Gable Steveson

Gable Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler, is now training on a full-time basis at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, after an ablation was performed on his heart last month to treat Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, he told ESPN.

Steveson said the health issue was discovered last year before he traveled to Tokyo for the Olympics, but he didn’t undergo the procedure until WWE’s medical staff advised him through the process. That included the recommendation of top cardiologists to treat his condition. The process spanned many months, which delayed his full-time start at the Performance Center.

WPW is a rare congenital heart defect, present at birth, in which an extra electrical pathway causes a rapid heartbeat. An ablation is a procedure that uses small burns or freezes to cause scarring on the inside of the heart to help break up the electrical signals and maintain a normal heart rhythm. Continue reading at espn.com →

Steveson becomes just the fifth Gopher to win the award, joining Cole Konrad and Damion Hahn as the only Gopher Wrestling recipients

ROSEMONT, Ill. – University of Minnesota wrestling heavyweight Gable Steveson has been named the 2021-22 Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year, as the conference announced on Wednesday morning.

Steveson becomes just the fifth Golden Gopher to be named as the Big Ten’s top male athlete in the 41-year history of the award, joining John Roethlisberger (gymnastics, 1993), Jordan Leopold (hockey, 2002), Damion Hahn (wrestling, 2004), and Cole Konrad (wrestling, 2007). He is also the 13th wrestler to ever win the award, as Minnesota joins Iowa for the most Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year award recipients among conference wrestling programs with three (3).

Steveson showcased yet another dominant performance throughout the 2021-22 campaign as he captured his third-straight undefeated season with an 18-0 record and won his second NCAA title. Steveson also became a three-time Big Ten champion this past season and was named the Dan Hodge Trophy winner for the second time in his career, becoming the first heavyweight in the history of collegiate wrestling to earn the prestigious honor multiple times.

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The Gophers wrestling program might receive its biggest boost yet.

Olympic gold medalist and NCAA champion Gable Steveson said last season would be his final collegiate campaign, but the heavyweight from Apple Valley has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining and is exploring the possibility of coming back for the second semester of the Gophers’ 2022-23 season.

Steveson, 21, won his second straight national championship in the 285-pound weight division in Detroit in March, then ceremoniously took off his wrestling shoes and left them on the mat to signify the end of a dominating run that gripped the wrestling world and established him as one of the best Gophers athletes ever.

It might not be over after all. Continue reading at twincities.com →

“The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.”

That’s perhaps the most memorable quote from the underrated 1993 gangster movie “A Bronx Tale.” Robert DeNiro’s “Lorenzo” is a hard-working, honest bus driver who preaches this to his son, Calogero, who grows into a teenager intrigued by the Mafia lifestyle in the neighborhood surrounding his home. Lorenzo doesn’t want Calogero to fall victim to the ugly elements that can go hand-in-hand with the glitz and glamour of that type of life. He never wants Calogero to waste his talent.

If you follow wrestling message boards or social media, typical topics that are hashed and rehashed are “The Biggest Flops in College” or “Top Recruits that Never Panned Out,” or something along those lines. The prospect that never worked out tends to make for fun discussion pieces.

But, just for once, what about the bluest of the blue chips recruits that panned out? What about the wrestlers that had all of the hype in the world, yet lived up to their lofty billing? What about the recruits that developed into more than we actually anticipated? Continue reading at intermatwrestle.com →

Steveson becomes the first two-time winner in Gopher history, as well as the first heavyweight to win the award multiple times

MINNEAPOLIS – For the second time in his illustrious career, Gable Steveson has been selected as the winner of the WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, an award given to the nation’s most dominant wrestler each season. Steveson had been selected as a co-winner last season alongside Iowa’s Spencer Lee, but this season he stands alone as the best wrestler in collegiate wrestling.

The senior heavyweight is coming off the heels of his third-straight undefeated season as he capped it off with a second NCAA title, defeating Arizona State’s Cohlton Schultz via a 6-2 decision in the heavyweight finals in Detroit. Steveson wrapped his 2021-22 campaign with an 18-0 record, with 15 of those victories coming by way of bonus points. He recorded seven major decisions, six technical falls, and one pin. He also closes out his career on a 52-match win streak, which is the fourth-longest streak in program history.

With the award win, Steveson becomes just the sixth multiple-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, joining the likes of Cael Sanderson, Ben Askren, David Taylor, Zain Retherford, and Spencer Lee. He also becomes the only heavyweight to win the award multiple times, surpassing former heavyweights Kerry McCoy, Stephen Neal, and Steve Mocco, who were all single-time winners.

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Gable Steveson knew his life had changed after he won Olympic gold. The Minnesota star remains shocked by how wrestling fans have celebrated him this season during what has amounted to a college farewell tour.

He drew a standing ovation at the Big Ten Tournament after he was announced the heavyweight winner. He didn’t even have a championship match — he won by injury default. Still, the fans took advantage of one of the final chances they’ll have to let him know how much they have appreciated the dominance, showmanship, athleticism and celebratory backflips that have made him unique.

“It’s weird,” Steveson said. “I don’t know, it’s odd to have that love from everybody, every single fan base. You know, people are supposed to root for their team, and they’re out here — I go out there and get a forfeit and they’re on their feet going crazy … It’s outrageous.”

Steveson also received a standing ovation at Iowa — one of Minnesota’s longtime rivals — in January. Fans at road venues such as Michigan lined up after duals to get his autograph. Continue reading at washingtonpost.com →