Penn State's Zain Retherford Begins His Olympics Wrestling Medal Quest

Retherford felt wrestling "pulling on my heart." So he refreshed his approach and qualified for the Paris Olympics.

Zain Retherford prepares to wrestle in the 65 kg men's freestyle weight class at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials. / Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

After winning a world championship in 2023, Zain Retherford was ready to retire from wrestling. "You know what? I think I'm done," he told Nittany Lion Wrestling Club coach Cody Sanderson last fall. The former Penn State wrestler who won three NCAA titles was weary of cutting weight, had accepted a part-time role with a New York investment firm and felt peace with the next step in life. And then he became an Olympian.

"Let's do this," Retherford said at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials in April. "Let's have some fun."

Retherford seeks to punctuate his wrestling career this weekend at the Paris Olympics, where he will compete in the 65 kg men's freestyle weight class. Having won the class at the Trials in State College, and then qualifying for the Olympics at a May event in Turkey, Retherford enters the tournament with a focused yet carefree approach.

"I’m just giving my all to this," the 28-year-old Retherford said at the Trials. "I didn’t know if this would be my last time competing. I'm just grateful for every opportunity I have and I'm making the most of it."

Despite winning a 2023 world title, Retherford was unseeded for the 65 kg competition which began Saturday morning in Paris. Retherford lost an 8-0 decision to Rahman Amouzadkhali, the No. 2 seed from Iran, in his round-of-16 bout. He still could wrestle for bronze Sunday, though, if Amouzadkhali reaches the 65 kg final. Should Amouzadkhali win his semifinal match Saturday, Retherford would get pulled back into the tournament and wrestle a repechage match Sunday.

Retherford wasn't seeded at 65 kg because he has no senior international experience at the weight class, which initially prompted that thought of retiring.

Retherford, a two-time Hodge Trophy winner at Penn State, has been wrestling freestyle for six years since winning his last NCAA title in 2018. He broke through in 2023 by winning the Pan American Championships and his first world title, both at 70 kg. However, that weight class doesn't exist among the six Olympic freestyle categories.

So to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics, Retherford faced a decision. He could move up to the 74 kg weight class or cut to 65. That meant competing in 2024 at 11 pounds lighter than he had in 2023. Retherford was reluctant. He had not wrestled at 65 kg for a while and was frustrated at how his body felt when he did. Thus, he considering retiring.

But in early 2024, the NLWC staff presented Retherford with a weight-management plan to prepare him for a run at the 2024 Paris Olympics. After wrestling internationally at 70 kg, Retherford could
descend to 65 kg in time for the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials in State College in April. And Retherford couldn't let go of his Olympic hopes just yet. So he accepted, won the Olympic Trials title at 65 kg and then qualified for Paris by winning four consecutive matches at the World Olympics Games Qualifier in May.

The process was grueling but ultimately worth it.

"I originally had accepted the job [with ABR Dynamic Funds] in New York City, and we were going to move there in January, and I just had a pulling on my heart," Retherford said at the Trials in April. "I couldn't explain it. I told my wife, 'I've got to talk to the [people at his new company], and I said, I still want to compete. What does that look like, how can we make this work?' They were super-flexible, so yeah, January was when I made up my mind. Let's do this. Let's have some fun."

One of Retherford's training partners in Paris is old friend, former roommate and freestyle opponent Nick Lee, the two-time NCAA champ from Penn State who recently accepted a position as assistant coach on Cael Sanderson's staff. Retherford defeated Lee in the best-of-three championship series at 65 kg at the Trials. Lee also traveled with Retherford to Istanbul to serve as his training partner for the Olympics qualifier.

"Nick Lee is a brother to me," Retherford said.

If Retherford wins his opener, he would advance to a quarterfinal match against the winner between seventh-seeded Islam Dudaev of Albania and Guku Akazawa of Samoa.

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.