Former Ohio State Star Wrestler's Impressive Olympic Medal Run Ends

After losing in the bronze-medal match in Paris, Kyle Snyder will not win a third Olympic medal. The former Ohio State Buckeyes star previously won gold in Rio and silver in Tokyo.

Kyle Snyder won the triple crown of wrestling (NCAA championship, Olympic gold, World Championship) all while at Ohio State. Sp Osu Wrestling 0122 K6 / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Content Services, LLC

In the wrestling world, one former Ohio State Buckeyes star has continued to impress for years. Kyle Snyder is now 28 years old and holds numerous awards at both the collegiate and Olympic levels. The three-time national champion at Ohio State won the Olympic gold medal in 2016 in Rio. He also earned a silver medal in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Entering the 2024 Olympics, not only was Snyder looking to podium for a third Olympics in a row, but he was also ranked as the No. 1 freestyle wrestler at 97kg.

On Saturday, Snyder defeated China's Awusayiman Habila 9-5 and then Cuba's Arturo Silot Torres 5-0 in the quarterfinal. In the semifinals, he fell to Bahrain's Akhmed Tazhudinov 6-4. This is not the first time Tazhudinov has defeated Snyder after winning in their 2023 World Championships match.

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; Kyle Frederick Snyder (USA) and Akhmed Tazhudinov (Bahrain) during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Champ-de-Mars Arena. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

In the bronze-medal match, Snyder still had an opportunity to medal for his third-straight Olympic Games. With a bloodied forehead and numerous stoppages to wrap Snyder's head, the match never had any sort of a rhythm. Despite being the aggressor, Snyder fell to Iran's Amarali Azarpiar 4-1.

For the first time in 56 years, the six-member squad of United States men's freestyle wrestlers leaves the Olympics having failed to win a single gold medal.

Although Snyder's 2024 Olympic run did not go as planned, his success in international competition has been extremely impressive. Not only was he the first college wrestler to win the NCAA, World and Olympic championships as a student-athlete, but he has also tallied 42 competition medals. Of those medals, 30 have been gold, six silver and six bronze.

According to USA Wrestling, Snyder is just the 11th wrestler to qualify for three Olympic Games.