images]

Another great US Olympic wrestler of his time was Kurt Angle.

Before he switched to WWE, Kurt Angle was a devoted student of Dave Schultz. Angle won a gold medal at the World Championships before he did the unthinkable: an Olympic gold medal on debut, at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Sadly, his teacher would not be there to witness this achievement.

Following his success at the Olympics, Kurt Angle soon switched to professional wrestling and later appeared in a few Hollywood films as well.

#3) Kyle Snyder

Kyle Snyder, a US Olympic champion in the making - Getty Images

When the 28-year-old first stepped onto the mat at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, nobody ever thought that this wrestler could create an everlasting legacy, forget winning the Olympic gold medal.

However, Kyle Snyder is made of different stuff. Within the following two years, he became one of the youngest US Olympic champions in the history of American wrestling, and the youngest world champion as well.

Though he lost a chance to equal the record of John Smith, Snyder still became one of the very few American freestyle wrestlers to win a 2nd successive Olympic medal in the men's freestyle 97 kg category, as he won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Kyle would now be looking to complete the hat trick as he competes for the third time at the Paris Olympics 2024.

#4) David Taylor

David Taylor at the Team USA Olympic Portrait Shoot - Getty Images

David Taylor may not be representing USA at the Paris Olympics, but he continues to be one of the most iconic US Olympic freestyle wrestlers of all time.

David Taylor won one championship after another. World Championships, Pan American Championships, you name it and he has won it, as if it were child's play. Despite facing stiff competition from Hassan Yazdani of Iran, David Taylor went on to win the Olympic gold medal in the men's 86 kg freestyle category, the first for the USA in more than 16 years.

#5) Dave Schultz

Dave Schultz, the Trend Setter [Image Source : Getty Images]

If not for the unfortunate incident of 1996, Dave Schultz would be soon on his way to becoming a living legend in freestyle wrestling. Though he won only one Olympic gold medal, at Los Angeles in 1984, it was still quite special. Dave and his brother Mark Schultz were the first pair of American siblings to win Olympic gold medals in the same edition, though interestingly the Banach brothers also won gold at the same Games, but after the Schultzes.

After LA 1984, Dave Schultz trained many budding wrestlers, including Kurt Angle, who won the Olympic glory at Atlanta in 1996 before switching to professional wrestling. However, Dave's career was cut short when he was murdered in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, in January 1996, only months before the Atlanta Olympics were to commence. However, his legacy continues in the form of the Dave Schultz Memorial International tournament, organized by USA Wrestling, and held in his memory.