Gopher Wrestling Club

Olympic Wrestler Gable Steveson Will Only Do His Signature Move in Tokyo If 1 Thing Happens

Gable Steveson is known by many in the wrestling world not just for what he does during a competition, but also for what he does when he wins.

A backflip.

But fans of the now-Olympic wrestler shouldn’t expect to see him do it in Tokyo after just any victory.

“Should I gold medal match,” he told NBC Chicago. “I hope I get to that point. If I wrestle my best, I know I can get there. When and if I can win, put on a good show for America, that flip is coming.”

For Steveson, the dream of becoming an Olympian has already come faster than he ever anticipated, and he hopes to keep his streak going by winning a medal in Tokyo. Watch/continue reading at nbcchicago.com →

Steveson Wins Gold at Senior Pan American Championships

GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA – Minnesota heavyweight Gable Steveson won five straight matches by technical fall to win gold at the 2021 Senior Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The lone Olympian in the 125kg field, Steveson defeated Aly Barghout of Canada, 10-0, in the finals.

Steveson needed less than two minutes to sweep his way through three matches in pool play, including a 10-0 victory in 18 seconds against Santiago Hernandez of Colombia. He advanced to the finals with a 10-0 technical fall against Eduardo Garcia Betanzos of Mexico in the semifinals.

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Gophers Wrap Up Competition at UWW U23 Nationals

Four Golden Gophers placed at this weekend’s UWW U23 National Championships in Lincoln, Neb. Cael Carlson and Boo Dryden finished in third and fifth place, respectively, in Thursday’s Greco-Roman competition. Brayton Lee and Matt Ramos placed third and seventh, respectively, in freestyle on Saturday.

Carlson won four of five matches in the 77kg Greco-Roman bracket, including a 6-0 win against Jack Ervien, Jr., in the third-place match. Dryden battled back from a first round loss to finish 3-2, including a 12-3 win in the 60kg fifth-place match against Thomas Hicks.

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Steveson to Compete at Senior Pan American Championships

Minnesota heavyweight Gable Steveson will make his senior international debut on Sunday at the Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Steveson will be one of 11 members of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team that will compete in the tournament.

Steveson will take part in a pool round-robin on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. with semifinals and the finals slated for later in the day. As part of Group A, he will face opponents from Canada, Colombia and Guatemala. Group B will feature competitors from Argentina, Dominican Republic and Mexico.

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Gophers Set to Compete at 2021 UWW U23 Nationals

Fifteen Golden Gopher wrestlers will compete at the 2021 UWW U23 National Championships this week at the Bob Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb. The champion at each weight class in Greco-Roman and freestyle will represent Team USA at the UWW U23 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in November.

Leading the Minnesota contingent are NCAA All-Americans Patrick McKee and Brayton Lee. McKee finished third at the 2021 NCAA Championships and earned the tournament’s Gorriaran Award for most pins (3) in the shortest amount of time.

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12 Olympians Highlight U.S. Senior Pan American Championships Roster

Minnesota wrestlers Steveson and Longendyke set to compete

The roster for the 2021 Senior Pan American Championships is finalized! The USA is sending 29 athletes, including 12 of the 15 U.S. wrestling Olympians, to the continental championships, set for May 27-30 in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Olympians planning to compete are Kyle Dake (74 kg), David Taylor (86 kg), Kyle Snyder (97 kg) and Gable Steveson (125 kg) in men’s freestyle, Ildar Hafizov (60 kg), Alex Sancho (67 kg), and John Stefanowicz (87 kg) in Greco-Roman, Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg), Jacarra Winchester (55 kg), Kayla Miracle (62 kg), Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg) and Adeline Gray (76 kg) in women’s freestyle. Winchester is the Olympian at 53 kg but will compete in Guatemala at 55 kg.

Jesse Porter (GR 77 kg), is another Olympic Trials champion registered.

Other athletes competing include Olympic Team Trials runners-up Vitali Arujau (MFS 57 kg), Joey McKenna (MFS 65 kg), Ronna Heaton (WFS 53 kg) and Braxton Amos (GR 97 kg) as well as 2021 Senior Nationals champions Shelton Mack (MFS 61 kg), Taylor Lujan (MFS 79 kg), Nate Jackson (MFS 92 kg), Randon Miranda (GR 63 kg), Xavier Johnson (GR 72 kg), Ben Provisor (GR 82 kg), Maya Nelson (WFS 59 kg), Jen Page (WFS 65 kg) and Alexandria Glaude (WFS 72 kg).

Rounding out the U.S. delegation is 2019 U23 World Team member Alec Pantaleo (MFS 70 kg), three-time U.S. Open All-American Donny Longendyke (GR 130 kg) and multiple-time age-group World Team member Cameron Guerin (WFS 57 kg). Continue reading at teamusa.org →